Slightly Frustrating...

[TenTenTooter]

For a while Tenor was my main horn, but because my school has a lack of a Bari player and my director believes that I am the only one there with the proper lung capasity to handle it, so I've been playing Bari for a year or so.

Recently the school is putting on a play with a pit orchestra, in which I play Alto, Tenor, and Bari. I'd never played Alto before, so I've been putting in several hours a day of practice.

I've noticed that since I've been playing Alto, when I switch back to Bari I play a half step sharper then I used to, and I can also play much louder. Has playing Alto changed my Bari embouscher? Are there any ways to fix this? I've also noticed that when I stop playing Alto for a week or so my Bari playing returns to normal. Just kind of frustrating cause the intonation has been thrown off quite a bit and my mouthpiece won't hang onto the end of the cork very well.

[dirty]

For a while Tenor was my main horn, but because my school has a lack of a Bari player and my director believes that I am the only one there with the proper lung capasity to handle it, so I've been playing Bari for a year or so.

Recently the school is putting on a play with a pit orchestra, in which I play Alto, Tenor, and Bari. I'd never played Alto before, so I've been putting in several hours a day of practice.

I've noticed that since I've been playing Alto, when I switch back to Bari I play a half step sharper then I used to, and I can also play much louder. Has playing Alto changed my Bari embouscher? Are there any ways to fix this? I've also noticed that when I stop playing Alto for a week or so my Bari playing returns to normal. Just kind of frustrating cause the intonation has been thrown off quite a bit and my mouthpiece won't hang onto the end of the cork very well.
You might need to adjust you alto setup so that it requires a similar amount of pressure as the tenor and bari setups. I've never really had any trouble making weird embouchure switches. Just start going back and forth. Learn how each one feels well enough to just pick it up and play it right each time without thinking about it.

[vermontsax]

I completely agree with "dirty". I don't play bari but I do play a C-soprano, alto and tenor. The soprano is the most challenging and by its own nature feels a lot different than playing the tenor or alto. I found early on that I had the same trouble as you describe when going from one to the other.

What worked for me was flipping from one to another during a practice session. I often play along with music which helps me to train my ear and adjust my playing (or tuning) to keep in-tune. You may also want to work with a tuner until you get more comfortable. Good luck!

- Mike