Saxophone beginners Squeaks when slurring with octave key switch normal at beginning?

[Colin the Bear]

Coming from clarinet I can't remember having this problem.

An often overlooked source of squeaks is reed placement. Especially on alto and smaller
A little overhang of the tip rail and squeaks abound. Move it back a little.

 

[Woodpad]

Where can one obtain a fragment of a Telemann sonata and be sure it is genuine not a chinese copy that was sold on ebay?

Just check it on:

Oeuvre van Georg Philipp Telemann - Wikipedia

nl.wikipedia.org

 

[skeller047]

Now that this discussion has been resurrected, I think it’s useful to mention the Paul DeVille Universal Method for Saxophone. It has several exercises designed to address this specific issue.

For those that struggle with this, I used to tell my students to imagine that ones fingers move instantaneously - the transition from one fingering to another should take “no time”, yet the fingers should remain relaxed and supple, not tense.

FWIW, this problem is called “going over the break”, and is a universal issue for all woodwind players. Changing registers requires both good voicing work and precise fingering. And @Colin the Bear - the reason this doesn’t happen on clarinet is there is only one register key on clarinet. I think the OP’s squeaks had to do with the crook octave key jumping, which would happen if the left thumb lagged the left ring finger.

 

[Colin the Bear]

@skeller047 You seem to have misunderstood. I've never had this problem on saxophone. I put that down to playing clarinet before acquiring a saxophone.
The precision in finger placement needed and the twelfth jump demanding precise embouchure and oral cavity definition made saxophone a doddle.
I think every clarinet player would smile at a sentence beginning "the reason why the clarinet doesn't squeak"
They squeak when you're not even in the same room.

 

[skeller047]

Sorry for the confusion. As a trained classical clarinetist, I am aware of the squeakiness proclivities of the licorice stick. I remember the first time I squeaked at a lesson - my teacher raised a finger and said “You’re not ready for that register yet.”

I still think the OP’s problem is due to the octave key jumping. Clarinets don’t have that problem, they have plenty enough of their own.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I've just realised, the actual title contains the word "switch," which in itself can be a problem if you think of the key as a switch that automatically changes octave as if it behaves like a typical key. For example playing A and passing the G key will give you a G (provided the saxophone is in working order.

The octave key is basically a helper, ie it will help you get the octave up or down, but may not do that without a little (usually subconscious) effort from the player.