[ziyadkahid]

Dear fellow saxophonists,

I am a musician of 20+ years (started with the piano at 5 years old, went on to guitar, bass, drums, and when I finally could afford a saxophone, well, you know!), and out of all these instruments, saxophone has to be the most difficult due to the embouchure, which I just CAN'T get right!
After learning the guitar, I have been able to self-teach myself, all of the other instruments I play, including a couple of easy tunes on my Yamaha YAS-23 alto saxophone with 2.5 Vandoren reed, however find it very hard to produce a clear, bright tone without hearing random squeeks or "nothin but air" sound coming from my sax.
Too make things short (I know its probably been posted on these forums a gazillion times), are there any correct embouchure practice routines that worked very well for you and how do I get that CONSTANT proper sound from my sax (Impatience is a bad habit of mine, I have been practicing the sax every other day for only about 3 months now, self taught, so I know it may take some time to get it correct, but any advice is appreciated.)

 

[differencetone]

It could be you have a difficult mouthpiece. Probably you should practice just long notes. That is not enough time to learn anyway.

 

[Buck Laughlin]

Okay, try this and see if it helps: Suck your thumb. Then, leave your mouth exactly the way it is, remove your thumb, and replace it with your mouthpiece. Now, instead of sucking, blow into the horn (leaving your mouth in the same position as you had it when you were sucking your thumb). But don't just blow air from your mouth. PUSH the air from the bottom of your gut (using your diaphragm). Support the reed with your lips, but don't bite down on it. You'll learn to control the reed (and the tone) with your throat and mouth cavity. Remember, don't think about blowing air into the mouthpiece. Instead, push the air all the way through your horn, like you're spraying water out of a hose. Finally, drop down to strength 2 reeds, and don't go back to your 2.5s until the 2s feel much too soft for you.

I hope all this helps.

 

[jthole]

Take lessons. Seriously.

Bad habits are easy to learn, and difficult to break.

Apart from that, long tones and slow scales. Proper support of the air stream from your belly, and an open throat.

 

[zonepeter]

Lessons to be sure you are on the right track and patience to develop the muscles. I just had a significant breakthrough in my tone which happened one morning without warning, but when I analyze it I realize it is a result of almost a years worth of work. I'll post the details sometime.

 

[jlima]

What mouthpiece are you using? That could be a big part of the problem. I am a (mostly) self-taught saxophonist and I haven't had any of the problems you describe. But, if you can find a good teacher, that will be invaluable.

 

[braincell]

I had similar problems when I was putting the ligature on the wrong way and the reed wasn't positioned exactly right.

 

[Kritavi]

If you do take lessons make sure it is with someone who can really address the subject. A lot of teachers can teach lines. riffs. theory etc but fall way short on embouchure and tone production. Even some of the best known teachers would be hard pressed to offer a course of study around these areas.

 

[bari_sax_diva]

If you do take lessons make sure it is with someone who can really address the subject. A lot of teachers can teach lines. riffs. theory etc but fall way short on embouchure and tone production. Even some of the best known teachers would be hard pressed to offer a course of study around these areas.

I second this--not every teacher is best-suited to teaching a beginner. One who does it a lot, however, could save you a LOT of time and frustration. Learning a wind instrument is a whole different ballgame from what you've done in the past, but with some appropriate pointers you should progress much more quickly.

 

[SaxPunter]

Try a softer reed

 

[hgiles]

Play one note at a time until you can get a good tone. Playing the saxophone is more about filling that tube full of air than anything else.

Bring the air out of your body from your feet to your head and push it from the mouthpiece out to the end of the horn. Kinda like blowing up a balloon more so than blowing smoke from a cigarette. Not much is worse that someone 'puffing' on a saxophone...

Anyway, good luck!

 

[Guest]

Take lessons. Seriously.

Bad habits are easy to learn, and difficult to break.

+1 - This cannot be emphasized enough.

 

[ziyadkahid]

How do you put the ligature on wrong? I usually put mine with the tightening knobs downward (same side as the one the reed is on).

 

[ziyadkahid]

Thanks for the comments, fellow musicians. I greatly appreciate it and will put them into consideration and practice. Wish me well.

 

[jlima]

How do you put the ligature on wrong? I usually put mine with the tightening knobs downward (same side as the one the reed is on).

That's usually the correct way, but some people mistakenly put the tightening knobs on the opposite side in relation to the reed.

 

[father amos]

Dear fellow saxophonists,

I am a musician of 20+ years (started with the piano at 5 years old, went on to guitar, bass, drums, and when I finally could afford a saxophone, well, you know!), and out of all these instruments, saxophone has to be the most difficult due to the embouchure, which I just CAN'T get right!

Hello my background and yours seem similar... i play guitar and piano (20+ years). only thing is: i've been where you are now and i can tell you that i wasted years "teaching" myself, why? because i was arrogant about my musicianship. when i finally took lessons my playing really started to take off, that is, after i spent more years unlearning improper techniques in all departments. yours could be any one of a myriad of problems. assuming your horn is in top playing shape ya gotta find the right mouthpiece for you and the horn. not all mouthpieces work with everybody on the same horn- and that's true even with experienced players. then you should start with a soft reed until you develop your embouchure.
if you can't afford a teacher start trying to hang out with local sax players, shmooze up to them at bars or clubs or at local gigs and ask questions and absorb tips and knowledge that way. No two ways about it ya gonna need someone to give you hands on help. and not just with embouchure. father amos.

 

[differencetone]

You might struggle with it for a while and then suddenly are able to play. Bad habits are subjective. I can think of at least one acclaimed sax player who doesn't have a great tone. There is a lot of emphasis in jazz these days on having the perfect technique and I don't think that's the most important thing. If you listen to some of the great classical sax players, their tone is so pristine that it doesn't even sound like a sax anymore. That's right for the style of music they want to play but might not fit in a blues band for instance.

Try playing with a very thick reed for 10 days and then go back to 2.5.