Where to put my tounge

[kb]

Hi there

I am brand new play of the sax, well to be honest of any muscial device (except for air guitar😉. I have taken the mouth piece off the sax and are trying to make my first sounds.

Now I have a dvd with instructions on how to play the Sax but the teaching is getting a bit unprecise when it comes to the blowing. When I blow air through my moutpiece where should my tounge be? The only way I currently are able to produce sound is by not using it at all and simply having pressure between my top teath and bottom lip.

Any help is very much appreciated

 

[FastFred]

You would be better putting the mouthpiece on the sax to start with.
You don't blow a sax, you release air stored up in your diaphragm; think of a balloon with air presure stored inside it and then being slowly released.
Your tongue basically initiates the note and generally just the tip holds the reed against the mouthpiece until you start the note. At this point you are releasing the air pressure in your diaphragm though the mouthpiece (as you pull your tongue off the reed). Drop your tongue to the bottom of your mouth and keep the throat open as you sound the note.
I don't know if this will help at all but just have a look on a few websites. There are plenty. Good luck. It becomes very natural after some months but initially it's strange and many get hung up on the embouchure (mouth opening). I would suggest you have a lesson with someone. Cheers.

 

[spike]

Try checking out the saxophone lessons on the petethomas.co.uk website
www.petethomas.co.uk/saxophone-tone-exercises.html
and
www.petethomas.co.uk/saxophone-tone-exercises.html
for a start, you may find a few clues therein
Fred's suggestion of a lesson or two would do no harm in the beginning, and put you on the right track. I didn't many moons ago but should have done.
gruss - spike

 

[kb]

Cheers guys thanks for you help, its great to know that there is some back up here 🙂 (will proberbly be needed later 🙂 )

Thx for the links Spike and Ill look into the matter on getting some leasons...

 

[spike]

Hi KB,
there's an error in my post above, the link that will help you more should have been:

http://www.petethomas.co.uk/saxophone-articulation-tonguing.html

my cut and paste got waisted and twisted.

 

[Pete Thomas]

That page is actually being updated, almost as we speak.