Teaching Teaching Beginner Students How To Play The Saxophone

Introduction​

This is something I have been working on since I retired from teaching in 2002. It is a summary of techniques that proved successful in teaching beginning students. My emphasis from the beginning was on tone production. My reasoning was if students liked how they sound, they would practice more and enjoy playing music. If their parents liked how they sound they would be more likely to support their student and the music program as a whole. The ability to enjoy music through performance is one of the greatest gifts that life has to offer. Passing that gift on to others can be a rewarding experience but it carries with it the very important responsibility to give each student the very best possible chance of success according to his or her abilities. The purpose of this article on teaching beginning saxophone students is to share the knowledge gained through a lifetime of study and experience in helping beginning players navigate through their first hands on experience with the amazing instrument we call the saxophone.

This is a first draft, and I welcome any suggestions or comments. But please remember I am a "sensitive musician" so be kind with what you have to say. 😉

The Equipment​

Checking the Equipment​

The best of instruction will bound to fail if the saxophone, mouthpiece, and reed are faulty. The instructor should first play the student’s instrument using the instructor’s own mouthpiece to insure everything is working properly. Should it become necessary to play test the student’s mouthpiece and reed as well, a spray bottle of mouthpiece disinfectant and paper towels should be on hand to disinfect the mouthpiece and reed. Washing the mouthpiece and reed in a sink using an anti-bacterial soap is another effective way to prevent the spread of germs.

The Instrument​

There are many brands of saxophones available nowadays that are suitable for beginning instruction. The Yamaha YAS-23 has been the standard for many years. The instructor should rely upon his/her experience in advising the parents about which makes and models are suitable for a starting player. Whatever brand of saxophone is chosen it should be free from defects and leaking pads.

The Mouthpiece​

The mouthpiece is a crucial factor in determining initial success with tone production. The Yamaha 4C for many years has set the standard for an effective and consistent plastic student mouthpiece. The Hite Premier and Fobes Debut are other plastic student mouthpieces that are reasonably priced and are currently highly recommended. A word of caution is needed with regard to “no name” mouthpieces and those supplied with Chinese saxophones. These have a well deserved reputation for being low quality and unsuitable. If there is any doubt, the mouthpiece should be play tested by the instructor before proceeding with the instruction.

The Reed​

There are many good brands of reeds on the market today. A beginning player is not yet in a position to appreciate the nuanced differences in the high end more expensive cuts of reeds. For the mouthpieces previously recommended a Rico #2 is a very good choice for a student’s first experience. After a week or two when the embouchure muscles are more developed, most students can be moved up to a Rico #2 1⁄2. Never start a student

with a #1 or #1 1⁄2 reed. All that will accomplish is to acclimate the student to sounding like a “kazoo”, and will keep the embouchure muscles from developing the strength and muscle tone required to produce a characteristic sound.

The Ligature​

Most student mouthpieces come with an adequate ligature. Just make sure it is not broken, and that the screws are inserted in the correct side. Also check to insure the ligature is the correct circumference for the mouthpiece. The screws should be adjusted so that they are just “snug” with the front screw slightly less “snug” than the rear screw.

Assembling the Instrument​

The Mouthpiece and Reed​

The teacher can demonstrate how to apply cork grease and how to “twist” and push the mouthpiece onto the cork to the desired position about halfway onto the cork, and then demonstrate how the ligature goes onto the mouthpiece. To put the reed onto the mouthpiece a good technique is to have the index finger push up on the ligature at the top of the mouthpiece while the other hand holding the reed by the sides carefully inserts the reed under the ligature. The index finger then allows the ligature to drop in place and the screws are gently tightened enough to hold the ligature at the correct height. Then using the two thumbs on the sides of the reed, the reed is wiggled up, down, left or right to straighten it on the table of the mouth piece and so one can see a thin thread of black when looking straight at the mouthpiece. Once the reed is in place the screws are then tightened to be “snug”.

The Neck​

The teacher should first demonstrate how to rotate the neck slightly back and forth while inserting it into the receiver, and then how to line up the brace on the underside of the neck with the post that extends from the saxophone to operate the neck octave. Like the ligature screws, the neck tightening screw should just be snug. Both the neck tenon and the receiver should be clean prior to assembly. Windex or rubbing alcohol on a soft cotton cloth are effective for this purpose. Lubricants of any kind should not be used since they attract and hold small particles than can score the surface.

