Hello!
I've been doing this mouthpiece only A=880Hz exercise for some time, almost left my sax for awhile. I can get close enough to the standard as far as my ear allows me.
I now blow through my new Vandoren V5 A27 mouthpiece (as described in another my recent thread which is apparently abandoned now).
I tried #1.5 Vandoren reeds with this mp and it's very difficult to get A=880 with those reeds: the intonation I can get is 1 step below of what is required. Occasionally I can get A=880 somehow but it usually quickly drops 1 step below with a flop.
#3 Vandoren reeds work allright and I can get A=880 Hz with these reeds quite easily (I also tried #2 and they are like #1.5 in response).
This is a preamble.
My main question is: How much pressure should be applied to the reed from the lower lip to get A=880? Well, I understand you may say that if you get A=880 Hz the amount of pressure applied is normal.
Then I would rather like to ask you: When blowing the mouthpiece (playing sax) do you really have to APPLY PRESSURE from your lower lip to the reed? Should it feel like squeezing the mp or just surrounding it with the lip muscles?(I understand what 'biting' is and try to avoid it by all means)
I am asking this because I have to apply lots of pressure to obtain that A=880. When I blow the mp in this condition to make it sound at all and above that to make it sound like A=880Hz I have to literally make such an effort that I feel I may blow out. My neck muscles are tensed and my throat starts aching after 10 minutes of this exercise.
(By the way to get close to A=880 with #1.5 reeds I need to apply even more pressure to the reed and find some 'correct' position of my embouchure to hear that brief A=880 before it drops 1 step below. #3 reeds don't require such precision and are much easier to control).
I am a normally build adult man and I experience such difficulties that I don't understand at all how 10 years old children can play saxophone. When I think about this it seems to me it's impossible for them to play the sax.
I am absolutely sure I cannot do all this completely wrong. What is the trick?
I've been doing this mouthpiece only A=880Hz exercise for some time, almost left my sax for awhile. I can get close enough to the standard as far as my ear allows me.
I now blow through my new Vandoren V5 A27 mouthpiece (as described in another my recent thread which is apparently abandoned now).
I tried #1.5 Vandoren reeds with this mp and it's very difficult to get A=880 with those reeds: the intonation I can get is 1 step below of what is required. Occasionally I can get A=880 somehow but it usually quickly drops 1 step below with a flop.
#3 Vandoren reeds work allright and I can get A=880 Hz with these reeds quite easily (I also tried #2 and they are like #1.5 in response).
This is a preamble.
My main question is: How much pressure should be applied to the reed from the lower lip to get A=880? Well, I understand you may say that if you get A=880 Hz the amount of pressure applied is normal.
Then I would rather like to ask you: When blowing the mouthpiece (playing sax) do you really have to APPLY PRESSURE from your lower lip to the reed? Should it feel like squeezing the mp or just surrounding it with the lip muscles?(I understand what 'biting' is and try to avoid it by all means)
I am asking this because I have to apply lots of pressure to obtain that A=880. When I blow the mp in this condition to make it sound at all and above that to make it sound like A=880Hz I have to literally make such an effort that I feel I may blow out. My neck muscles are tensed and my throat starts aching after 10 minutes of this exercise.
(By the way to get close to A=880 with #1.5 reeds I need to apply even more pressure to the reed and find some 'correct' position of my embouchure to hear that brief A=880 before it drops 1 step below. #3 reeds don't require such precision and are much easier to control).
I am a normally build adult man and I experience such difficulties that I don't understand at all how 10 years old children can play saxophone. When I think about this it seems to me it's impossible for them to play the sax.
I am absolutely sure I cannot do all this completely wrong. What is the trick?