[Reet McVouty]

So, recently things have really been sounding off to me. I first noticed it a few months back in a jazz lab class I was taking. Tuning up was becoming a problem for me. I worked through it best I could and moved on. However, it's been gradually been getting worse and worse. Then the other day I started recording myself and what I heard was horrific! I immediately sent that clip to my computer to listen to it because the speaker on my phone is crap, and while it did sound a tad better I still sounded way out of tune. So now, I'm faced with this dilemma, get it together or give it up!

A little background. I started out (1968) as an ear player. I modeled my sound by playing along with Johnny Hodges records. Most of my interactions with other musicians were other kids just learning, playing R&R and blues, where I could play blues licks and basic rock melodies. I always received complements on my sound because it was a smooth dark sound made for the blues. But basically that's all I had. Totally lacking in technique and or understanding any music theory. Anyway, once I joined the workforce and became 100% dedicated to my trade, the horn went into the closet and didn't come out again until I was 35. At that time my kids were starting band at school and I thought it would be a great bonding experience to get my horn back out and learn together. So this time I did it right, I found a good teacher, started with the fundamentals and progressing with sporadic lessons over the years. I remember receiving instruction on my embouchure back then but not really focusing too much on it because once again, people were telling me I had a great tone.

So now it's become apparent that whatever I had working for me at 35 is not working at this ripe old age of 64. At first I thought well, maybe it's an equipment problem so I started working through everything, two horns, five mouthpieces, three brands of reeds all with the same results. Flat at the bottom, sharp up top. So, I'm positive it's me and now I have to start over and rebuild my embouchure. I called my teacher yesterday and we went over the Joe Allard embouchure method in depth. I feel this is going to be long road for me because I now need to start over while also having to eliminate the bad habits I picked up over the years. Someone just learning would be better off because they wouldn't have rebuild something that has been ingrained over so many years. That's my tip to beginning players, start with learning the proper embouchure because it's too hard to change later on. Not being able to play in tune affects everything you play. I can't even play melody's or solos correctly because nothing sounds right anymore! So, it's back to the beginning for me. wish me luck.

 

[J-Moen]

Good luck on the path! As someone who sets down the horn for laugh rather frequently, I understand starting from the beginning and its not easy and can be quite demoralizing, but with good instruction you are already on the right path.

 

[Dr G]

Awareness is the first step, so take credit for that!

Suggestions:
1) Commit to one setup - that will eliminate the variation in pitch tendencies due to changes in reed/mouthpiece/horn.
2) Be aware of tension and habits. Your embouchure may be fine, but you may have a tendency to change your embouchure (and airstream, for that matter) in anticipation of pitch.

Enjoy the path.

 

[lostcircuits]

Try some visual feedback as well, get a tuner that works with a mic rather than just with vibrations, which means you can set it up away from the horn and play a few slow exercises while making sure you stay in pitch. It really helps and you'll get real time feedback rather than only after the fact confirmation that something was off. Hopefully within a day or two you'll be back where you want to be.

 

[1saxman]

Have you ever used this 'Joe Allard' embouchure before? Why are you doing it now? If you were biting, which is the most likely thing for the sharp high register, all you have to do is get a tuner app for your phone (free) and practice with instant feedback so you can stop biting. I believe the Allard embouchure is double lip, no teeth on top - is that correct? You can make progress without going to such a bizarre embouchure.

 

[Reet McVouty]

Thanks all for your encouraging words. The good (bad) news is I'm home all day so I should have plenty of time to work on things. I only hope that this setback isn't just part of growing older. I also need to investigate how tinnitus could be affecting things. As I sit here at this moment I can hear the whine of those table saw blades I heard for years while working in the shop. Yes, I used hearing protection but obviously not substantial enough to ward off these problems.

Some info on Joe Allard:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Allard

 

[lostcircuits]

Thanks all for your encouraging words. The good (bad) news is I'm home all day so I should have plenty of time to work on things. I only hope that this setback isn't just part of growing older. I also need to investigate how tinnitus could be affecting things. As I sit here at this moment I can hear the whine of those table saw blades I heard for years while working in the shop. Yes, I used hearing protection but obviously not substantial enough to ward off these problems.

Some info on Joe Allard:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Allard

The good news is that some of the hearing loss is actually a degeneration of the auditory pathway to the cortex which is reversible through training. The other thing that comes to mind is that you may want to play with headphones through a microphone to get a better understanding of what you sound like to the audience as opposed to what you hear where a lot of the input is through the teeth/jaw directly to the ear and which may skew what you perceive as opposed to what you sound like to others. Tuning applications for the phone may work so that's a good start before you spend money on a tuner (but they are also limited in terms of their response time).

Last not least, maybe just being stuck at home as opposed to the sawshop has improved your hearing to the point where you realize that you are off when you had been the whole time and just didn't notice. It happens, and once you lick blood, you get into a frenzy chasing intonation (or lack thereof).