Posture​

The Head​

The head should be held straight and erect as if balancing a cup of water on top. This is an important consideration in order to establish good posture and the correct angle of the mouthpiece in the mouth.
The Back and Feet
Good breathing habits depend upon good posture. Good posture is established and reinforced by having the student sit on the front half of the chair with both feet flat on the floor. Once the student is sitting up straight, ask the student to become an inch taller in the chair to eliminate any remaining slouch in the spine.

The Chest and Ribcage​

In order to make room for the lungs to expand, the ribcage should be held high. Have the student imagine he or she is a puppet suspended from a string attached to the sternum.
The Shoulders
A common habit of young players is to tense and raise the shoulders as they play. This not only can cause tightening of the neck and throat muscles, but often creates tightness in the arms, hands, and fingers as well. A good way to teach the concept is to have the student imagine the shoulders and arms hanging like a tablecloth hangs from a table. Learning from the beginning to keep the ribcage high and the shoulders relaxed will go a long way in preventing other poor playing habits later on.

Breathing​

Inhaling​

Once the correct posture has been established, good breathing habits will fall quickly into place. With the rib cage as high as it can be, have the student place both hands with the fingers and thumbs outstretched on the sides of the abdomen right above the belt line. Instruct the student to fill up with air in 8 counts while pushing their hands outward like inflating a big inner tube. Once full, have the student blow the air out taking 8 counts to get empty while pushing in with the hands like squeezing a big tube of toothpaste to get the last bit out. Make sure the chest or shoulders do not raise while doing this exercise. The chest shouldn’t raise because it is already as high as it can be. The shoulders can’t raise because they are relaxed and hanging. If necessary go back and review these concepts before going on.

Pressurizing the Air​

It is not uncommon for band teachers to tell their students to play with “breath support”. It is probably the way they were taught themselves. The problem is that very often the students are given little or no instruction as to what exactly the term “breath support” actually means. Using the term ”pressurized” air helps to dispel the mystery and confusion and helps the student understand exactly what the instructor is referring to. An effective method to teach “breath support” is to give the student a half sheet of copy paper to hold with one finger at the top against a mirror or window the appropriate height for the student. The next instruction is to let go of the paper and blow at the same time trying to hold the paper against the glass for as long as possible on one breath of air. After several trials, tell the student that the way the abdominal muscles felt while doing that exercise is what you mean when you say play with “breath support” or “pressurized air”.

Expending the Air​

Another important concept in addition to learning to take the air in properly is to learn to expend the air in a controlled manner. To teach this concept go back to the inhale for 8 counts exercise and repeat that again a few times. Remember to get full in 8 counts, and to use up all the air in 8 counts. Next do that exercise breathing in for 4 counts and going to empty in 8. Then inhale for 2 counts and empty in 8, and lastly get full in 1 count and empty in 8.

The Embouchure​

Forming the Embouchure​

The embouchure contained in all of the standard method books and taught by the majority of teachers is based upon shaping the lips to form an airtight seal around the mouthpiece and reed. This embouchure is described in detail in “The Art of Saxophone Playing” by Larry Teal and is sometimes referred to as “the Teal wheel”.
To teach this embouchure have the student say “EE” and pull the corners of the mouth outward stretching the lips at the same time. Then have the student say “OO” (like too) and push the corners in with a separate set of muscles. The embouchure is formed by first stretching the corners out using the “EE” muscles and then while the “EE” muscles are still pulling, push the corners back in using the “OO” muscles. This results in a “tug of war” which is a “tie” between these two sets of muscles and has the effect of stretching the bottom lip thin and tight, and also making the chin flat and point downward. If one were to stop here it would be a textbook clarinet embouchure (which does not work very well on the saxophone). To transform this to the saxophone embouchure one simply lets the “OO” muscles win the tug of war. The “EE” muscles don’t give in completely, but the “OO” muscles predominate. This has the effect of loosening and softening the lower lip to act as more of a “cushion” for the reed, and to round the chin slightly. It is important to note that the chin still has the feeling of pulling down and away from the reed which means that it is not “bunched” excessively.

