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Question: New at Sax but a guitarist for years, Help Please!?
Hi I just bought an Alto Selmer Sax!. All stock but I was encouraged to use a 2!.5 reed!.
I have always played by ear and on guitar it comes natural!. Sax on the other hand has proven illusive!. I have played 3 days a total of 16 hrs!. I can play most of this lead http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=8v1nkmPRh!.!.!.
I however want some suggestions on Reed size so as to play a little quieter and help with teqnique for the embochure!. I hate honking and skweeks!. Am I doing it wrong by using alot of presure against the reed!? I can get a note out quiet by doing that but if I relax too much the Horn honks!. also I hate that wet spit sound instead of the smooth air that I hear!. I just empty the Sax by turning it upside down!. Please help me!. I think I could be very good just because I can "feel" what and where to go with the music but I fear the foundation is making it harder for me to play smooth and quiet!. BTW the Sax is a selmer omega brand new and I am going to buy a new mouthpeice!. I like the sound of the bright metal mouthpeices!. I dont beleive in buying lowend stuff to learn on!. (I know my Sax is lowend) can anyone give me a good bright smooth idea for mouthpeice and reed size!? I like to play Acoustic Alchemy style music and a mix between blues, jazz, and alternative!. My desire is to use lyrics to follow and learn from rather than other music instruments to develope my own style!.
Is my bottom lip suppose to hurt after and during play !?
I just put too much pressure on the reed and it gets tiring but its the only way I know to quiet down for the neighbors sake!. Any help I will appreciate!. Thank you :Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
For beginners I suggest a size 3 reed!. Make sure your reed is wet,
and that your chin is firm and your lower lip isn't pressed up against the mouthpiece!. For a sax you won't need to be as firm!. Gently add pressure to the reed with your lower lip for softer sounds!. Doing this will bring out spitty fuzzy sounds a bit more!.

I think the spitty sound affects everyone!. What I do is when I hear it, I take off my reed and gently wipe the spit off it, and take a rag through the inside of my mouthpiece to soak up everything!. I have also heard of people slurping in their spit, but its not very effective and just flat out gross!.

To begin, I would start off on a Selmer C star mouthpiece!. It's great quality and perfect for anyone!.

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buy a recorder!. they're about $10!. it's the exact same fingers as an alto, but much smaller and made of plastic!. start on that!. once you can do scales and play simple songs, move to the real sax!. and yes, your bottom lip will hurt for a while, but that goes away in time!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

For the reed: the lower number on the reed means that it will give you a brighter sound and requires less air!. If you want a darker and more mature sound I suggest you move to a higher number ( 3 or 3!.5)!. It is a little harder to play on but it provides a better sound with less squawks!.

For the spit problem: make sure that you aren't blowing spit through the horn!. also, try sucking air instead of blowing and that usually fixes the spit sound!.

Yes it is normal for your bottom lip to hurt!. Hope this helps :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

I disagree I suggest starting with a 1 inch to 1and a half inch reed!. I am a saxophone and a guitar player as well!. Ask any local stores around about items needed to clean your sax!. I suggest getting the book Standard of Excellence Book 1 Eb Alto Saxophone!. It will teach you how to play with song suggestions to choose from!. Just keep practicing you WILL get the hang of it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com