low notes that skip up

[Sacker]

hi i have been having problems with notes lower than g on the staff skipping up an octave. there are times when the note start to come out but i get this weird wave on the low note and the octave higher. i've been experimenting with different reeds but that doesn't seem to help much. any advice? thanks in advance

[Balladeer]

This may not be the answer, but where the neck fits into the body, sometimes the ring of the neck octave hits that part of the thumb octave mechanism even when the thumb octave key is NOT pressed. You can try moving the neck a few degrees either direction or use your hand and bend the ring attached to the neck octave key that goes around the neck tenon. Bend until the ring no longer rests on the octave mechanism.

[mr00420]

I agree w/ B. Maybe either your neck or side octave key (the one that opens w/ anything below high G) is not closing properly. I could also be that one of your pads is not seating right some where on the upper part of your horn (like the high D-F side keys.) If it's not the octave keys then you should have a sax tech. look at it w/ his florescent bulb... sometimes that's the only way to really spot a small but troublesome leak. If this doesn't work, try a softer reed till you get the low note "break" down. There's no shame in playing soft reeds... Dexter Gordon always played a Rico 2 (one of the cheapest and softest reeds available) and everyone knows he was "The Man."

[LennyH]

If that doesn't work....try relaxing your embouchure and see if that makes any difference. I had a problem with biting and being too tense and that caused me to play an octave higher sometimes.

[MitchP]

You need to open and relax your throat as if saying ahh as well as having good air support.