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Neckstrap height position for better tone?

5K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Ballad state of mind 
#1 ·
I started playing tenor again about 5 years ago after a 35 year layoff. After trying to teach myself, I finally started lessons a couple of weeks ago. Last week, my instructor completely changed the height at which I hold my sax.

I always positioned the sax/strap height so that the mouthpiece naturally fell at the opening of my mouth when hanging on the strap, and I kept the body of the sax fairly close to my body. My instructor observed that this caused the mouthpiece to enter my mouth at an angle, and said that the mouthpiece should be perpendicular to the plane of my face (mouth).

To do that I had to lower the sax about 3 inches (mouthpiece now under my chin when sax is hanging) and push the sax away from my body with my right hand to bring the mouthpiece up to perpendicular. So I ended up repositioning the height of my neck strap from as high as possible to almost as low as possible.

The result was pretty amazing. It caused me to open my throat more, loosen my embouchure, and put way more air into the sax. My sound immediately became much more open, louder, and richer. I play in an R&B band, and at rehearsal last night they were all amazed at the difference in my sound.

The only downside is that my right arm is getting pretty tired holding the sax out away from my body, but I guess that will strengthen over time.

So to get your best tone, at what height to you hold your sax and at what angle does the mouthpiece enter your mouth?
 
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#2 ·
I think the angle has a bit to do with it. I think also our body make up has a lot to do with it as well.

If you observe any of the really great players of any era one thing you will commonly notice is that the don't play with their head cranked forward away from their shoulders.

Your head should be straight and in some what relative relation to your shoulders, right in the middle. That is also to say you shouldn't be pushing your head back with your horn to achieve this. You should just be in your natural standing position (and maybe some what exaggerating "good posture"). You can still get into it and move around but in general your shoulders and head should be parallel with your hips.

I think a lot of people will tell you it's important to have the strap in the right spot for you. I personally know where it is for me and it tends to be with my neckstrap almost strangling me :)
 
#3 ·
I was taught, and have always played, adjusting the strap so that if you are looking straight ahead, the mouthpiece should point at the indent between your chin and your lower lip. Then you have to lower your head just a little to take the mouthpiece in your mouth. Works for me.
 
#5 ·
I'm not sure how to deal with the arm getting tired from holding it, except maybe to suggest trying a different strap altogether? I just picked up a BG harness because I also felt like the strap was giving me a bad angle on my mouthpiece and so far it's quite comfortable to hold and I feel like I am getting a lot more air into the horn than I could before.
 
#6 ·
I've always let my sax hang, and with my head in an erect and natural position, the horn comes straight into my mouth--not my chin.
 
#13 ·
Here's a video showing 3 different strap adjustments.
Griffin: high strap
Henderson: low strap
Adams: in between

.
and they all get a perpendicular angle between mouth and mouthpiece.
 
#14 ·
I think it's what is comfortable is correct. The angle between the mouth & mouthpiece could also be dependent on our bite. ( the extent to which our top teeth overlap the bottom.) I think the strap is there to allow us to finger the sax in a stable position. I think of it as playing a vertical piano. You can't play a piano very well if the keys keep moving.
 
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