[levagel]

After 2 years (!) i finally open the sax case again... As u can understand the sound is poor and my lips cannot support long playing.
Hopefully those 2 years I was trying a little bit with the clarinet, so I feel it’s not from the beginning to create again my sax sound…

I am playing Mouthpiece S-80 G (the most open of s 80), that it is not very helpful now as my lips tired very easily….

I know long notes will help a lot, but any other suggestions tips will be very welcome!!!

Glad to be back again!!!

 

[Dr G]

Don’t sweat the long tones unless you feel a need to punish yourself for slacking off.

Better to reward yourself for coming to your senses and playing your horn once more. Listen to what comes out of your horn and try to make everything musical - even a scale can be music if you let it.

Enjoy!

 

[estagro]

Great that you picked it up again. I did the same thing last year after 7 years.
I have to say that long tones did help, and you could practice those by playing songs that have longer notes as opposed to just playing the long notes. Makes it more fun. The other thing is, try to practice everyday, even if it is just half an hour while you develop the embouchure again and then practice for longer. It will take time, so be patient and most importantly, enjoy playing.

 

[lydian]

That’s a long time to go without sax.

I once took a 10 year break. I was back where I left off within a week or two. No special effort other than regular practice. I did work my way up to a 2 hour rehearsal without killing my chops. Just follow what your body tells you.

 

[cleger]

I was away from my sax for around 5 years up to a bit earlier this year. I still am not practicing regularly but when I get a chance I have been mainly just playing around with ballads as they are more fun than long tones but have a similar impact on building the chops back up. I am playing on a Lamberson J8 (.120 tip opening) but with relatively soft reeds, so with that amount of time away I really feel it after a few choruses.

 

[super20dan]

i once had to play as an emercency sub on a 4 hr gigand had not even opened the case for 6 years. first few songs were murder but i made it tru the gig. you will be fine after only a 2 year layoff

 

[saxoclese]

Larry Teal in "The Art of Saxophone Playing" give an exercise designed to more quickly build up the embouchure muscles which consists of whistling and then smiling about 50 times and then resting before repeating. Don Sinta suggests holding a small soda straw in the center of the lips as long as you can. Playing on a slightly softer reed at first can also be less taxing. It is important to stop and rest when the embouchure muscles begin to tire since bad habits like biting and playing out of the side of the mouth (like Kenny G) can easily develop.

 

[lostcircuits]

bad habits like biting and playing out of the side of the mouth (like Kenny G) can easily develop.

That's a classic!

 

[Tonehole]

Yeah, it's nice to get to say the "band is getting back together" after close to two years.

 

[super20dan]

playing like kenny g is indeed a bad habit

 

[MLucky]

Larry Teal in "The Art of Saxophone Playing" give an exercise designed to more quickly build up the embouchure muscles which consists of whistling and then smiling about 50 times and then resting before repeating. Don Sinta suggests holding a small soda straw in the center of the lips as long as you can. Playing on a slightly softer reed at first can also be less taxing. It is important to stop and rest when the embouchure muscles begin to tire since bad habits like biting and playing out of the side of the mouth (like Kenny G) can easily develop.

Not to derail this topic but, is it really a bad habit to play out of the side of the mouth? I've seen some pretty good players (Sonny Rollins, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown) doing that, seemingly on purpose.

And btw I am only asking out of curiousity. I am the kind of obsessive person who wants everything to be even and symmetrical, and I would only ever play off center if you could guarantee me I would sound like Sonny.

 

[lydian]

Not to derail this topic but, is it really a bad habit to play out of the side of the mouth? I've seen some pretty good players (Sonny Rollins, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown) doing that, seemingly on purpose.

And btw I am only asking out of curiousity. I am the kind of obsessive person who wants everything to be even and symmetrical, and I would only ever play off center if you could guarantee me I would sound like Sonny.

Have you ever tried it? It's certainly possible, just not ideal due to the loss of control. I can do it and still sound ok. I imagine it's done only for show most of the time. Roland Kirk did it out of necessity.

A bandmate of mine years ago who was a killer tenor player played out of one side because he had Bell's Palsy. Still sounded amazing, but you could hear the loss of control at times. He didn't really have any choice in the matter.

Play however you want, as long as it sounds the way you want to sound.

 

[saxoclese]

Not to derail this topic but, is it really a bad habit to play out of the side of the mouth? I've seen some pretty good players (Sonny Rollins, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown) doing that, seemingly on purpose.

It was (mostly) a "joke". I have actually had to play alto off to the side a few time on long gigs where there was little time to let the embouchure muscles rest. Some of the worst gigs were playing the old "dance band" arrangements where the horn was in your mouth the entire song.