High Register Tone

[mpsax]

Im an alto player mainly, and am able to reach into the altissimo range with a fairly full and rich tone, but picking up a tenor for an upcoming gig i've found that anything above a G or A (:treble: :line6: ) sounds really muted and stuffy.

Ive had a look for any obvious leaks but am unable to find anything. The horn is a Yamaha TS-62 bought new a few months ago. It isnt mine so i dont know its 'problem' history. Im using my own Link HR 6* with a BG lig.

is this a common problem with alto players playing tenor?

[58tenor]

This is one area where the setup of the horn seems to make a major difference. Perhaps see if the upper stack can be opened up a bit. It may really help. The rest is up to you.

[bb]

When I started to double alto/tenor I had the same issue.Now I can play both.A lot of people think that if you can play alto you can play tenor and viceversa.Trust me;I'm a pro,I gig and teach regurarly,and in my opinion it' not true.I mean if you can sound good on alto you can play tenor and viceversa,but you won't have the same control of sound/dynamics/tone/overtones.....
Don't think about the set up,work on long tones and harmonics to build a nice tenor embouchure.I know your problem because I started with alto,and the alto sax has a tighter embouchure compared to the tenor.Push your mouthpiece really into the cork (the more you do normally) and try to play in tune.If you study this embouchure you'll develop a loosen one and a big tenor sound,because tis "trick" doesn't permit you to bite.If you have trouble with the altissimo try to achieve the altissimo notes with the harmonics on the bass notes (low Bb,B and C).It's definetly not easy,but if you can play altissimo on the bass notes you'll surely be able to play with the altissimo fingering.Ah,also keep in your mind that the altissimo fingerings are not the same on the two saxes!!!.Hope this helps:Bye BB

[BarrySachs]

Im an alto player mainly, and am able to reach into the altissimo range with a fairly full and rich tone, but picking up a tenor for an upcoming gig i've found that anything above a G or A (:treble: :line6: ) sounds really muted and stuffy.

Ive had a look for any obvious leaks but am unable to find anything. The horn is a Yamaha TS-62 bought new a few months ago. It isnt mine so i dont know its 'problem' history. Im using my own Link HR 6* with a BG lig.

is this a common problem with alto players playing tenor?


Here's a trick to make you upper register a bit brighter without changing the response in the lower octave. Take a reed knife, and thin out the tip about 1mm into the reed. You can also add a little buzz to the sound by taking your knife and cutting a slit across the reed just above the "window" of the mouthpiece, if that makes any sense.

Pick up a book on making oboe reeds. The same principles apply to tweaking saxophone reeds.

Nothing wrong with your choice of mpc/lig.