Saxophone High Notes Sounding Thin & Flat? Here's How to Fix It
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- howtoplaysaxoph... "My tone changes when I play this high note"
"Why does it sound so thin when I play up there?"
These are common complaints I hear often and so I made this video to address this problem that many face on the beast known as the saxophone. The lowest register of the saxophone can usually be tamed with more air support but getting the high register to sound full and in tune can be more complicated than that.
Other things to consider:
* Very open mouthpieces (and metal ones) produce thin and flat notes with more facility.
* Softer reeds too.
* Old and good Overtones is to me the best exercise to resolve this situation when mouthpiece and reeds are not the big problem.
I always find I go incredibly sharp the higher I go up, somehow I'm the opposite/exception to the rule haha :) thanks for the video!
Super-useful lesson!
Thank you very much for the explanations; not too much words, except for the right ones and a lot of musical examples.
Great.
Hi Johnny, nice video! Could you suggest an exercise to get students used to playing with an open throat? cheers.
I really appreciate this video!......please keep making videos like this that deal with the saxophone sound and technique.
Thank You So Much I have been struggling with this problem but now you helped me thank you!
very useful johny, I find the alto to be thin on the high notes, and hard to get sometimes.
yes the alto has the potential to be even thinner sounding than the tenor near the beginning stages but with some work here it also has the potential to be very full and sweet sounding up there!
Try using a tenor reed on your alto. Seriously, try it. That solved my problem for thin upper register they come out full now. Even the low notes have more fullness.
Njderig I'll try to get a baryton reed dor my tenor
Always insightful and full of answers. Thanks Johnny. Love the videos.
hey very important question that's been bugging me for awhile, when i play my high notes that are not altissimo, mainly high E-F#, the notes get about 30-40 cents sharp, and i have approached a number of different ways to fixing this, but none have really been a solution, any suggestions?
+patrick johns Yes Patrick, after doing the exercises I discuss in the video work with a tuner for those hi notes. the sax can be a beast in some ways and this is one of them, but when you put some hours into it you'll start to hear an improvement...there's no shortcuts!
Thank you so much
your very helpful man , thanks
Love the lesson do you have a lesson on high notes?
So I’m a clarinet player who picked up tenor a couple years ago. No matter what I do, how much I open my throat/oral cavity I find that the whole range of the horn is extremely sharp. I also find that I get a fairly breathy sound on most notes. I’m working on getting a fuller sound in the higher register but im definitely making progress. My main concern is about how I could actually play in tune and how I can stop getting such a breathy sound.
I use a Meyer 6 mouthpiece and Vandoren size 3.5 Java Red reeds.
Practice with the reeds, and adjust your mouthpiece (Pull it out a bit on the cork to make it flatter and push in to make it sharper). The breathy sound usually comes from moving up to a stronger reed, so if you recently switched from 3 -> 3.5 for example thats to be expected. If you have had these reeds for a while and the problem has continued, try switching down a level (3.5 -> 3.25 or 3). The sharpness should be an easy fix when you move the mouthpiece, but the best solution for the breathy tone is hours of practice. You can switch down on the reeds, but sticking with these reeds and just practicing instead will be harder but end better.
Logan Mazer you need to downsize your reed strength. 3.5 is pretty thick for only 2 years of playing. You should pick up a 3.25, 3, and 2.75 single reeds at the shop and see which one works best for you.
is there a more preferable way to chose the keys to play a note. for example you can try to play a song from a music sheet but the notes or some don't sound like the recording. that is because for example the D note instead of being played with the upper D key it is played with the low D But the octave key or vice versa or instead of the upper B key the note is played with the low B with octave key. Nobody seems to talk about his
This is useful. Thank you for posting this. Btw I have hard time with metal Beechler Custom #7 compared with others.
Thanks for this. I'm a newbie having exactly this problem. One question: Where is your tongue as the notes get higher? Someone said it should be like you're making the "ee" sound from the word "tree", but that doesn't feel right to me.
is there an advantage to a metal mouthpiece with altissimo? if so what is a good brand and size? should the end of the reed match the curvature of the end of the mouthpiece? I am looking at mine and the curvature does not match even with different reeds! ..I know it's supposed to be set in a hair from the end. Thank you for your lessons online...very appreciative...
