Introduction 'Late Bloomer' Cracking Upper Reg G

[Rogerb]

Hi

I'm Roger and am an 'aged beginner', retired and now living in Spain.

I have a Hanson SA-5 which I've been playing for about 4 months. A superbly finished instrument at an amazingly low price 🙂
I can make some quite nice sounds but do have trouble with that G which seems to 'crack' at the slightest provocation.
The old fingers aren't very nimble so I don't have any unreasonable expectations. I'd just like to make a nice sound and play a few tunes!

All the best.

 

[ken]

Hello Roger,

How are things?

Ken from 'up the road'

 

[Rogerb]

Hi Ken

I'm fine, thanks.

I see that something has been burning a hole in your pocket - two Pro Hansons already 😱

D'you have any trouble keeping that silver plate clean, or is it lacquered?

 

[ken]

Hi Roger,

Nice to see you here.

No lacquer and cleaning has become a weekly task.

Tried all the silver/gold cleaners, but ordinary Pledge seems to do the best job.

Maria and Alastair tell me sax sales are going really well.

Ken

 

[Rogerb]

At 4:18:21 PM 24/04/06, Ken wrote:
Hi Roger,

Nice to see you here.

No lacquer and cleaning has become a weekly task.

Tried all the silver/gold cleaners, but ordinary Pledge seems to do the best job.

Maria and Alastair tell me sax sales are going really well.

Ken

Well, I guess if I upgrade it will have to be to a gold SA-8 - I have enough silverware to clean already 🙂
(And anyway I have a sorta feeling that saxes just *should* be a gold colour!)

I'm not surprised they are selling well after all the plugs you and others have been giving 'em here 😀

 

[ken]

At 6:32:53 PM 24/04/06, Rogerb wrote:
Well, I guess if I upgrade it will have to be to a gold SA-8 - I have enough silverware to clean already 🙂
(And anyway I have a sorta feeling that saxes just *should* be a gold colour!)

Actually I think they should be plain 'brass'... another cleaning story 😉

Anyway, I won't be changing the silver/gold models... already sold my keyboard to finance those!

I'm not surprised they are selling well after all the plugs you and others have been giving 'em here 😀

😉 A certain young lady pops in here sometimes, just to keep an eye on what I've said. 8)

 

[griff136]

I can make some quite nice sounds but do have trouble with that G which seems to 'crack' at the slightest provocation.


All the best.

Hi Rodger,

do you mean the G with the octave key pressed.

or "high" G.

Griff

www.dg-music.co.uk

 

[spike]

Buongiorno Rogerb, don't speak spanish so that'll have to do. Yer "crackin' G" is actually quite a normal prob when beginning to play horn. I don't have a patent cure for you but firstly you need to be sure that your horn is free of leaks, which it probably is. then you should just relax and don't get worried about it, worrying will simply prolong the agony infinitely. A beginner set-up is usually a soft reed and a fairly closed mouthpiece which makes it very easy to blow the harmonics of G, which is what i presume you're doing.

A singer friend of mine who took up sax had this problem for weeks, and took his sax back to the dealer repeatedly until he asked for my help, I simply convinced him first of all that his sax was okay and then had him play a D major scale in the second octave with a relaxed attitude for days on end until the G popped out the way it was supposed to. A lot of beginners bite the reed, and generally tense up when they first start to play, and it's this tension that causes the problems. Just relax and your control will improve and develop with time. hope to have helped - greets - spike

 

[AlbionLass]

FWIW from another beginner sax player but experienced clarinettist I also had similar problems with octave G. I found that making sure I relaxed my embouchure( a major feat for someone used to clarinet embouchure, believe me) but kept good support from the diaphragm help a lot.

 

[Rogerb]

Thanks to all, that's much the same as my teacher advises.

I'll just keep at it 🙂

Roger

 

[jon]

At 9:51:52 PM 24/04/06, Rogerb wrote:
Thanks to all, that's much the same as my teacher advises.

I'll just keep at it 🙂

Roger

Hi Roger

I have posted this advice elsewhere.

If I have problems with a high or altissimo note I first practise playing an even higher note as a 'sacrificial' lamb and then after a few minutes come back down to the 'target' note and usually it pops out easier and sweeter.

Other respondents have suggested problems are about tension and I think they are right.

For me the "go even higher" bit is a little like picking up fifty pounds and then putting it down and picking up ten. The first thing you notice about ten pounds is how light it is - it feels like you are coming back downhill.

Of course this leads to a kind of cold war escalation up the register but thats another matter!

All the best
Jon