Colin the Bear
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 16,306
- Locality
- Burnley bb9 9dn
Forget everything you leaned on bamboo. Anything you have learned on bagpipes is also irrelevant.
It's only a starting point, you really need a tuner, phone apps are good. Mouthpieces should slide on as far as needed. Also octaves should be in tune. The way to do this is adjust the mouthpiece position so that both octaves are equally out of tune, then adjust embouchure until both at the correct pitch. Use notes at the top of the sax such as B or C, when the tube is shorter, it's more sensitive to mouthpiece position.I understand that it is normal to fit them halfway or so to get the right tuning, but, are mouthpieces supposed to be able to go all the way in if you need to?
It's only a starting point, you really need a tuner, phone apps are good. Mouthpieces should slide on as far as needed. Also octaves should be in tune. The way to do this is adjust the mouthpiece position so that both octaves are equally out of tune, then adjust embouchure until both at the correct pitch. Use notes at the top of the sax such as B or C, when the tube is shorter, it's more sensitive to mouthpiece position.
However there are always compromises, you will learn to make these adjustments automatically as you listen to yourself playing and work on keeping in tune.
Do let Griff give it a once over.
Forget everything you leaned on bamboo. Anything you have learned on bagpipes is also irrelevant.
Starting late in life on sax, I've resigned myself to this. The easy bits are still fun thoughDecades?? really?? I gonna be dead before play soundly then...![]()
It's only a starting point, you really need a tuner, phone apps are good. Mouthpieces should slide on as far as needed. Also octaves should be in tune. The way to do this is adjust the mouthpiece position so that both octaves are equally out of tune, then adjust embouchure until both at the correct pitch. Use notes at the top of the sax such as B or C, when the tube is shorter, it's more sensitive to mouthpiece position.
However there are always compromises, you will learn to make these adjustments automatically as you listen to yourself playing and work on keeping in tune.
Do let Griff give it a once over.
Griff kindly checked my alto last week and there were indeed a few leaks, now fixed.
He also sanded up the cork so now the mouthpiece go in more easily.
Now the bottom notes are easier to get and it is easier to keep it in the lower register, thanks again![]()