I currently have a yamaha custom z, would it be a major sound improvement to go to a selmer markvi, or any reccomendations?
superb playing ,,,,,,,i practise every time but,,,,HIGHE NOTS,,,, thers any secret with the mouth piece.....many thanks
+Sudarshan Kulatunga Which mouthpiece are you using?
A good way to explain is to drop your jaw. At least that's I was taught to get both low and high notes to come out solid and more in tune
great lesson - anything on the finger position for the high notes ?
Not here, I did this lesson with the assumption the player already was familiar with these fingerings. There are plenty of fingering charts available for free as well, on my site for one!
thanks for replying.will check this
Yo what model or brand is that tenor
I think its a Selmer mark VI
hi sir ,,,problem with the high notes with sax,,,,,without any teacher i blow,,trying but i cant play high notes
im from sri lanka
Why when I play certain note my saxophone is high pitched. It doesn’t sound like yours at all can someone tell me. My saxophone is from the school and my school is kinda old could this be why many people have used it too. It has to be probably 20 years because when I got the saxophone the neck screw was broke is this why but I’m getting my own soon can someone tell me. I got a B on my playing test at school because my saxophone kept squeaking. So I rlly need a heads up plz anyone it tried cleaning it and lining up the neck piece and loosening and tightening my ligature
I’ve played sax for 4 years and can’t get rid of the airy sound. Any suggestions?
Tjoho ok thanks
If we're just buzzing with the mouthpiece, what pitch should we be getting? Is it better to blow in with a pure, clear ringing sound or more of a hum?
humming is for when you want to create a dirtier growling sound
Do you mind if I post or send you a couple links to give you an idea of the different sound elements I want to get down?
I'm not sure how to separate the hum from the buzz or a "smooth resonance" from a clear ring.
I know it can take 10 years to discover it doesn't take 10 years to learn to play if I just get down the right vibes/elements.
go ahead
Johnny Ferreira
E Mcguire great sax !! do I get a feeling of boots Randolph ?
hello, may i ask how to change a high note to a low note (one octave lower) smoothly with a slur? >< my saxophone keep producing weird sounds when i do it!!
im going to have a competition soon & i hope i can fix it asap as i think its gonna kill me so badly!!
Tzu Hsuan Chen first make sure you're releasing the octave key at the right time (don't hold it into the low note) then the rest is up to you by opening your throat, support with your embouchure and lots of air. Practise this with all notes everyday, then your note will come.
Johnny Ferreira thank you very much!!!! :) :) :)
+Tzu Hsuan Chen If you continue to have problems, attempt to manipulate tongue position. Standard is to have the back of the tongue arched in a hissing position, and for low notes the middle portion of the tongue should be low to direct the air down and high notes are the opposite. Overtones overtones overtones!
Funny I can't play the high E F and D but I can play higher than high D...WHAT CAN I DO I HAVE A CONCERT IN 3 WEEKS AND I CAN'T PLAY HIGH E F AND D NOR CAN I PLAY THE ANY THING LOWER THAN G
cancel the concert, then get to work. I have some good free lessons on my site: howtoplaysaxophone.org
You replied 2 months and a week after his concert took place, telling him to cancel it.
umm my sax is an alto sax but the sound isnt prominent and sharp like other peoples saxophones. its smooth breathy and quiet. why is that? i dont want something to be wrong with it but the sound isnt clear and sharp like yours
your sax is only a small part of the equation. you have several other things to consider: your mouthpiece (most important), your reeds, and you, your air support and embouchure. if you sound breathy and quite it's not your sax's fault... blow louder and get a more open mouthpiece.
Johnny Ferreira oh any recommendations for the mouthpiece?
and thankyou
oh man, it's a huge sax mp world out there! hard for me to say because I don't know where you're at with your playing, like how long, what you sound like, what you want to sound like. if you think it's too quite you should get one that's more open. if you like blues and rock you might get a metal and/or one thats got a high baffle for extra brightness...that's what I do. if you want a darker jazz tone you don't want a high baffle... but either way, think about a larger tip opening to sound bigger and louder right away....and blow hard!
Like what johnny said, I find that the most common cause for that is a lack of air and a loose embouchure. Likely, if you blow harder while keeping a neat tight embouchure, you will lose this problem with practice.
i have tenor sax name call SMS ACADEMY from china brand from england
im trying to contact you in near future,,,,,,sudarshan from sri lanka,,,,,god bless you sir johhny
I didn't know Patton Oswalt played sax
now you do