[Ronish]

I notice when I play the "G" above the top line on my tenor, or when my wife plays the same "G" on her alto sax, unless you tighten up your lips or position differently on the MPC then there is a bad growl with the note.
This is unique to this one note only and I`m wondering does everyone experience this. Reeds are fairly soft. Mines a 21/2 and the alto`s 11/2 Ricos. Does`nt occur on lower "G".

 

[NissanVintageSax]

U talking about altissimo "G"? I can get this to "split" easily on alto (as well F, F#, G#, and A), but I can control it to not split as well. On Tenor, the only time I can those to split is by using a stiffer reed, but then control suffers.

I use a Drake Contemporary .085 and BARI* Med reed on Alto.

On Tenor I use a Drake Studio #8 (.110) with a Fibracell 2 1/2 reed.

 

[Pete Thomas]

(I don't think this is altissimo, it's G above the top line)

Are you sure the note isn't warbling rather than growling? That is quite a common complaint and seems to be an issue mainly with G. It's often cured by moving mouthpiece position, try pushing the mouthpiece on the cork a bit further, i.e. tune the horn a little sharp, but relax your embouchure to bring the pitch back down.

 

[jthole]

G2 on the saxophone would need a 3rd register vent, somewhere between the lower and upper one. Enlarging the lower pip makes G2 easier to blow, but tends to make D2/E2 more sharp.

The best way to deal with it, is practice

 

[Ronish]

Yes Pete it is the first G above the top line. I suppose it is a warble but a pretty growlie one. I found minor changes do alter it like position of reed, different reed, different MPC, but none seem to correct it 100%. Changing the embouchure seems the most effective, but I thought there might have been a permanent solution to cure it.
Nice to know I am not unique tho`. Perhaps improved sax design?

 

[jthole]

Nice to know I am not unique tho`. Perhaps improved sax design?

Yamaha tackled it on their baritone saxes with a 3rd register vent.

If it is really bad on your sax (get an experienced player to judge this), an option might be to have the lower octave vent drilled out a tiny bit. This will clear up the G2, but it will make the D2/E2 sharper, and it might introduce a hissing sound (probably not audible to the audience).

But first work on your embouchure, and the position of the mouthpiece on the cork. You shouldn't have to change the position of your lips on the mpc much though; the air stream should be steered with your tongue.

What does your teacher say on the subject? If you don't have a teacher currently, that would be the first step, I think.

Good luck!

 

[milandro]

G2 is a critical note because there is where the transition between two octave keys happens in most saxophones , many people report a problem there and in my view what you are witnessing is the breaking of the note into its harmonics and in fact you are producing a multi-phonic effect of 2 or 3 notes . This happens because of insufficient breath support especially noticeable at low volume levels and possibly the wrong throat position too. Some mouthpieces can help you prevent that but the best thing to do is to feel the abdomen muscles and make sure that you are using them especially at low volume levels.
Listen to Bert Wilson playing some multiphonics which he discovered by chance.

breath support video

 

[Ronish]

Thanks. Breath support and kissie lips the answer.