Beginner whistling sound during tounging

[kicker]

hi everyone, i have a couple of questions for the forum and would be pleased if you could give me some advice. at present during tounging (not everytime) i get a quick whistling sound i know it is something i am doing wrong. secondly after practising for a while in th ehigher octave i seem to rotate the crook without knowing which eventually leeds to the octave key stating open and me readjusting. please help

regards to all the sax players who know what they are doing, i wish i did

Terry

 

[Pete Thomas]

Whistling sound? that might be what is normally referred to as squeaking, and can be caused by so many different things it's going to be impossible to pin down here. Causes could be you, the reed being warped or not set properly on the mouthpiece, a leak in the saxophone.

The other issue is the neck turning, you need to get this seen to by a good technician, who will also be able to say if there is anything else wrong with your horn.

 

[JasonC]

Hi kicker,

I've been getting the squeaking in the octave notes recently while tonguing. I've recently changed my mouth piece and reed though so I'm just getting used to those. The problem actually lies with me though, I find that if I tongue to aggressively I get the squeaking, once I relax the squeaking disappears.

This might not be your particular problem as the expert Pete says above, but seeing as I'm also getting a similar problem I thought it worth mentioning.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Another cause could also be a distorted mouthpiece. Unusual with most proprietary brands but very possible among the stock "no name" mouthpieces that are given a way with some saxophones.

 

[Justin Chune]

Some reeds just squeak and can't be cured. Try a new reed and see if that solves your problem. To test your mouthpiece table, wet it and hold it against a smooth surface like a window for example. If it's OK it will grab like a magnet. Remember to keep a hold of it, of course.

Jim.

 

[kicker]

thankyou

thanK you to all who replied to help in my quest to learn the . the problem with the whistling has certainly improved since i have tried different reeds. i currently use the vandoren optimum al4 mouth piece which i bought around christmas with rico 2.5. i have learned the frustration that takes place with reeds and unfortunately at the minute i still lack the confidence to tell whether it is the reed or me , but i am improving. with regards to the crook rotating i will call into the shop where i i bought it (g gladstones) excellent shop and staff and i am sure they will sort this out. the sax is a black laquered elkhert alto which i bought new approx 6 months ago.

once again thank you
terry :thankyou:

 

[Andrew Sanders]

Hi Kicker
My business partner is a monkey hanger from Owton Manor, the knightsbridge of hartlepool he tells me
Andrew

 

[kevgermany]

Have been having a similar problem since I switched to a better/more radical mouthpiece. I've traced it to lack of reed control, especially by not keeping the sides of my mouth/lips pulled tight in. Over strong reeds made it worse, and tired reeds of the right strength also made things worse. Getting the ligature just right makes a big difference as well.

Hope this helps, but my problems may not be your ones...