Alto to Tenor

[Ebaltosax]

Hi! I've been playing alto in Middle School for 2 years, and at the end of this year I am switching to tenor. I'm then going to Carson Newman Summer Music Camp. Does anybody have any advice on "speed-adjusting" or just ol' regular adjusting :?:

[OnyxSax]

Just play! You'll adjust pretty quickly on your own.

I jumped from alto to tenor after 6 months on sax (preceded by a year and a half on clarinet), and I never looked back. Alto? What's that?

[Gandalfe]

To find my voicing on an alto, tenor, or bari, I start with long notes and then move to overtones, a little vibrato work, and then scales. For some reason, I don't sound as good if I just start honking. I actually prefer alto and bari, but there sure is a lot of work for a competent, soloing tenor player.

[Ebaltosax]

To find my voicing on an alto, tenor, or bari, I start with long notes and then move to overtones, a little vibrato work, and then scales

I'm only in my 2nd year, so I don't know what an "overtone" is. I think I know what a vibrato is, but I'm not sure.

Thanks!

[Rex]

Eb:

Hi again! In your second year, there are no shortcuts in your switch to tenor -- take it slowly at first to re-learn your finger/hand position and action, take your teachers' advice about breathing and support, embouchure, voicing, etc. You should have the advantages of reading music already, and knowing all the fingerings! Some would say a tendency in the switch from alto to tenor is to bite/pinch at the mouthpiece -- don't do it! You must breath deeply, move a lot of air and support it even more, in your switch to tenor. Also watch out for the correct mouthpiece angle (to your mouth), amount of bite (how much mouthpiece goes in your mouth), tongue position and tonguing (tip of the reed) switching to tenor. The principles are all the same for all the saxes, but in application you need to be careful to do it right when you switch, as the tenor is a much larger instrument, after all.

[Ebaltosax]

Now...I know (or at least I think) that this is a little advanced, but:
How do you produce a "subtone" "vibrato" or an "overtone?"

[Razzy]

Subtone: Playing so soft that the tone is mostly fuzz. Achieved by really loosening up your lip and kind of "fluffing" the notes. You really have to hear a player do it to understand what it is.

Vibrato: Slight jaw motion up and down that changes the pitch and quality of the note... typically the jaw will move down slightly and return to normal position, wavering below the actual pitch but rarely, if ever, above it. Once again, listen to some players. Especially Marcel Mule for classical, if you want to hear some killer French vibrato.

Overtone: Fingering a lower note but playing a note higher than it (usually on Bb1, B1, C1, and C#1). This is achieved mostly by changing the height and shape of your tongue, and using it to direct the airstream with your oral cavity. This happens automatically when you whistle. When you whistle higher pitches, the tongue arches more and comes forward; this is how higher overtones are achieved. It takes a hell of a lot of chops too. Good for building tone and acting as a jumpstart to learning the altissimo register by getting comfy with the concept of "voicing". Akin to how brass players achieve higher partials of notes.