Placement of the top teeth on the mouthpiece​

By far the best explanation has been given by Bruce Pearson, the author of the Standard of Excellence Band Method. First you take an index card and carefully place it between the reed and the mouthpiece, moving it up to where the reed and mouthpiece join. Then you take a pencil and make a small mark on the sides of the mouthpiece where the edge of the card stops. Finally draw a line across the top of the mouthpiece connecting these two lines. It is on this line that the top teeth should go. On the alto mouthpiece it is approximately 5/8" back from the tip of the mouthpiece. On the tenor mouthpiece it is back approximately 3/4". It is recommended that a soft rubber patch be placed over this mark and that an indentation in the rubber be made with the thumb where the top teeth are to be placed. The student then is instructed to find that groove with his top teeth when inserting the mouthpiece into the mouth.

The Lower Lip​

When forming the saxophone embouchure the partially relaxed lower lip for most people goes slightly over the bottom teeth. When the mouthpiece and reed are inserted into the mouth to play, the reed pushes a bit more of the bottom lip back over the teeth to provide a cushion for the reed. Because there is such a variation in the thickness of student’s lower lips it is not always useful to talk about the “red portion” of the lip. The clearest instruction is to tell the student that on the clarinet the “least possible amount of lower lip covers the lower teeth”. On the saxophone you use “a bit more” than on clarinet. The concept to get across is that the lower lip forms a “cushion” for the reed to sit on that is above the lower teeth but is supported by the muscles around the mouth.

Angle of the Mouthpiece​

One of the most important concepts to teach saxophone players right from the beginning is the correct angle of the mouthpiece. Unlike the clarinet mouthpiece which tips down about 45 degrees, the saxophone mouthpiece goes straight into the mouth or very slightly downward. This sometimes overlooked fundamental is closely related to the student’s posture, instrument holding position, and the length of the neckstrap. To teach the correct angle, first have the student sit with the back straight on the front half of the chair with both feet on the floor and the head erect. Next set the neckstrap approximately where it should go, push the bell of the sax forward so that the body of the sax is to the side of the knee. Then allowing the neckstrap to support the entire weight of the instrument, balance the saxophone using the two thumbs. Still using the thumbs tilt the saxophone back as if to play and without moving the head see where the tip of the mouthpiece touches. If it touches the nose, the neckstrap is too short. If it touches the throat, the neckstrap is too loose. The neckstrap length should be adjusted so that with the head straight, the tip of the mouthpiece touches the curved area right above the player’s chin. Once this length is set, then the student lowers the head very slightly to place the mouthpiece in the mouth.

Tone Production​

Preliminary Exercise​

For the student’s first experience at tone production, it is often helpful to first replicate how it feels to “blow” the saxophone using just the thumb. Have the student insert the thumb straight into the mouth about 1" while pressing down gently with the top teeth and letting the thumbnail push the lower lip back just enough to cover the teeth. Then have the student form the “EE - OO” embouchure and blow as if holding the paper against the glass. It is acceptable to have the air “hiss” out the corners of the mouth which shows proper air pressure.
The Mouthpiece and Reed
Once the student is accustomed to how the mouthpiece feels in the mouth and blowing against some resistance the next step is to produce a good tone on the “tone producer” which consists of just the mouthpiece and neck.

The “Tone Producer”​

Using the posture, breathing, and embouchure techniques described above have the student place the mouthpiece into the mouth and blow to make the initial sound. Check that the top teeth are pressing down lightly on the top of the mouthpiece and the corners of the mouth are snug to prevent air from leaking. For alto sax, set a tuner to sound Ab concert and have the student try to match that pitch. Common issues are not tightening the embouchure enough to bring the tone up to pitch, and not using sufficient air volume or pressure to produce a tone that sounds full and vibrant. The teacher should encourage the student to blow as hard as he/she can to make the “tone producer” sound as big and full as possible. Most problems with tone quality and intonation can be traced back to failure to blow enough air. The teacher may have to demonstrate using his/her own instrument the sound that the student should try to match. Even after the student moves to the full instrument, it is useful to periodically warm up on the “tone producer” to check the “input pitch” going into the saxophone that is related to the tightness of the embouchure.

