Saxophone beginners Getting a low note first time from much higher

[Jay]

I'm learning this

and I'm playing the bottom part. The last two lines in this photo are giving me grief. I am just not sounding the low C, and especially the low Bb, cleanly - I get it second try each time, but not first.

Any technique tips please?

 

[Jeanette]

Plenty of breath support and think about the sound you are aiming for 🙂

Jx

 

[Colin the Bear]

Written by a sadist or a non saxophonist imo. Who uses bell notes on a tenor in an arrangement. Try not to think about it. Relax and honk if you need to.

 

[Chilli]

Thinking about the sound clearly helps. Try opening your throat too.
It is sadistic writing indeed, but it could be worse: they could be slurred 😉

 

[Nick Wyver]

Or marked ppp.

You have to very positive about it. Really go for them. Wimping out is not an option.

 

[Jay]

Well, it makes me feel better that you don't all think it looks really easy.

Written by very skilled saxophonists, the Apollo quartet:
http://youtu.be/u1o9f3S7Cck

I guess such things are small beer to them. This is their easiest book I think.....

I suppose my teacher thinks it will do me good, and no doubt it will 🙂

 

[Colin the Bear]

Is it a transcribed baritone part?

 

[jbtsax]

One of the tips I learned over the years is to create an exercise that focuses on the difficult note combinations in a song. Here are a few suggestions along those lines.

1. Play only the low C's and Bb's in rhythm leaving out all the other notes.
2. If you can't do that perfectly practice tonguing low C in quarter notes (crochets) and then in quavers (eighth notes).
3. Do the same on low Bb. This is to learn the "taste" of those notes ie, shape of the mouth, throat, tongue, and airstream.
4. Once you can do #1 perfectly then add the note right before the low note.
5. If that doesn't work every time make another exercise where you play that higher note and the low note that follows back and forth over and over. Start slowly and then pick up speed. As others have said "think" the lower note while you are on the high note that precedes it.

A reed a bit softer might help as well.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Is it a transcribed baritone part?

I think they're duets for 2 equal saxes. Book 2 is anyway. They're useful books for playing with students.

Oh, yes - as jbt said - soft reeds. It may seem a bit of a cop-out but sometimes you just want to play it.

 

[Jay]

One of the tips I learned over the years is to create an exercise that focuses on the difficult note combinations in a song. Here are a few suggestions along those lines.

1. Play only the low C's and Bb's in rhythm leaving out all the other notes.
2. If you can't do that perfectly practice tonguing low C in quarter notes (crochets) and then in quavers (eighth notes).
3. Do the same on low Bb. This is to learn the "taste" of those notes ie, shape of the mouth, throat, tongue, and airstream.
4. Once you can do #1 perfectly then add the note right before the low note.
5. If that doesn't work every time make another exercise where you play that higher note and the low note that follows back and forth over and over. Start slowly and then pick up speed. As others have said "think" the lower note while you are on the high note that precedes it.

A reed a bit softer might help as well.

Thank you 🙂 I'll try those, particularly the note before, then the low one over and over

 

[Jay]

I think they're duets for 2 equal saxes. Book 2 is anyway. They're useful books for playing with students.

Oh, yes - as jbt said - soft reeds. It may seem a bit of a cop-out but sometimes you just want to play it.

Yes, book 1 is too. I'll try shaving a reed a bit and see if that helps too - thank you 🙂

 

[kevgermany]

I've seen exercises that start off switching between two notes a tone apart as a start, then increasing the interval as you become comfortable with it. I can't remember where I saw them. But you don't really need the dots. Start with C/A, then C/G and so on.

 

[Jeanette]

My tutor had me doing scales returning to the starting note in between each note in the scale, really useful if you go up an octave 🙂

Jx

 

[Jay]

Hey, I've located the muscles that 'open my throat'. I can do it just sitting in a chair. Not reliably when blowing yet, though it makes a huge difference when I manage it.

'Support your diaphragm' , 'open your throat'. Makes rubbing your tummy and patting your head seem simple!

 

[MandyH]

If it's of any comfort, I didn't "really" learn to play my alto properly until I took up Baritone!
It wasn't until then that I actually used my diaphragm - I discovered you can play alto sort of OK with just your lungs. You can't play baritone that way.

Having discovered and strengthened my diaphragm on Bari, my Alto playing moved on in leaps and bounds.

I find it helps with the low notes to "pre-set" my diaphragm - imagine that someone is about to punch you in the belly, and how you pre-tense your stomach muscles if that was about to happen.
I find that is I do that, then I can bounce the low notes out easily.

 

[Jay]

Thanks Mandy - yes, I definitely need to use better breath support a lot of the time.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Blow low notes from your toes, like singing.

Breathe in as much as you can and hold for a couple of seconds then breathe in some more and hold and take a final intake and play from there.