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I've been spending hours today playing around with my embouchure as I tend to squeak and squeal and especially bite. As a test sound piece I've been playing the godfather love theme and a whole new world, changing my embouchure slightly every couple of lines to compare sounds and squeakability.
The one that I like the most is where I basically just seal my lips around the mouthpiece. I don't roll my bottom lip over my bottom teeth but i end up with my lip right over top of my bottom teeth anyways. I pucker in the sides (very tiring...) and I don't rest the top teeth on the mouth piece (but they hover right above it). Is this wrong? I find I get a very similar sound with my teeth on the mpc BUT I instantly tense up and start biting. By just sticking the mpc in my mouth and tightening my lips around it helps me to keep my throat open and jaw down. Is this an acceptable way of playing or not? My teacher insists on the bottom lip curled over method (he's also primarily a clarinet player but teaches all wind/brass instruments) but it really, really doesn't work for me... I sound horrible and I chomp on my bleed until i break skin. Either way, using the above described preferred method I find I only squeak when A. the sides of my lips have relaxed out of tiredness or B. I forgot to breath when the piece told me to...lol
Also I think part of the problem is my sax is really uncomfortable to hold and it has an effect on my embouchure (i think). I'm constantly struggling with my neckstrap. I find if I adjust it so the mpc is at the height of my mouth it's kind of uncomfortable and I tend to take in too much mpc bc the sax is so close but if I dont adjust it like that I have a lot of problems playing notes such as middle C (with not a lot of fingers) or low C, D#, etc (where I'm using my right pinky) as the thumb rest feels like it should be higher for me to comfortably support my saxophone . I play with an alto and I play it at my side a la band style bc that's how my teacher wants it.
The one that I like the most is where I basically just seal my lips around the mouthpiece. I don't roll my bottom lip over my bottom teeth but i end up with my lip right over top of my bottom teeth anyways. I pucker in the sides (very tiring...) and I don't rest the top teeth on the mouth piece (but they hover right above it). Is this wrong? I find I get a very similar sound with my teeth on the mpc BUT I instantly tense up and start biting. By just sticking the mpc in my mouth and tightening my lips around it helps me to keep my throat open and jaw down. Is this an acceptable way of playing or not? My teacher insists on the bottom lip curled over method (he's also primarily a clarinet player but teaches all wind/brass instruments) but it really, really doesn't work for me... I sound horrible and I chomp on my bleed until i break skin. Either way, using the above described preferred method I find I only squeak when A. the sides of my lips have relaxed out of tiredness or B. I forgot to breath when the piece told me to...lol
Also I think part of the problem is my sax is really uncomfortable to hold and it has an effect on my embouchure (i think). I'm constantly struggling with my neckstrap. I find if I adjust it so the mpc is at the height of my mouth it's kind of uncomfortable and I tend to take in too much mpc bc the sax is so close but if I dont adjust it like that I have a lot of problems playing notes such as middle C (with not a lot of fingers) or low C, D#, etc (where I'm using my right pinky) as the thumb rest feels like it should be higher for me to comfortably support my saxophone . I play with an alto and I play it at my side a la band style bc that's how my teacher wants it.