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Since I started playing tenor four years ago, those low notes have given me trouble. Everyone told me it is a normal problem that goes away with practice and time.
After four years I began to think it would never go away. I could never say reliably, here somes a low C,B, or Bb, and I'm going to sound it without peril. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. C was not as much trouble as the other two, but it would fail me from time to time. Usually when I most needed the note.
Hitting that B in the 4th measure of the bridge to Body and Soul was a sure recipe for disaster. Honk. Fizzle. Something about going down to it from D# that makes it more difficult.
Then one day a short time ago, the problem just went away all by itself.
Today I can pick up my Mark VI, Ref 54, or S20 and, after a brief warmup, nail those low notes with subtones. It coincided with changing mouthpieces and being convinced by more experienced players here on sotw to quit jumping from horn to horn as I tried to work out other problems.
But was it the new mouthpiece? I don't think so. I can put on one of the old ones and get those notes now where I couldn't before. What was it? I think it was a combination of things.
For the past couple of weeks, everytime I picked up the only horn I'm playing regularly now, the Ref 54, which is many times every day, I first blew low, long tones. Then I blew long high tones. Both at all volumes. The idea was to conquer that horn's anomolies as it relates to my chops and my abilities.
Then, after that warmup, I start practicing tunes. One day I found I was hitting the low notes effortlessly. I couldn't believe it. I put the horn down and let my chops go cold. When I tried again, the low notes came out just fine. Go figure.
I credit those here who counseled me with solving what has been for me the biggest tenor saxophone problem I've had.
A side effect of this new ability is that the Mark VI, which is the easiest tenor here to play, is now that much easier. It plays itself. But I'm mostly leaving it alone. The Ref is making a better player out of me, I think, I hope.
The Barone still has problems in the low register, however, so I had a pal, an oldtimer who has been playing tenor since about a week after Adolph invented it, test play it. He said it needs some more work. He had problems with the low notes. He did something with a length of audio tape and found a leak. I'll get it fixed.
So I asked him why it took four years for me to get to where I can play low notes. He said that's about right given my age when I took it up and the kind of open mouthpieces I play.
The problem now is that I'm so enamoured with those lovely low subtones of the tenor sax now that I can play them, that it's all I want to play. I overuse them in solos.
Because I can.
After four years I began to think it would never go away. I could never say reliably, here somes a low C,B, or Bb, and I'm going to sound it without peril. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. C was not as much trouble as the other two, but it would fail me from time to time. Usually when I most needed the note.
Hitting that B in the 4th measure of the bridge to Body and Soul was a sure recipe for disaster. Honk. Fizzle. Something about going down to it from D# that makes it more difficult.
Then one day a short time ago, the problem just went away all by itself.
Today I can pick up my Mark VI, Ref 54, or S20 and, after a brief warmup, nail those low notes with subtones. It coincided with changing mouthpieces and being convinced by more experienced players here on sotw to quit jumping from horn to horn as I tried to work out other problems.
But was it the new mouthpiece? I don't think so. I can put on one of the old ones and get those notes now where I couldn't before. What was it? I think it was a combination of things.
For the past couple of weeks, everytime I picked up the only horn I'm playing regularly now, the Ref 54, which is many times every day, I first blew low, long tones. Then I blew long high tones. Both at all volumes. The idea was to conquer that horn's anomolies as it relates to my chops and my abilities.
Then, after that warmup, I start practicing tunes. One day I found I was hitting the low notes effortlessly. I couldn't believe it. I put the horn down and let my chops go cold. When I tried again, the low notes came out just fine. Go figure.
I credit those here who counseled me with solving what has been for me the biggest tenor saxophone problem I've had.
A side effect of this new ability is that the Mark VI, which is the easiest tenor here to play, is now that much easier. It plays itself. But I'm mostly leaving it alone. The Ref is making a better player out of me, I think, I hope.
The Barone still has problems in the low register, however, so I had a pal, an oldtimer who has been playing tenor since about a week after Adolph invented it, test play it. He said it needs some more work. He had problems with the low notes. He did something with a length of audio tape and found a leak. I'll get it fixed.
So I asked him why it took four years for me to get to where I can play low notes. He said that's about right given my age when I took it up and the kind of open mouthpieces I play.
The problem now is that I'm so enamoured with those lovely low subtones of the tenor sax now that I can play them, that it's all I want to play. I overuse them in solos.
Because I can.