The Saxophone​

When the student can sustain a full, well controlled tone for 15 or more seconds on the “tone producer” it is time to go to the full saxophone.
Review the posture and breathing techniques previously discussed and then have the student adjust the neck strap to the proper length. Next show the student where the thumbs and the fingers go on the upper and lower stack keys, and then how to finger the note F with the octave key. Instruct the student to blow exactly the same way that produced a full tone on the “tone producer”. If all works as planned, the student’s first note on the saxophone will be an Ab concert with a big and beautiful sound—especially for a beginner. All that is left will be to recreate that “concept of tone” on different notes.
[future chapters will include teaching good holding and hand position, and tips to teach articulation]

 

[Wade Cornell]

This is all excellent beginner information and can make the physical aspects of playing much easier. It's a good idea to develop positive habits from the outset. Some of these things take more than words and must be taught in person so that a positive feedback loop is established.

Embouchure is a difficult one where I've seen beginners with horrible tone that doesn't improve because they were taught that playing with the "lip out" position gives a more lively tone (it's trendy!). That's certainly ture, but if you can't produce a good tone and continue to produce poor tone then there is nothing progressing. One can develop a lip out technique (if that's what they want) after they learn to play with some control by starting with the lip tucked further under.

Although not really discussed I'm also an advocate of starting beginners with a synthetic reed. The more consistency there is the faster the student will progress. Cane reeds can become a matter of choice when one has got their chops together. Not many teachers will blow a student's mouthpiece to check the reed, and now-a-days that's really taboo. So how does a new student know if the problem is their reed or themselves? One can adapt to something that's consistent...like a synthetic reed, but how does one adapt to something that's hugely inconsistent like cane? I know that cane is tradition, but what we're talking about here is giving the student the best possible start and a synthetic reed has got to be the smartest/easiest way to accomplish that.

This is a well considered and well written introduction to learning sax. Well done.

What's more controversial is what comes next, and I don't think we'd have many advocating the same styles of teaching. A future discussion?

 

[6441]

A friend of mine in Paris wanted to learn to play the trumpet. He asked a famous jazz player he knew. The guy told him to go play the mouthpiece alone for one year and come back to see him. Great way to encourage someone!

 

[Pete Effamy]

All educators want to cover all bases, guard against X and Y sometime down the road and introduce aspects in a methodical way. All the info is there John and that's all you can do - have the right/good information available should the student be a willing participant in methodical learning.

When I last taught in schools most students had little attention span and had almost no interest in how to assemble the sax/mouthpiece/reed/ligature on day one. It was more of a let me blow a tune on it! In this case you temper their impatience with as much info as you can without cooling their interest.

 

[nigeld]

One interesting thing for me was your instructions about how much mouthpiece to put in the mouth - it's far more than I do - almost twice as much. I'll experiment next time I practice.

 

[jbtsax]

One interesting thing for me was your instructions about how much mouthpiece to put in the mouth - it's far more than I do - almost twice as much. I'll experiment next time I practice.

It is important to remember that the method described is a suggested "place to start" and not an absolute. Players with a slight overbite may put the top teeth on a bit farther to put the lower lip in the optimum position and players with a slight underbite might do the opposite. The goal should be to place the lower lip in a location that allows for some control over the reed's vibration while at the same time allowing the maximum length of the reed to vibrate freely producing a full, rich tone. With my slight overbite, my top teeth on my alto mouthpiece are about 5/8" from the tip.

 

[Colin the Bear]

A friend of mine in Paris wanted to learn to play the trumpet. He asked a famous jazz player he knew. The guy told him to go play the mouthpiece alone for one year and come back to see him. Great way to encourage someone!

The best players don't make the best teachers and the best teachers don't make the best players. The way to learn from a great player is to get good enough to play with them.

 

[Pete Effamy]

Ask an expert a question and they’ll give you the best answer based upon all their experience. It doesn’t help a student but the answer is sound.

 

[John Setchell]

I can read the document fine on my Mac. Looks very good.

One interesting thing for me was your instructions about how much mouthpiece to put in the mouth - it's far more than I do - almost twice as much. I'll experiment next time I practice.

Had a lesson today with pro who’s been playing 60+ years.
1) He told me to put more & more MP onto my mouth, and back-off just as the sound starts to break up.
2) Told me to play a scale - which I did. He then told me to play it again, Twice As Loud! Tone improved. He said it’s a common fault with beginners - they’re scared of the thing.

 

[jbtsax]

The best players don't make the best teachers and the best teachers don't make the best players. The way to learn from a great player is to get good enough to play with them.

