[mjs10]

Hi guys, I've been playing and learning sax without tutor for the last 7 years. (mostly books, and practice, cost alot for having a tutor =))Well i did have a teacher but for only few months in my first days. I started with alto and then I decided to move to tenor as I like the sound better. Now I am trying to learn soprano and its damn hard.

I have another thread with video clip of my soprano and thanks for everyone who are giving their opinion and "online" tutoring.

Now I am curious with my tenor which I thought I have got it.

I just learnt about youtube and I just learned I can do video cliping with my little camera so I am getting too excited and recording lots of thing =)

Anyway, here's my tenor tone and I hope you guys can give me your opinion if I am doing this right or wrong. At the end of the song I tried to play soft or subtone...would it sound right?

 

[Jolle]

Nice sound you have.

One thing I noticed (and that my teacher told me too), is that you tend to "glide" into the note from flat to the note : sounds like "pwaa pwaa" instead of "taa taa".

 

[mjs10]

Nice sound you have.

One thing I noticed (and that my teacher told me too), is that you tend to "glide" into the note from flat to the note : sounds like "pwaa pwaa" instead of "taa taa".

I did some tounging and some sluring not so mixed up there hehehe. I tried to do some articulation to make it more enjoyable to hear. The sound is not that clear as I only used a digital camera. (not proper video camera) I also tried to do subtone and hoping if anyone can tell me I am doing the right thing.

Thanks for your comment Jolie, i am hoping there are other comments. I really need to know.

 

[docformat]

Your tone is good - if a little 'vanilla'.

What really impressed me is the way you played your horn while velcro-ed to the walls of your house. Wow! Does it hurt your wrist?

 

[mjs10]

Your tone is good - if a little 'vanilla'.

What really impressed me is the way you played your horn while velcro-ed to the walls of your house. Wow! Does it hurt your wrist?

LOL what do you mean Doc? I didnt have anything velcro-ed... The reason why I play in that spot is that so I can use the music stand from my baby clavinova (oh yeah I love this digital piano) so I can read the real book. Oh sorry what do you mean by a little "vanilla". I dont familiar myself with US slangs. I watch lots of holywood movies but not this one hehehe

 

[RootyTootoot]

Nice sound you have.

One thing I noticed (and that my teacher told me too), is that you tend to "glide" into the note from flat to the note : sounds like "pwaa pwaa" instead of "taa taa".

yes. I think you're tending to overdo the "scooping" into notes. I have a tendency to do this myself if i don't watch it. I think it may be to do with the fact that some players I like (Hodges/Pres) do it quite a bit. I wondered if you have a liking for certain players and you may be trying to imitate them? But if it becomes too much of a habit it really is a bad habit and, let's face it, you and i aren't Rabbit and Lester!! You could practise with a tuner and try to start notes in the middle of the pitch rather than bringing it up to pitch each time. It's also about listening to what you're doing with each note.

 

[SaxPunter]

Hey from Adelaide

Nice horn and nice tone. Firstly - I'm still pretty much a beginner but "vanilla" to me means lack of resonance. I didnt really understand what that meant until my teacher had me doing overtones.

There's lots of info around about them but it's a lot easier if you shell out for a month of lessons, I could only do the low Bb up an octave and a fifth to start, now I am up to D2 (nearly).

I can honestly say my first four lessons with a good teacher improved my playing more than what four years of struggling on my own would have acheived. If you talk to a teacher and they dont know what overtones are - get another one!

My tone is still a mile away from what I'd like it to be, but overtones will show you what your potential is, sometimes that's motivation enough!

 

[dstack79]

Very nicely done.

You don't shy away from the low register and obviously feel pretty comfortable down there. I'd pretty much parrot what everybody else here is saying: Try to practice your scales and long tones using straight tone almost exclusively. This is so important. Do this for a few months and you'll really start to sound focused and centered. The sliding, scooping and subtoning can become a really bad habit really quickly.

Also, I'd like to hear you "fill up the horn" a little bit more. For example, it sounds like you'll start a note with solid sound, but then back off the air support and the tone thins a little bit. Continue to work w/ a tuner on the whole range of the horn and see if you can zero out the pitch from the moment you start the note. Your intonation is already respectable, but the scooping is working against you I think. Once you can do this reasonably well and consistently, THEN start adding the inflections and embellishments as a spice on top of your straight tone.

