Introduction hello

[saxn00b445]

hey, ive been playing saxophone for roughly 13 years since i was 10 but got more serious in highschool specifically i play jazz and blues on tenor and soprano saxophone
joined this forum mainly to ask questions about technique
im looking to develop a warm and thick sound without sounding muffled or thin on the high notes, i really dislike when high notes sound thin on saxophone.
some saxophonists i enjoy listening to are king curtis, stanely turrnetine, johnny griffin, sal nistico, branford marsalis, lester young, james carter, eddie lockjaw davis, lee konitz, and charlie parker, but i listen to all sorts of musicians

 

[PigSquealer]

Welcome 👋
If your horns are well maintained. The next step is technique, mouthpiece & reed combinations.
What have you tried or what are you currently using ?

 

[saxn00b445]

Welcome 👋
If your horns are well maintained. The next step is technique, mouthpiece & reed combinations.
What have you tried or what are you currently using ?

im currently using a yts23 (ts100) tenor, with an otto link super tone master 7 star 80s-90s model, not sure exactly what year. and D'addario jazz select 3 medium reeds. on soprano i play a yanigasawa s901 with a selmer s80 D mouthpiece and D'addario reserve 3 reeds.

 

[Woodpad]

The standard classic approach is to make the air slightly fuzzy, which minimize the high frequencies.
You could try to experiment with the position of the back of your tongue and intern mouth volume.

 

[skeller047]

Welcome to the Cafe!

For a thick warm sound, you are using the right kind of equipment. Links of that era are a bit hit-or-miss, do you like your tone in the middle range, say from G to G?

The most important thing for a big warm sound is air support. With “loose but firm” embouchure. Your lip muscles have to be somewhat tense, but pressure on the reed should be as little as possible, which means a relaxed jaw. AKA no biting!

The real key to great tone is to do overtones. Not for altissimo, just play the first 2 or 3 overtones as long tones. Try to make them sound the same as the note regularly fingered. Example, play C in the middle of the staff. Now play it again but finger low C - that’s the first overtone. Play that tone as clearly and cleanly as you can. Do a long tone on that note going soft -> loud -> soft. pp < ff > pp Now do the same with the G above (2nd overtone of low C). Spend five or ten minutes a day on overtones like this, and your tone will improve tremendously.

For thin palm key notes, the cure is air support and loose embouchure. The overtone exercises will teach you about voicing, which is just what you have to do inside your mouth and throat to get a good solid sound. You are already doing SOMETHING to get those higher notes; many people increase embouchure pressure to get them to sound. This chokes the reed, which makes them sound thin, and also makes them too sharp. Using tongue and throat instead of tightening your chops will let these notes sing. This is why overtone work is important.

Good luck, and again, welcome!

 

[saxn00b445]

Welcome to the Cafe!

For a thick warm sound, you are using the right kind of equipment. Links of that era are a bit hit-or-miss, do you like your tone in the middle range, say from G to G?

The most important thing for a big warm sound is air support. With “loose but firm” embouchure. Your lip muscles have to be somewhat tense, but pressure on the reed should be as little as possible, which means a relaxed jaw. AKA no biting!

The real key to great tone is to do overtones. Not for altissimo, just play the first 2 or 3 overtones as long tones. Try to make them sound the same as the note regularly fingered. Example, play C in the middle of the staff. Now play it again but finger low C - that’s the first overtone. Play that tone as clearly and cleanly as you can. Do a long tone on that note going soft -> loud -> soft. pp < ff > pp Now do the same with the G above (2nd overtone of low C). Spend five or ten minutes a day on overtones like this, and your tone will improve tremendously.

For thin palm key notes, the cure is air support and loose embouchure. The overtone exercises will teach you about voicing, which is just what you have to do inside your mouth and throat to get a good solid sound. You are already doing SOMETHING to get those higher notes; many people increase embouchure pressure to get them to sound. This chokes the reed, which makes them sound thin, and also makes them too sharp. Using tongue and throat instead of tightening your chops will let these notes sing. This is why overtone work is important.

Good luck, and again, welcome!

i dont like my tone very much in the middle range, i think higher range and lower range sounds better, but the middle range sounds thin. if you want to listen i did post a short demo of me playing body and soul in the recordings thread, would be good to hear feedback on the sound.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[skeller047]

Listened to your recording. I like your tone just fine. You do sound a bit breathless, like you are running out of air, which says to me work on air support. Specifically keep your abs engaged by pushing your belly out as you play. This is contrary to our intuition, but it’s really the best way to ensure that you are pushing air from the bottom of your lungs. We don’t have direct control of our diaphragms, so your abdominal muscles act as a kind of valve to control the air.

Side note, you might investigate the bridge to Body and Soul a little bit…. 🙂 But I really do like the sound you get!

 

[saxn00b445]

Listened to your recording. I like your tone just fine. You do sound a bit breathless, like you are running out of air, which says to me work on air support. Specifically keep your abs engaged by pushing your belly out as you play. This is contrary to our intuition, but it’s really the best way to ensure that you are pushing air from the bottom of your lungs. We don’t have direct control of our diaphragms, so your abdominal muscles act as a kind of valve to control the air.

Side note, you might investigate the bridge to Body and Soul a little bit…. 🙂 But I really do like the sound you get!

thank you, ive worked on my sound a lot, but yeah my knowledge of standards isnt great 😅

 

[saxn00b445]

and yeah i struggle to hold notes for a long time i run out of breath fast