I agree entirely. There are exceptions of course. Eugene Rousseau is one that comes to mind. In my experience some musicians who become excellent players and for whom everything came easily to them have difficulty relating to or understanding the obstacles that "less talented" students face. Part of what is required is knowing successful techniques to correct poor playing habits that they themselves never had to overcome.

For me, the saxophone came quite naturally, but I really struggled playing clarinet which actually made me a better clarinet teacher at the beginning. Good teaching requires the ability to break every aspect of playing a musical instrument into it's parts, and since different students learn in different ways, to have 2 or 3 ways to teach each concept in their "bag of tricks" as I call it.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Being self taught I don't know how I do what I do so would have problems relaying that.

 

[6441]

Teachers in general, at many levels are often "one page ahead" of the students, but are able to express the basic ideas. They can watch for mechanical things, like fingers jumping too far away on the keys. The can see the mouth and throat and diaphragm and even with standard book-learned wisdom, attempt to correct faults. As I said a long time ago, I believe you can teach how to improvise, if you can accurately hear and assess what student is doing and show them techniques to develop it. But you cannot see what the brain of a learner is absorbing and I feel this is the crux of the problem. I am also self-taught on guitar, but when I rented a saxophone, I found a local teacher. He came over for several lessons, but I don't think what he taught me was a huge help. The numerous YouTube videos are actually a treasury full of good practice for the discerning learner. The rest can be exercises, and perhaps a teacher can watch the student's progress and tailor the succession of the next exercises. Or, in the worst case, act like an exercise book and just go through an established series. Because we're all different, this isn't optimal, but works the younger students.

The other issue is what the person wants to play. If you are taking jazz saxophone lessons, this is more problematic than you might think, because of the established "world order", unless you want to sound like what's gone before.

 

[John Setchell]

“The other issue is what the person wants to play. If you are taking jazz saxophone lessons, this is more problematic than you might think, because of the established "world order", unless you want to sound like what's gone before.”

- That was my experience a few years ago when I wanted to take up keyboard (specifically Hammond) after having played other instruments in bands for 30 years.
I walked out on three piano teachers because they simply opened Book One and told me we would be working through it.
Eventually I persuaded a guy I’d gigged with occasionally (now teaching me sax) to show me how to play keys. We agreed that I knew WHAT to play, but needed to learn HOW. He said, and I’ll never forget it - “I’ll open some doors for you, but it’s up to you to walk through them”. More of a friend than a teacher.

 

[ellinas]

My teacher stopped whatever was in my mind when I was beginning and had me focusing primarily on tone and rhythm before doing anything else.
I am a developed musician but starting as an adult, rhythm was an issue because everything was correct in my head but my fingers wouldn't follow.
Also my tone was non existent and day by day year by year I have more control.

I'm so grateful because no matter what you play if don't play it right .... it's pointless.
Thanks teach!

 

[Pete Effamy]

The most important thing for a teacher is to weigh up who is in front of you. The onus is on you to see where motivation lies and if ability and dedication can be matched or balanced to it.

Going “off piste” with learning is something that a teacher should be very prepared to do and someone with experience should be able to see the future benefits of running with any pique in interest from the student and managing any pitfalls along the way.

You have to be able to read your students at all times, catching any apathy or dip in confidence. You are working with their mind in every way, not just fingers etc.

 

[jbtsax]

One of the best pieces of advice I learned was to "teach students where they are". They will be bored if you repeat things they have already learned. They will become frustrated and confused if you present material too far beyond their current knowledge and ability. This can be quite frustrating when teaching a class of band students at different abilities and playing skills. I used what I call "the shotgun approach" in my teaching aiming somewhere in the middle, and hoping to connect with as many students as possible. Those at the extremes of the spectrum can be given remedial help one on one, or motivated with more challenging music to work on.

 

[Vetinari]

My teacher used to say play to the timing as written, not how think youv'e heard it because you probably remember it wrong and if playing in a band then every body should be in time. Secondly he used to get me to play pieces I had never heard so that I had no preconceived ideas about the timing, also it was teaching sight reading.

 

[Pete Thomas]

[future chapters will include teaching good holding and hand position, and tips to teach articulation]

Sadly there are no future chapters I'm aware of. If John ever did publish them and somebody can point me in the right direction I'd be very grateful as it would be great if we could complete this great resource.