I'd also like to hear you playing more in the mid and upper registers, just for comparison. Again, very well done.

-Dan

 

[mjs10]

Thank you very much for your kind opinions. I know I am still far from good. I am still in my learning curve and I just got a tutor. I actually went to see him this afternoon for my first lesson and learnt alot from him for that 1 hour.

See this is great, when I play I dont actually quite realize that i was scooping too much as sometime its different to hear what you play when you play the horn compares to hear what I play in 2nd person. I actually recommend this to any beginner, to record yourself playing and listen to what you play so you know what you're doing.

I'm gonna do some more practice and try to record them again, i will post it in my youtube again. (its not actually my youtube account, my friend loaned that account for me =) )

And greeting to a fellow Aussie! Heard it sux in Adelaide...hehehe just kidding mate...its just i knew some friends came from Adelaide. I actually like it, I went there, I like fishing overthere, lots of snapper !!

I will appreciate any more comments about this.

One more thing...my tutor Andy Sugg taught me about harmonic series. It is the way of the "throat" So he plays very low Bb and with his throat and without changing his embouchure and without pressing octave key, hey can sound: low Bb, Bb1, E, G...and what else...forgot...hehehe He played that trumpet fanfare melodies with 1 SINGLE KEY. He said its important to know this to be able to control my tone. He got a website if anyone wants to visit... www.andysugg.com He is such a great muso. Love his music!!

Any of yous experience this before or learnt this before? I am intrigued to know more about this...

 

[SaxPunter]

Thank you very much for your kind opinions. I know I am still far from good. I am still in my learning curve and I just got a tutor. I actually went to see him this afternoon for my first lesson and learnt alot from him for that 1 hour.

See this is great, when I play I dont actually quite realize that i was scooping too much as sometime its different to hear what you play when you play the horn compares to hear what I play in 2nd person. I actually recommend this to any beginner, to record yourself playing and listen to what you play so you know what you're doing.

I'm gonna do some more practice and try to record them again, i will post it in my youtube again. (its not actually my youtube account, my friend loaned that account for me =) )

And greeting to a fellow Aussie! Heard it sux in Adelaide...hehehe just kidding mate...its just i knew some friends came from Adelaide. I actually like it, I went there, I like fishing overthere, lots of snapper !!

I will appreciate any more comments about this.

One more thing...my tutor Andy Sugg taught me about harmonic series. It is the way of the "throat" So he plays very low Bb and with his throat and without changing his embouchure and without pressing octave key, hey can sound: low Bb, Bb1, E, G...and what else...forgot...hehehe He played that trumpet fanfare melodies with 1 SINGLE KEY. He said its important to know this to be able to control my tone. He got a website if anyone wants to visit... www.andysugg.com He is such a great muso. Love his music!!

Any of yous experience this before or learnt this before? I am intrigued to know more about this...

Harmonics is another word for overtones (see my previous post)

We like it that everyone thinks Adelaide sucks, worlds best kept secret you know!

 

[mjs10]

Harmonics is another word for overtones (see my previous post)

We like it that everyone thinks Adelaide sucks, worlds best kept secret you know!

Oh thats what overtone is!! Damn I feel so dumb =)

I was kidding you know that !!

 

[SaxPunter]

Oh thats what overtone is!! Damn I feel so dumb =)

I was kidding you know that !!

Don't feel that way, I didnt know what it meant either until recently, it's great that your teacher has you doing it, in four weeks your tone will be 200% better just wait and see!

I know you're kidding, its all good mate

 

[mjs10]

Don't feel that way, I didnt know what it meant either until recently, it's great that your teacher has you doing it, in four weeks your tone will be 200% better just wait and see!

I know you're kidding, its all good mate

Thanks bro, I hope I can get it. Sounds hard.

 

[SaxPunter]

It help if you do it with a tuner - then you can see whats coming out of the horn.

The way I was shown was to blow the middle Bflat, then low bflat then the middle again, then finger the low bflat but "think" the middle one, eventually you will be able to train your throat and oral cavity to blow the correct note, then try the octave and a fifth (F). You can then move up the horn (try low C next) the better you get the higher you will be able to move the "base" fingering.

