posture and the saxaphone

[pepper]

i've been getting a slight pain in my neck and shoulders lately, which i think is down to my posture when i play.

when you consider that playing for an hour or so a day with a tenor round your neck means putting a fair amount of weight in certain areas this is probably quite an important aspect of playing the saxaphone.

does anyone have any thoughts about how to carry the weight evenly and about posture in general ?

[stitch]

does anyone have any thoughts about how to carry the weight evenly and about posture in general ?

It's probably not of much help, but most of the books tell you to stand straight and not slouch - good advice but it's all too easy to slip into a slouch without realising it. What works for me is to imagine I have a rope attached to the top of my head, gently pulling my whole body upright - good for any situation - walking, running, sitting in front of a monitor - as well as playing sax.

[Swing It!!!! 5~6~7~8]

ya know, more than efecting u'r posture, sitting up straight will improve u'r tone and sound quality! but i can DEFINATLY understand when u play the tenor all day it would get tricky to remember 'cause of the fact it weighs sooooo much :wink:
I find it helpful to roll my shoulders a couple of times before i strap my sax on.
Also sitting on the edge of u'r chair will make u think posture/posture, cause if u don't, u fall off u'r seat :shock: . It may sound silly but it helps with tone and it makes u stay alert or,lol, should i say "on the edge of u'r chair" for practie and performance :lol:
hope this helps~ and keep playing everybody!

[goodsax]

These are good comments about posture, but I was thinking that you might consider the type of neckstrap you're using. In other threads, the neckstrap for tenors and bari's was considered critical for long-term comfort no matter what your posture.

[Razzy]

I use a neotech stretchy strap for tenor. I sometimes play for three hours a day, in addition to my alto/tenor practice, for maybe 4 days out of the week. Then I practice 4 hours a day on the weekends, mostly standing.

I read in a martial arts book that posture should be considered in this way: imagine a crane attached to the top of your head, always holding you upright, the rest of your body hanging to this point. And it works.

Also, regular exercise that involves those muscles helps. Pushups are a big plus. I do about 150 a day.