Can anyone give me some tips or secrets about the Alto Saxophone?

Question:I've been playing for six years, and now I'm geting a professional horn an getting ready for the next level. I just need to know how to be more articulate and how to have a good tone?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I've been playing for six years, and now I'm geting a professional horn an getting ready for the next level. I just need to know how to be more articulate and how to have a good tone?

First of all... sound is a long term, life-long process. If you start to make big sound changes ... you MAY go backwards before you can rise up with a better sound. - That's went I went though anyways in my first year of university ... total sound overhaul ... it was AWEFUL for about 2-3 weeks but after that I could totally tell a HUGE difference.

Well ... I assume you are going for a more contemporary commercial sound vs. a "legit" sound. If it's the legit sound you are going for ... nothing really I say below is going to be helpful.

What you really need is to get with a professional player that can coach you to the next level. I am studying with some of most amazing players ... all of whom help me realize new things about my playing and my sound.

If you are going for the more open contemporary, commercial sound, the first thing you need to look at is your gear. The trend with this sound is to play more open mouthpieces with harder reeds.

I'm not sure what you are playing on ... but for alto mouthpieces ... I would check out a Meyer 5 or bigger and the vandoren V16 6 or bigger. (I'm personally playing V16 7 on alto ... sometimes 8)
... check out a couple of facing charts and see where your mouthpiece sits.

While is it technically true you can get a good sound on a "less-than-ideal" set up, I have found the right mouthpiece can really give a kick in the right direction.

Second, check out your reeds. Using your current set-up, try experimenting with pushing the reed off the tip of the mouthpiece a bit at a time and playing ... see if that sound speaks better. You don't want to make a habit of playing like that (as putting the reed off the tip, doesn't allow the saxophone to ressonate properly) However, if the sound is speaking better, but pushing the reed off the tip is simulating a harder reed. Therefore, pick up a higher strength of reed next box you get. Check out Rico jazz Select Filed ... Rigotti Gold's, Roberto's, Vandorens.

After that ... you need to really think about how it feels when you play. Think about where your throat position is. Is it tight and closed ... or loose and open. How much pressure are you putting on the reed and is your lips tight or loose to allow the sound to resonate. You have to find where you are if you want to figure out where you want to go.

Once you've given it a bit of thought, take just your mouthpiece and play just the mouthpiece how you would normally blow into your saxophone. Hear that pitch and keep that pitch in your mind. Put the mouthpiece back on the horn and find the pitch on your horn. You should be "playing" a D on the horn ... (i.e. when you play just your mouthpiece, it should sound the same note as if you played a D middle of the horn.)

If it's there or or lower GREAT ... if not and it's higher as the case most likely is ... take your mouthpiece off again and work on lowering the pitch of the sound of just the mouthpiece. OPEN your throat ... as open as you can stand it without being insanely tense (if you haven't been playing open, you'll need to stretch out the muscles). also try putting a little air in your cheeks when you play. Once you lower the pitch ... even just a semitone. Keep everything in the same position and play with your mouthpiece back on the horn... remember how it felt to play with the more open "lower" sound... and keep doing that. Take it as far as you can ... the Nth degree .. and then bring it back to a practical setting. - Don't be afraid to try this with no teeth on the mouthpiece.

Beyond that ... I would say work on long tones and overtones... SLOWLY with a tuner ... work on pitch matching with overtones (i.e. match the "real" pitch ... to the overtone pitch).

Sorry if that is a bit long ... I have spent HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS on my tone ... especially in private lessons this year, and only now am I getting to a really great place with my sound.

Just keep at it and never settle for less than the sound you are going for. Don't move on until you are satisfied.

Once you establish a really good sound, you need to make sure you can carry that sound through the full range of the horn and have the sound full and even in all registers (long tones again) ...

I hope this helps! Happy Playing.

Becoming more articulate requires lots of consistent practicing. There's really no way around it other than focusing on exercises or etudes that emphasize articulation. A great book for this is 25 Daily Exercises For Saxophone by Klose. A lot of well known players have used this book.

On sound.

Without seeing what you're doing right now, I can't give you exact tips but I can suggest some general things. If you're playing alto try to keep your embouchure in the shape of an "O" as in the word Oh. Also, listen to your favorite players every chance you get (this is crucial). Getting a particular sound is like learning an accent, if you're in Australia (for example) for long enough, you'll eventually pick up a bit of the accent.

If you're not happy with your sound you could try out some different mouthpieces and different reed strengths. I'll tell you that this takes some players a lifetime to find something that fits them perfectly. Find one that's easy to play and stick to it. Take your current piece and your favorite reed and go to a store. Try out as many as possible and compare them to the original piece you brought. Do this for at least an hour so you don't get fooled into thinking that the shiny one is better.

Happy playing