Low notes

[baritonesax]

I think that you shouldn't be playing a Link 7.

It's quite a big mouthpiece for a player with one year's experience. I know that everybody's different and all that, but I didn't go for a bigger tip than 6* until after about 5 years. Smaller tip, longer facing is what might well help.

 

[kevgermany]

I'm just wondering if it's your mouthpiece. I don't necessarily think you should change. But get it checked. I went from a Rico 5 to an 8* PPT after less than a year and haven't looked back.

But I'd alos get the sax checked, even though your teacher can play it. Especially the low C# / Eb and their spring tension. May also be that you're not pressing hard enough on the DEF keys - and if this is the case, it's a tecchy job.

 

[jeremyjuicewah]

Hi all. Going to send the sax up to John Coppen in Tarragona for a general check up, remember him from doorbell a few weeks ago? This afternoon I am going back to the beast and will try my old mpc and more reed combos and also the tips I have been given. I like the idea of singing the note, also going to go back to my long notes and breathing excercises which I became too good for ha ha. I'll come back on here after todays sesh. Once again, many thanks to you all. Its never quite hopeless when there are new things to try.
Mike

 

[jrintaha]

I don't know why it helped, but while usually I keep the reed (Legere Standard 2.5) about 0.5mm down from the edge of the mouthpiece, so that there's about 0.5mm of the mouthpiece's edge underneath it (the reed is translucent, so it's easy to place exactly there) and about 0.5mm above it, today I tried moving the reed about 0.1mm over the edge, making it a bit harder to blow. For some reason, it helped with the low notes quite a bit... but unfortunately made the tone rather dull. So I guess it's back to the old position, and just more practice.

Cheers,
Jori

 

[jeremyjuicewah]

Hi Jori. I have tried pushing the reed up a bit and down a bit and moving the lig up and down thinking it will adjust the hard/soft rating of the reed a little, but its not really the answer. Sometimes, with some combos it seems better, but its not consistently a good result. Mostly I think I have always pushed the reeds up and down a bit, depending on the reed.
Mike

 

[jeremyjuicewah]

Right, its the mpc and reed combo that is preventing me progressing and being able to benefit from all the other good advice here. Changed back to my old plastic Selmer D and an unkown called a Buescher that I used to use a lot. Used 3 and 2 reeds and have still some combinations to try out. But; With both the old mpcs and a 2 reed I can sound C without much trouble and can go to Bb and though I cannot sound it sweetly straight off, I can feel the note beginning and can control it so I dont have to start the note with an almighty blast and a foghorn follow on. I dont know what tips the plastic mpcs have but they are smaller than the Otto Link. I think I have to put my beautiful Link back in its box for a while, and maybe I can persuade myself to buy the Drake Stubby I am drooling over in a smaller opening.

I am very pleased with progress today, everything is much better and I cannot believe I made that mistake. I only bought theLink in April, but it wasnt really till I had it that I started to press on with the low notes.

I'm really gratefull to everybody who has put into this, though there's no magic fix this is a real breakthrough where I could not see any, and the tips on technique are very much appreciated. I no longer feel that frustration (actually it was anger at times) that
I had when I could not breathe those notes.

Cheers all
Mike

 

[thomsax]

I guess the Selmer and Buescher mpc's have bigger chamber which give you better low tones? On the other side your playing in the upper register perhaps is better with your Link?

We are all differnt. I like to play the low tones and I found them more expressive compared to the high tones. I can honk of the palm keys and some altissimos but the low tones are my thing. Over the years I have trained and developed the low tones.

Practise; longtones in differnt patterns, various volume and effects (growl, note bending, vibrato ...
A good sax; a well regulate and well sealing sax, there are differences among saxes. The "jewel in the crown" (IMO) when it comes to low tones are Martin saxes.
A good mouthpiece; I'm not able to blow the low tones so well on Dukoffs, Larsens compared to my current mouthpiece, Rovner Deep-V.
Reeds; this is very personal. I like "lots of wood". Vandoren V16, platiccovers baritone reeds, bass clarinet reeds ..... and I also like hard reeds because I use to blow/push hard/loud.

If you like to be a more allround player (jazz, big band, concert band, classic ...) and play sax in differnt genres my advices are perhaps not the best. But if you decided to do your own thing there are differnt ways to go. I replaced my last saxteacher with a teacher the taught on electic guitar.

Off topic again!?

Thomas

 

[jeremyjuicewah]

Hi Thomas, yep the high notes are better with the Link and a 3 reed, but I will compromise since the smaller mpc and a 2 reed is better than the Link with a 2 reed and so it goes on forever. I think I am a low note bloke, I am certainly not happy without them, for me its the attraction of the tenor, alto has its own attraction. Before I took up sax I had lessons on electric guitar for 3 years, played guitar most of my life. Since going to my sax teacher my guitar playing, knowledge of music has improved beyond where I ever thought it would go. I stopped playing for a year or so but practice both everyday now. Funny old world.