Advice On high notes

[Yopz]

Hi,

firstly, i think this is the best forum on the net! i have learnt so much from it! thanks guys! :D

i was wondering maybe for some help. i tried calling my old teacher, but he wont help. he seems like a bit of a..."selfish person", and not much of a teacher. so thats why i've come here to you nice people.so if you wuodlnt mind, please can i have some advice.

ok so, when i was in school about 4 years ago, i learnt the alto for 2 years. i stopped playing for 2 years due to too much work, and now, i picked the sax up again and ive been taking it pretty seriously for about 4 months now. i have purchased a few good books on the net, like the art to playing sax, and a few on reading. I can play ok, but im now working on reading, and on tone production. thats most important i think.

i practice about 1 hour a day. however, after playing for about 40 mins, when playing the higher register, i start biting my bottom lip, and it hurts :( so to prevent this, i take my top teeth of the mouth piece. or sometimes, i put my top lip on the mouth piece over my teeth, and this helps me stop biting too.

i learn my self, as the country im in, at the moment where im studying, people dont speak english.so, i listen to sax players to get an idea of what i should sound like.

firstly, is that correct? and i doing it right? what can i do to stop the biting?
secondly, does anyone have any tips for a person teaching them selves on how to produce good sounding low notes? after a while, they get a bit airy... then the sound wont come.thats only on the last 3 notes of the sax...thirdly, how can i get good high notes. i ask friends everyday, how it sounds, and i work on tone for 30 mins, and reading for the other 30. but im just contious that the high notes im making just are not nice. my friends have told me, that they sound good. (i like my friends, but i dont believe them, sometimes there too nice)how can i produce high notes to a good quality. the low ones i think i mastered, but the top...please help me. i just bite when playing high. and then they get quite too.

i learnt for 2 years, so i pretty much know what im doing in the basic playing. i think! i will get lessons when i come back to check im not getting bad habbits though :twisted: !

thanks everyone for your help. id appreciate all i can get! :wink:

[Morry]

I think your embouchure is getting tired, and you are overcompensating by clamping down with your jaw. As you develop, this should go away if you don't make it a bad habit. When it happens, stop and take a breather.

[Dave dix]

Hi, first thing is to rest your teeth on the top of mouthpiece without your lip under them.2nd dont put your bottom lip between the reed and your teeth. This will help you get a better tone and hold a better embouchure.
Also make sure the reed is soft enough for you
Dave

[prodigal]

Even if you only get a lesson a month or something, these are the kinds of things about which we could all give you different suggestions, but many may not accurately apply.

That being said, the high range does tire out your embouchure more. I sometimes put tape or cigarette paper over my bottom teeth.

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[saxmasta89]

2nd dont put your bottom lip between the reed and your teeth.

dave, i'm confused...i though thats where it is supposed to be...where else would you put your bottom lip

[prodigal]

Don't sweat it. There are some players who don't put their lower lip over their teeth, not too many though. One of the big advocates is David Liebman - Maybe that's him!!!

It's always a person who plays jazz only. It can be done, and well, but it depends on what you're trying to accomplish. ,klmklm

[Dave dix]

My lower lip touches mid-reed with my teeth behind,i really ment dont pull your lower lip back over your teeth
Dave

[saxmasta89]

Oh, lol..sorry dave. :lol: a misunderstood what you said...

@ Yopz, Dave is right..its hurts VERY bad if you put your lower lip where Dave said not to.. and on the higher notes, tighten your embouchure to where all of the mouth muscles around the mouthpiece are tightened...make sure the corners of your mouth are very firm. this may be tiring at first, but your embouchure will eventually strengthen.