NECK PAINS

[MARTINW]

I have been playing Tenor Sax for just 22months. I changed my embouchure recently to give more support with the lower lip as I was having problems with low notes. There has been a great improvement but now I am more aware of muscular effort in the neck and lower jaw and am experiencing neck pain every day. Has anyone else had this problem? Just wondered if this was a common problem with Sax players. I havn't bothered seeing a Doctor because I an fairly confident that it is my sax playing that is causing the problem.

[john_idle]

I have the same problem. But I just play alto! And I'm young, 18 years!!
Does anybody strech or know any exercises?

[Bloo Dog]

This is pretty normal for sax players. You can minimize it by maintaining proper posture as you play. I played bari sax in high school and marched in Mardi Gras parades and marching band for four years. The neck and back pain was minimized when I began using a harness rather than a neck strap.

When I played professionally (no other means of financial support for ten years), I played tenor mostly, and I was pretty negligent about my posture. I began experiencing low-grade back painl later, a physical examination indicated curvature of the spine. Because this condition is most common in women (I'm a man) the doctor surmised that if i wasn't born with it, my poor playing posture over many years may have caused it or at least continued to aggravate it.

My suggestion to you is to consult your saxophone tutor/teacher as well as a healthcare professional who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal conditions. You're young. If you develop good habits early in life, you won't dread long automobile trips or sitting in movie theatres for 2+ hours at a time when you're my age.