The Martin alto keys height
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This may help as a rough guide:
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Saxes/Alto/Martin_Handcraft_alto.htm
Regards,
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/Reviews/Saxes/Alto/Martin_Handcraft_alto.htm
Regards,
Go to MusicMedic.com and read Curt's tuning and toning article. The correct height for your horn, your mouthpiece, and your best sound will most definitely be different from a picture of someone else's horn. When you understand Curt's play test on "c" and F# you can easily try it while gradually closing the first open key. If you start to approach your desired sound and feel (or are moving away for it) you can adjust those heights for good.
David
David
There are no absolutes, here. Different players will like different types of set-ups better (higher or lower venting). Some very advanced players, the kind that tend to play very heavy reed/mouthpiece set-ups (e.g. 4 or 4.5 or harder and .120-.130 on tenor) will tend to prefer a different set-up from a beginner who can't and doesn't put as much pressure on the instrument.
The heights are too low or too high depending on some obvious factors -- whether the scale is uneven or even, whether intonation is uneven or even for you -- and then after that it's about what feels right to you (which may change over time). Your set-up is also a factor here in another way, in that your mouthpiece will have its own tendencies in terms of its evenness or unevenness of scale; some mouthpieces may discover a venting issue on a given horn/set-up where another mouthpiece (or even reed) will not. The only way to find out what really feels right to you is to experiment. It can be a difficult exploration for players in terms of expense, unless you can learn to close and open heights yourself.
One random, but valuable tip (not necessarily applicable to the OP): in terms of how it feels to play, sometimes what you perceive as a hitch or flaw in venting/attack/legato-feel can actually be something ergonomic. Example: if your low Eb is not in a comfortable place, it can make the response feel like it's off, when it's actually the position of your hand and an ergonomic issue that is just perceived as a response issue.
The heights are too low or too high depending on some obvious factors -- whether the scale is uneven or even, whether intonation is uneven or even for you -- and then after that it's about what feels right to you (which may change over time). Your set-up is also a factor here in another way, in that your mouthpiece will have its own tendencies in terms of its evenness or unevenness of scale; some mouthpieces may discover a venting issue on a given horn/set-up where another mouthpiece (or even reed) will not. The only way to find out what really feels right to you is to experiment. It can be a difficult exploration for players in terms of expense, unless you can learn to close and open heights yourself.
One random, but valuable tip (not necessarily applicable to the OP): in terms of how it feels to play, sometimes what you perceive as a hitch or flaw in venting/attack/legato-feel can actually be something ergonomic. Example: if your low Eb is not in a comfortable place, it can make the response feel like it's off, when it's actually the position of your hand and an ergonomic issue that is just perceived as a response issue.
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