Tone First upper register c# fingering

[zannie]

Hi

So I play this note with no fingers on any keys and because I’m effectively taking the weight just on my thumb and with my embouchure (strap notwithstanding) it’s a touch out of control tone wise. Do any of you put a finger down for stability? Which one?

 

[Ne0Wolf7]

You shouldn't need to support the weight of the sax with your embrassure. Because you are, you.must also be gripping the keys very tightly when playing. Your neck strap is probably misaligned, but until you can fix the issue, you can use all three right hand keys without changing the note.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Hang the sax on the sling so that you can play C# no hands. Play it there. No weight on the hands so they can dance over the keys.

C# upper register needs octave key.

C#2 can be played same as C#1 with octave key or just overblow it.

 

[ESJohn]

I think that Colin just answered one of the questions that was on my mind. So when that is done, it should improve my playing abilities by making it easier to move my fingers about the keys. Zannie, thank you for the question, too!

 

[Tenor Viol]

There should be no weight on your thumb. Your thumb does not lift or hold the sax. You only use it push away etc to get it in the right playing position. If that's not the case then the strap needs adjusting.

You can play C# with R123 all down but depending on the sax, that might affect tuning, so you need to listen and see what happens.

 

[nigeld]

As well as making sure that the sling, and not your thumb, is bearing all the weight of the instrument, you should also adjust the neck side-to-side position so that the saxophone does not want to swing to one side when you take your fingers off the keys. Hold the sax with the mouthpiece not in your mouth and take your fingers off the keys. The sax should not move to one side.

 

[MandyH]

In one of my first ever sax lessons, my teacher got me to stand with my heals and shoulders and back of my head touching the wall.
In that position you need your neck strap high enough that the mouthpiece can be just tipped into your mouth by your right thumb (ie C# fingering)
My teacher pointed out that almost no-one has their sax high enough! You may need to loosen the neck strap very slightly from that position, but that is how high the sax actually needs to be.
All the weight is on the strap, the right thumb just stabilises the sax a little.

That said, if I am playing a long (in time) C#2, then I actually play a low C#1 and add in the octave key.
The C#2 with no fingers is not a pretty sound at the best of times!

 

[jbtsax]

There are three contact points that help control the position of the saxophone: 1) the top teeth on the mouthpiece, 2) the RH thumb in the thumb hook, and 3) the connection of the neckstrap to the ring. 100% of the weight of the saxophone is supported by the neck strap. The other two guide and stabilize the position. I teach that with good posture and the head erect, the neckstrap should be adjusted so the tip of the mouthpiece touches the curve just above the chin. When the head is tilted down slightly to let the mouthpiece enter the mouth, this puts the mouthpiece a the optimum angle for most players.

 

[JazzMatt]

Someone at our big band suggested just the right hand middle finger (stop sniggering at the back!) as a way to balance the tone, but none of us have actually got round to trying it yet.

This question has refreshed my memory of his statement, i'll give it a tickle tonight at (other band) rehearsals and report back.

 

[Colin the Bear]

The nicest sound imo comes from a high sax. There's more embouchure control available. I see lots of players at jam nights with low slings leaning over music stands and struggling for tone and pitch control. Playing in front of a mirror also helps with posture. Hunched over and chasing the mouthpiece can't be any good for aches and pains.

 

[jbtsax]

The nicest sound imo comes from a high sax. There's more embouchure control available. I see lots of players at jam nights with low slings leaning over music stands and struggling for tone and pitch control. Playing in front of a mirror also helps with posture. Hunched over and chasing the mouthpiece can't be any good for aches and pains.

Exactly. One of the principles that I tried to instill in my beginning saxophone players was to always bring the saxophone to you---not bend over to go to the saxophone.

One of my pet peeves is those horrible dance band stand fronts that are so low that one has to bend over just to see the music. At the gig I played Saturday night I brought a regular stand to set my music on and set it behind the stand front. I was able to sit up with good posture the entire 3 1/2 hour gig,

 

[MandyH]

Exactly. One of the principles that I tried to instill in my beginning saxophone players was to always bring the saxophone to you---not bend over to go to the saxophone.

One of my pet peeves is those horrible dance band stand fronts that are so low that one has to bend over just to see the music. At the gig I played Saturday night I brought a regular stand to set my music on and set it behind the stand front. I was able to sit up with good posture the entire 3 1/2 hour gig,

I have spectacles made especially for playing Sax.

I actually took my music stand, sheet music and Bari Sax to the optician so she could appreciate my problem!