mnkyman Posted June 3, 2006 Posted June 3, 2006 as some of you may know i play bass clarinet anyways..this summer i decided to learn how to play alto sax on my own with a little help of my little brother who will be going into his third year of band next year i learned how to play the cromatic going up today.. 1 problem though...i cant get the low notes to come out nicly..like from Bb to like G it just either sounds like trash or i cant get it to come out... some of this could be to blame on my poor ambusher...but are is there anything else i can do ..to myself..the reed..the instrument to get the notes to come out easier and to sound better? Quote
TRtrumpet Posted June 3, 2006 Posted June 3, 2006 From Bb to G?.... arent those the same notes, lol. Well to get the low notes to come out easier you have to open up your embrchure (sp?) and use alot more air. They might come out loud at first but you have to learn how to controll the volume, and that will happen as you progress on the insturment. Well I hope I at least helped a little cause I kinda suck at explaining things, but good luck! Quote
itsstephenyo Posted June 3, 2006 Posted June 3, 2006 there are multiple things that you can do to improve the lower register of your saxophone. most of these, however, just come from plain experience. since i can't see what your embouchure looks like, i can't exactly comment on what you should do. however, if you're switching from bass clarinet, you should probably take MUCH less mouthpiece than you're used to. your teeth should be about half an inch from the opening in the mouthpiece. you're probably used to rolling your teeth over your lips so that's no problem. try to maintain a firm, yet very relaxed embouchure. too tight or too lose will result in little to no response from the saxophone. really try and find a medium ground. also, here are a couple of generic tips for you. 1. really make the inside of your mouth open up. think of saying the word "HO" backwards . 2. blow really fat air. the more air you push, the easier the notes responds. now, this doesnt mean to blow slow air. just because you're going to be moving a lot of air doesn't mean air speed suffers. keep the speed of your air up. 3. don't tighten your embouchure. if the note doesn't come out, take a breath and reset your embouchure. but always keep it relaxed!!! this is extremely important. in actuality, your embouchure should NEVER change at all. everything should be controlled with your throat and the back of your mouth. but that's very advanced voicing stuff. for now, keep your throat open and your embouchure relaxed. also, don't expect a Bb to come out miraculously clear and pretty. until u get really used to playing in that register, you're gonna sound like a lawnmower starting up. plain simple facts of beginner saxophone playing. everyone sounds really honky in the lower registers to start out with. concentrate on your low register playing all the time. usually when i warm up i start with double whole notes starting on Bb and work my way up to D and then back down at a really slow tempo. This gets your control up and also helps you to open up your embouchure and throat. after a while Bb's will pop out as easy as G's. there are a couple of other little tidbits that you can do with your sax to make the notes speak a little easier. it doesn't do a whole lot, but i usually can tell by the feel of it. u can key pop the notes to sort of jump start the air in the saxophone. while fingering the low Bb, the instant before you actually play the note, lift up the key with the pointer finger and pop it back down right before the note comes out. this actually works for almost the entire register. k yea i know this is long but *shrugs* oh well. good luck learning saxophone. Quote
mnkyman Posted June 3, 2006 Author Posted June 3, 2006 TRtrumpet said: From Bb to G?.... arent those the same notes, lol. Well to get the low notes to come out easier you have to open up your embrchure (sp?) and use alot more air. They might come out loud at first but you have to learn how to controll the volume, and that will happen as you progress on the insturment. Well I hope I at least helped a little cause I kinda suck at explaining things, but good luck! Thanks alot itsstephenyo - sounds like a good tutorial (i read it all) although im not switching to sax (ill still be playing bass at school - i hope to learn how to play sax and have a good sound by the end of this summer thanks Great post as for Ttrumpet - lol "arent thos the same notes - lol i REALLY HOPE YOU JUST KIDDING - if not...im sorry for u Quote
TRtrumpet Posted June 4, 2006 Posted June 4, 2006 HAHA I think read it wrong... lol! Oh well... Hmm I feel like practing my sax now Quote
sax5warrior Posted June 4, 2006 Posted June 4, 2006 ahh the joys of playing low Bb with no experience... I love that "mower" sound...sounds like youre about to kill someone Learn how to play soft in those low notes first, roll your lip forward a little bit and blow HOT air....think of thawing ice in Antartica Quote
itsstephenyo Posted June 4, 2006 Posted June 4, 2006 mnkyman said: Thanks alot itsstephenyo - sounds like a good tutorial (i read it all) although im not switching to sax (ill still be playing bass at school - i hope to learn how to play sax and have a good sound by the end of this summer thanks Great post thanks man. im here to help. saxophone isn't too difficult of an instrument to learn considering the fingerings are dead easy. two months of steady practice on the instrument will definitely get you off on the right foot. good luck, man... though i know you won't be needing much luck. Quote
mnkyman Posted June 4, 2006 Author Posted June 4, 2006 ^ lol most of the fingerings are similar to clarinet - so it makes it easier i played my brothers 6th grade solo with little error lol (except low notes) Quote
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