Frnic
Member
- Messages
- 32
- Locality
- Florida
As a re-beginner I am starting out (4 or 5 days now) focusing on building my embouchure by playing long tones while trying for constant loudness and intonation. So far intonation is a real challenge. (duh)
My first question is: Is repeatable/intentional and steady intonation (not drifting in and out of tune/pitch) a function of embouchure, jaw position, mouth cavity size and shape, or air pressure/volume control? Or all the above - Sigh!
I know it will get better over time, what I am interested in is how to help it get better - what should I focus on at first. I assume somethings have more impact up front than others.
I understand that different saxes have inherent intonatione issues on a per note basis probably (maybe?) related to quality (cost?) of the sax. I know that adjusting the mouthpiece to tune a single note I then need to check all the other notes to see where they are and sort of adjust the MP position for an "average' in tune value with some being a little sharp and some a little flat. Eventually as I learn to play I will learn to adjust the pitch of each note automatically without thinking about it.
My concern right now is not so much absolute accuracy as it is in improving "repeatability". Meaning playing the same pitch each time - intentionally. Obviously as a noobie I am not going to hit the SAME pitch every time. However as I practice I would expect that I would gradually get closer and closer. Playing a note within 20 cents of the right pitch (+/- 20 cents) every time would be okay maybe for a noobie like me. And as I progress I will eventually be playing notes within 10 cents, and then later within 5 cents.
It would seem that to do that requires that all the above be controllable - ie. Embouchure, pressure, air volume, mouth cavity, jaw position, and mouthpiece position. Thats a lot of variables to control while yawning scratching, breathing and coughing...
At the moment if I concentrate on all the above and carefully play the first note "in tune" I can then try to play the same note repeatedly or to play a scale.
As long as I leave everything the same (jaw, MP, etc) and just practice playing the same note over and over I am slowly improving in playing close to the same pitch each time. But, if I take the mouthpiece out of my mouth, put it back and try to play the same note I am not very successful.
I would appreciate advice on how to make playing a note in tune more repeatable/intentional without having to bend the note into in tune. I understand practice - duh - I am asking what to practice and any specialized techniques that should focus on improving this.
Along the same lines, if I play a middle C in tune, and then try to play the C scale down to low C, I see the intonation tends to go flat as I go down the scale. If I go up the scale instead, the intonation tends to drift sharp. In either case, I find that if adjust the mouthpiece position on the neck it seems(?) to make the drifting smaller - but not to go away - I think - maybe - LOL. Or maybe it has nothing to do with the mouthpiece position on the neck, but instead "all the above" are changing when I put the mouthpiece back into my mouth and try again?
Some times, not often I can adjust my embouchure and jaw position slightly as I play each note and bend it into being in tune and keep them from drifting as much - some times I can't.
I would appreciate suggestions on - what to practice and techniques to keep all the notes of a scale in tune and what to practice and techniques to make the entire process more repeatable and "intentional"
thanks for any advice
My first question is: Is repeatable/intentional and steady intonation (not drifting in and out of tune/pitch) a function of embouchure, jaw position, mouth cavity size and shape, or air pressure/volume control? Or all the above - Sigh!
I know it will get better over time, what I am interested in is how to help it get better - what should I focus on at first. I assume somethings have more impact up front than others.
I understand that different saxes have inherent intonatione issues on a per note basis probably (maybe?) related to quality (cost?) of the sax. I know that adjusting the mouthpiece to tune a single note I then need to check all the other notes to see where they are and sort of adjust the MP position for an "average' in tune value with some being a little sharp and some a little flat. Eventually as I learn to play I will learn to adjust the pitch of each note automatically without thinking about it.
My concern right now is not so much absolute accuracy as it is in improving "repeatability". Meaning playing the same pitch each time - intentionally. Obviously as a noobie I am not going to hit the SAME pitch every time. However as I practice I would expect that I would gradually get closer and closer. Playing a note within 20 cents of the right pitch (+/- 20 cents) every time would be okay maybe for a noobie like me. And as I progress I will eventually be playing notes within 10 cents, and then later within 5 cents.
It would seem that to do that requires that all the above be controllable - ie. Embouchure, pressure, air volume, mouth cavity, jaw position, and mouthpiece position. Thats a lot of variables to control while yawning scratching, breathing and coughing...
At the moment if I concentrate on all the above and carefully play the first note "in tune" I can then try to play the same note repeatedly or to play a scale.
As long as I leave everything the same (jaw, MP, etc) and just practice playing the same note over and over I am slowly improving in playing close to the same pitch each time. But, if I take the mouthpiece out of my mouth, put it back and try to play the same note I am not very successful.
I would appreciate advice on how to make playing a note in tune more repeatable/intentional without having to bend the note into in tune. I understand practice - duh - I am asking what to practice and any specialized techniques that should focus on improving this.
Along the same lines, if I play a middle C in tune, and then try to play the C scale down to low C, I see the intonation tends to go flat as I go down the scale. If I go up the scale instead, the intonation tends to drift sharp. In either case, I find that if adjust the mouthpiece position on the neck it seems(?) to make the drifting smaller - but not to go away - I think - maybe - LOL. Or maybe it has nothing to do with the mouthpiece position on the neck, but instead "all the above" are changing when I put the mouthpiece back into my mouth and try again?
Some times, not often I can adjust my embouchure and jaw position slightly as I play each note and bend it into being in tune and keep them from drifting as much - some times I can't.
I would appreciate suggestions on - what to practice and techniques to keep all the notes of a scale in tune and what to practice and techniques to make the entire process more repeatable and "intentional"
thanks for any advice