When you first start all sort of weird honks, squeaks and whistles come out, your overtone is in those noises, you just have to isolate it.

The end result is resonance that sounds way cooler. Also I find it useful to pick a point in space in front of the horn and blow through it focusing on that point

Hope that helps

 

[mjs10]

It help if you do it with a tuner - then you can see whats coming out of the horn.

The way I was shown was to blow the middle Bflat, then low bflat then the middle again, then finger the low bflat but "think" the middle one, eventually you will be able to train your throat and oral cavity to blow the correct note, then try the octave and a fifth (F). You can then move up the horn (try low C next) the better you get the higher you will be able to move the "base" fingering.

When you first start all sort of weird honks, squeaks and whistles come out, your overtone is in those noises, you just have to isolate it.

The end result is resonance that sounds way cooler. Also I find it useful to pick a point in space in front of the horn and blow through it focusing on that point

Hope that helps

I got the middle Bb on low Bb key, cant do more than that =(

Yeah I get some squeaks and some whistles, my wife hates it...

 

[DeUtCheaxelplaya]

I got the middle Bb on low Bb key, cant do more than that =(

Yeah I get some squeaks and some whistles, my wife hates it...

just keep going bro..........hell, you mite discover some altissimo along the way if you havent already learned it.

yeah overtones can be a batch especially when you get to the double octive but just keep at it.

your tone is good, but i say your transition from note to note needs to be smoother...........it needs to blend better i guess is what im trying to say. there seems to be a delay or seperation of your notes, making it not smooth enough for what you were playing. mabye you could say its a little mechanical in a way.(someone say something if you can word what i am saying better or correctly)
and your higher notes sound a little strained even though you didnt go too high at all

i say overtones and long tones..........the long tones will be first needed for the low notes first in my opinion as low notes are almost a foundation for your higher notes (again, say something if anyone else thinks differently)

oh and i critique myself a hell of a lot more then i will critique anyone else.............so dont take this too negatively i noticed a lot of the other posts were more positive than mine. and if i ever put a recording of myself up go ahead and rip the hell out of my tone.........i like the critique.....drives me to get better

 

[ismail]

I second dstack79

and try to play loud as well.
playing low and in tune is harder in my opinion.
try to cover everything from loud (read: very loud!) to very low with a nice and even tone and in tune!

it will help your not-so-loud playing a lot if you train playing loud.

 

[DeUtCheaxelplaya]

I second dstack79

and try to play loud as well.
playing low and in tune is harder in my opinion.
try to cover everything from loud (read: very loud!) to very low with a nice and even tone and in tune!

it will help your not-so-loud playing a lot if you train playing loud.

i have come to find that the only way to train your tone while playing softly is to do just that. Playing loud will give you better support or watever, but if you want to have better tone while playing soft, practice playing soft........
but playing loud wouldnt hurt because then it will be easier to get rid of any airiness in the process. if you go into playing soft without the right support you will be airy, get a statiky sound, and/or get a gurgling sound. you might even be making sub tones which have a good sound but if you dont know what you are doing then it wont sound how its supposed to

this is just what i think.......

 

[mjs10]

i have come to find that the only way to train your tone while playing softly is to do just that. Playing loud will give you better support or watever, but if you want to have better tone while playing soft, practice playing soft........
but playing loud wouldnt hurt because then it will be easier to get rid of any airiness in the process. if you go into playing soft without the right support you will be airy, get a statiky sound, and/or get a gurgling sound. you might even be making sub tones which have a good sound but if you dont know what you are doing then it wont sound how its supposed to

this is just what i think.......

NOW this is something I always want to ask as well, I was waiting till someone mention this..."loud"

I find it if i try to play loud, I am running out of breath (often)

So how do you play loud??? I think playing loud is simply blowing more air? Is that true? In a slow ryhtym playing loud may not be a problem but in fast rhytm I am gonna need a tank of O2 next to me =)

Again thank you thank you very very much for your kind opinions, critics are sooooo much welcome.

I love them!

 

[eidollon]

So how do you play loud???

First you have to get rid of your neighbours