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madmac from scotland

madmac

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Hello everyone I am a 54 year old male just bought a bauhaus tenor. Still not convinced by "IT" Ive played an alto V badly for 14 years and the beast seems to need a lot more puff to get it fired up. Maybe it is me but I had a shot of my techers Antigua and it was a lot more of a free blower. Still I will persist, sorry guys rant over back to your practicing. Colin
 
Hello Colin and welcome to the cafe, ok, your obviously not a novice player with 14 years under your belt' but I find the tenor a much more relaxed blow than the alto. You don't say what mouthpiece or reed your using. My first thought would be too large an opening/ reed too hard. Just a thought.
 
Hello Colin and welcome to the cafe, ok, your obviously not a novice player with 14 years under your belt' but I find the tenor a much more relaxed blow than the alto. You don't say what mouthpiece or reed your using. My first thought would be too large an opening/ reed too hard. Just a thought.

Hi Taz, Im using a yamaha 6c and have tried every reed from a 1 up to a 4 and the beast squacks below D or E ?? still trying out all avenues. will keep in touch.
 
I would probably look at getting the sax to a tech. It's probably got a leak. No doubt someone else with a lot more knowledge than I will be along shortly to give their two peneths worth.
 
Hi Colin,
Taz is right. Get it checked over to make sure it's not leaking.
If you can blow the Antigua the Bauhaus shouldn't cause you any problem. You do need more air support for the bigger sax, but 14 years on alto must have built up your diaphragm strength.
A little leak on the upper stack can lead to bigger problems down below.
Oh and hello and welcome.
Andy
 
Hi Colin,
Taz is right. Get it checked over to make sure it's not leaking.
If you can blow the Antigua the Bauhaus shouldn't cause you any problem. You do need more air support for the bigger sax, but 14 years on alto must have built up your diaphragm strength.
A little leak on the upper stack can lead to bigger problems down below.
Oh and hello and welcome.
Andy
Thanks for all the replys I took it back to the techy man and he gave it the all clear I did use my mouthpiece on the Antigua and it was fine, I am still thinking it is my mouth or throat chocking. cheers colin
 
Hi Colin welcome to the cafe. Your tenor should play easily. If you are anywhere near Edinburgh I can recommend Andrew May to look at your sax. Bauhaus are highly regarded.

Jim.
 
Hi Colin,

Welcome to the madhouse! Can't really advise on your problem, but I play a BW tenor - its a lovely instrument!

Cheers,
 
Welcome to the caff©, Madmac.

You'd have been better off tackling a bottle of Teacher's. At least you've now obtained a proper saxophone rather than a dwarf.>:)

ENJOY!​™
 
Hello and Welcome. I've played alto and Baritone for 30 odd years and always struggled with tenor.

It's a completely different beast to the alto and takes some time to adjust to.

Make sure you're not fudging any keys and relax your embouchure would be the standard advice.

Also to make sure the mouthpiece is in the right place and your embouchure is adapting correctly by playing into a tuner.

The way you form the oral cavity is different for the tenor. Think more Paul Robeson than Ella Fitzgerald.

It takes me about 30 mins of playing before I feel comfortable on the tenor where as I can pick up the alto and just blow it.

For reeds I find a half strength up from what I'm using on alto works on tenor using a similar rating of mouthpiece.

I also find the Selmer S80 mouthpiece is a better starting place than the Yamaha. It's more forgiving I find.

Good luck and keep at it.
 
Hi Mac, and welcome to the cafe,

I also found the transition from alto to tenor a bit of challenge that was 10 years ago now and i'm glad i persevered with it.
Just to echo what Colin said above, a more relaxed embouchure for the lower register. Also again as Colin said i found the Selmer c* a great mouthpiece, but a bit on the expensive side.
Good Luck.:thumb:
 
gday madmac .........Welcome to the caf.
I play tenor but as yet not played an alto .
With my tenor I use a semer s80 e mp and a no2 reed
I have used about 5 or 6 different brands and types of reeds on my setup

But sometimes when I pick up a new reed or one thats too hard, I cant play a note without blowing like hell and I squark allover the place especially down low and on middle c.

Thats when I pull that reed out and mark it [to be worked on] and put in a reed that I know will be softer or a better play.
You probably know this as a long time player of an alto.
This happened to me just yesterday I put in a reed and it was like I had lost my lungs. Know the feeling????

I think the problem will lie with your mp setup .As suggested by others earlier in this thread.
Youve had the horn checked so thats been eliminated.
Can I suggest that if your problem persists go back to a shop and try different mp setup combinations.
If you get the right one the blowin should be easy.
Regards
Allansto
 
Welcome Mac, does your teacher sound good playing your tenor? Maybe your embouchure is too tight. Try relaxing the corners of your mouth and let your jaw feel loose. Gently huff warm air as if you were breathing on glass to make a vapour film.
i find tenors more relaxed instruments than altos. Enjoy the tenor's soft side! Best of luck.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, Ive managed to get to grips with the beast, I bought an otto link tone edge 5 and reed strength 2 and with the help of half a bottle of single malt relaxed my embouchure so the journey begins...again. will keep in touch.
Colin
 
Thanks for the advice guys, Ive managed to get to grips with the beast, I bought an otto link tone edge 5 and reed strength 2 and with the help of half a bottle of single malt relaxed my embouchure so the journey begins...again. will keep in touch.
Colin

That could get expensive, half a bottle of malt everytime you play;}


Jx
 
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