Long notes - how do you measure up?

[Jen B]

Further to my ‘out of breath’ post, feel free to compare and contrast

Long good quality note
Middle G -22 seconds

So how did you do?

 

[Keep Blowing]

Further to my ‘out of breath’ post, feel free to compare and contrast

Long good quality note
Middle G -22 seconds

So how did you do?

That doesn't sound bad for someone

Further to my ‘out of breath’ post, feel free to compare and contrast

Long good quality note
Middle G -22 seconds

So how did you do?

I did 30 secs middle G Alto but I wouldn't say it was a good quality note

 

[jbtsax]

If you want to make it even more challenging, hold the needle of a tuner still as you hold the note. This is also good to do at different dynamic levels as well. When you feel confident at that, take it to the next level playing crescendo's and diminuendo's.

 

[Greg Strange]

I didn't realize playing long tones was a competition...

Greg S.

 

[Keep Blowing]

It's not a competition, it's about of fun

 

[Keep Blowing]

It was supposed to say bit of fun

 

[thomsax]

I always use a metronome or drumbeat on a keyboard when I play long tones. Start at 60 bpm (quarter note = 60). Try Tim Price ( PA, USA, great player and teacher, lots of useful info on his website, he is doing skype lessons also) long tone warm-up. I use to help young players to work with thier tone, so she wrote the names of the notes. I think todays teaching is too much about reading and playing many tones up and down. Slow down and work with your tone. There are other excercises that you should do as well .

 

[StageFright]

My instructor has a routine he calls the "30 second" exercise to help develop subtone. Start at middle Bb and play each note for 30 seconds chromatically down to low Bb. The object is to play with a single breath, with good intonation at as soft a level as you can for the entire 30 seconds. When I first started this a couple of months ago I could manage about 10-20 seconds on various notes. Now, for some notes I can go 40 seconds others, like the low Bb, I'm lucky to get 10-15 seconds of good tone. I've been doing this at the start of every practice for a couple of months now and I believe I can hear an overall improvement in my tone in general. I've just begun working dynamics into this as well.

 

[Keep Blowing]

Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing it

 

[Jeanette]

38 secs on my PPT which I don't usually play but enjoyed so much this Sunday I'm going to keep it on for a while. Checked tuning whilst doing it and was within +/- 5c

Jx

 

[Keep Blowing]

38 secs on my PPT which I don't usually play but enjoyed so much this Sunday I'm going to keep it on for a while. Checked tuning whilst doing it and was within +/- 5c

Jx

I didn't use a tuner when I did it but it would have probably said are you having a laugh

 

[Jazzaferri]

@Jen B What sax, what reed what mpce....try 22 seconds on an 11* tenor with a 3 reed LOL

Kenny G is up to around 45 minutes on sop (albeit with circular breathing)

 

[thomsax]

I try to blow all tones at the same volume, "full timbre" and straight (even all through, from the start to the end ). When I took up the saxophone again after some years of football (I played sax when I played football but not so much, Just a for some hours/week ) I found started to do this excercises. Uffe Andersson (Egba, ABBA, teacher, player, first call for bigger productions ...) wrote about saxophone playing in a magazine. The excercise #3 "Tegelstenar" (bricks) is good to combine with long tones. In Swedish but I'm sure you understand!!

 

[Jazzaferri]

I used my Jazz setup on tenor 8* Robusto with 3 1/4 Signature 48 seconds at mezzoforte on G (12 bars 4/4 metronome at 60)

 

[Keep Blowing]

I used my Jazz setup on tenor 8* Robusto with 3 1/4 Signature 48 seconds at mezzoforte on G (12 bars 4/4 metronome at 60)

Nice one, that's some going. that's something for me to aim for

 

[Ivan]

Start at middle Bb and play each note for 30 seconds chromatically down to low Bb. The object is to play with a single breath...

I followed your instructions:

At F I was 2 minutes 30 secs into this single breath exercise and the wife was phoning for an ambulance. She knew I was unwell because my face matched her navy blue curtains

By low B the paramedics were applying mouthpiece-to-mouth and chest compressions, which helped my vibrato no end

Dunno if I got to low Bb ... By then the wife had rung the undertakers

 

[StageFright]

I followed your instructions:

At F I was 2 minutes 30 secs into this single breath exercise and the wife was phoning for an ambulance. She knew I was unwell because my face matched her navy blue curtains

By low B the paramedics were applying mouthpiece-to-mouth and chest compressions, which helped my vibrato no end

Dunno if I got to low Bb ... By then the wife had rung the undertakers

Then I guess you were doing it right

 

[Colin the Bear]

her navy blue curtains

I can only assume you don't look out of the window or entertain the neighbours while changing your underwear. Her curtains indeed.

 

[Alice]

Dunno if I got to low Bb ... By then the wife had rung the undertakers

Yes, she’s got them on speed dial

 

[Thierry]

Whether by Claude DeBussy or Miles Davis, the quote that "Music is the silence between the notes" aka "Music is the notes you don't play" means that if you keep blowing your longtone G there ain't much left for music