Help with a beginning students embouchure

[tophatsax]

I have a beginning student who has been taking lessons from me for a little over a month. He is still having major difficulty with his G. Most of the time, if he plays B, A, G down in half notes, they all sound the same pitch (and stuffy)

We've gone over an over the embouchure (As in Larry Teals the Art of Saxophone Playing - and the way I learned), but it doesn't sink in. I've taught beginning students before, but this one is really throwing me.

Here's what I have discovered:

He is constantly dropping his jaw (for each note -- I mean it moves so much he looks kind of like a nutcracker)

When I tried to emulated his sound using the mouhtpiece excersise, I was only able to do it with my teeth off the top of the MPC (and he confirmed that sometimes he takes them off).

He also is either too tight (hardly any air able to go through the horn) or, more often, drops his jaw so far, there's not enough resistance on the reed to get a good sound.

Any ideas on how to get through to this kid?

Thanks in advance

TopHatSax

[Mike Ruhl]

Sounds to me like the answer may be in solving why he takes his top teeth off the mouthpiece. Do the vibrations from the mpc irritate his teeth?

Try putting a mpc patch (or 2 if needed) on the bite plate of his mpc to reduce the felt vibrations, and tell him to concentrate on keeping his teeth on top of the mpc. Let his lower jaw do whatever it wants to do.

[Razzy]

Try holding his jaw in the proper place while he plays a few notes. Only when he's got this down, move on to breath suppoert. And the best way to work this is to push in his gut with your fist! Have you told him to focus on horizontal pressure from the corners?

[Tim Price]

http://www.geocities.com/saxontheweb/Coats/Beginner_Corner5.html


This is some of the BEST help you'll get.
Paul Coats is very focused here and it is a great lesson.
CHECK IT!!! P.C rocks!

[tophatsax]

Thanks for all the responses!

[tophatsax]

Thanks again to everyone. I read through all of Paul Coats' articles this afternoon and put a patch on the students mouthpiece during his lesson today. He's doing great now. (Of course, the fact that he practiced six days last week helped too.)

Thanks again for all your help.

TopHatSax

[Dewey]

I will have the student stretch their chin flat with the mp in their mouth and put my pen against it. Then when they are playing if their chin starts to relax I will put my pen on their chin to get them to bring it back down. I haven't had any continous problems though.