[JeffT]

Out of curiosity I rent a tenor to try; I only ever played alto and having a hard time building back my embouchure on alto (not going fast enough) I decided to try tenor which I keep reading has a more relax one.

It appears to be much easier to voice the notes and open up the throat area, compared to my alto, I feel more strongly the note resonate within me. The horn has a strong leak on the D-pad and I can somehow "voice" through it and have it and the lower notes play. I don't recall ever succeeding in doing that on my alto.

Is it due to a better fit between my voice natural register and the tenor? Or simply due to the less tension in my embouchure?

I naturally lack breath support but that resonnance inside the body is ...cool...

So is it just an impression or voicing is indeed easier on tenor?
(Maybe it just means the tenor is for me )

 

[Starsax A2]

I am no authority on the subject but I do think different saxophone voices come more naturally to some people than others. I learned on alto, and the difficulty I had was with the low end. I eventually mastered that, but when I got my tenor, I had the same problem even worse. I just really have to work to get the low end of the tenor to sound right(it was leak-checked, and was fine). However, on my soprano, that was never a problem. It blew free and easy from day one. The higher end of the sax range seems to just come more natural to me, and the lower end of the tenor may come more natural for you.

 

[JeffT]

Interesting! Do you happen to have a high-pitched voice when singing?

As a singer my voice is between baritone and tenor, which I thought was why the tenor seems easier to voice.

 

[Jtmusic]

I've read that alto requires a stronger embesure, while tenor requires more air.
When I switched from tenor to alto, The tenor required more air. It is much easier on the embesure, because i noticed i could play the high (about 3 or four ledger lines above staff) f# on tenor, while i could barely get out the high e on alto.

If you wanna switch back and forth, i guess you could try building a really strong embesure on tenor, and when you play on alto, play on a weaker reed. That might solve some "voicing" problems.

 

[JeffT]

Hello JT,

my teacher simply told me to keep playing both everyday and the shift between them is getting smoother. My alto tone has improved quite a bit since I started practising on tenor due to the development of a better breath support, the tenor definitively requires more air

 

[Jtmusic]

Absoulutely.
Simple solutions. Lol.

Gotta love that sax!

 

[stormott77]

I don't know if one is easier than the other. The tenor takes more air but the alto responds more to little changes in your airstream and embouchure. I think it might be eaiser to sound ok on a tenor than on an alto while playing both equally.

 

[JeffT]

I think it might be eaiser to sound ok on a tenor than on an alto while playing both equally.

Hello Shane,

Do you mean in term of articulation or tone too?

Right now my alto tone is richer and deeper!