This is part II of the tone production exercises I learned from Joe Allard and Victor Morosco. I’ve also added the idea of purchasing a very large tip opening mouthpiece to warm up on to teach you to use your diaphragm. However, you can do more harm than good if you use a hard reed on a very open mouthpiece and it may cause you to become tight.
Contrary to popular belief, the saxophone is best played with a very loose embouchure in order to let the reed “float”. I’ve studied the Larry Teal method which is very different and having made mouthpieces for so long I believe the Allard method was best. There will always be some tightness and jaw movement no matter what you do and there have been plenty of players that didn’t subscribe to this method that sounded great but there are many variables and nothing is unequivocal, especially in art where anything can go.
However, we'll never know if so-and-so might have sounded better if he had used a different method. Maybe it might have made him more comfortable enabling him to play his ideas more freely.
So, for those of you who want to challenge me or post things to the contrary as in part I, please don’t, it will only add to confusion to players trying to grasp these exercises. Many players struggle with intonation, mouthpieces, and embouchure so if you feel a need to post something opposing my views please start a separate thread. I think many players struggle because of the very different opinions they hear and from watching players. However, I think a lot of us feel as though we should be tight around the embouchure because for example when you watch a player they may seem to be suffering especially when playing loud and the veins in their forehead may protrude while there muscles around their mouth grow taught and they may turn red in the face. Well, this is natural if the player is playing especially loud because if the player didn’t tighten up, the mouthpiece would come out of their mouth as a result of blowing loud, okay?
So I’ll add that it’s not necessary to get obsessed with the exercises, as someone pointed out in part I Sonny played incorrectly, so they say but nevertheless sounded incredible. In fact, I think Sonny may have had the greatest sound of all time on the Live at the Village Vanguard albums. I will add though, having worked for Sonny, he seems to do everything correctly, he takes in LOTS of mouthpiece. So a couple of pointers before we proceed.
1. Remember that you can’t take too much mouthpiece in. You shouldn’t choke but try to pass the point that the facing starts on the rails of the mouthpiece, an inch for tenor, ¾ for alto. That’s the teeth should be past that, not the lips. At first, this will be uncomfortable and the sound may be crass and hard to control but be mindful and you will persevere.
2. The only pressure on the reed should be with the bottom teeth through the lip USING THE JAW MUSCLES, NOT THE MUSCLES IN YOUR FACE. It should just be enough to FEEL the reed through the lower lip. Any more than that and you begin to close the tip opening of the mouthpiece off. If you have to do this, then it’s time to get a new mouthpiece but not from me.
3. The last thing I’ll add is that you can break rules but first I suggest getting familiar with the exercises as they are, okay. Or I’ll come and burn your house down.
So, I'm challenged by the limited manner in which I can notate so I'll use words. The first part or section are all open C# until the end when you slur down to C natural. This is the whole exercise and you’ll just continuing down chromatically. The syllable HUH is used with no tongue and the syllable TA is a fast hard staccoto. You should be blowing hard using your diaphragm feeling is move as you blow.
OPEN C# FOR TWO EIGHTH NOTES FOLLOWED BY TWO STRONG STACATTO EIGHTHS FOLLOWED BY ONE STRONG STACCOTO HALF NOTE
SECTION (MEASURE) ONE STARTS HERE:
HUH HUH (EIGHTHS) TA TA (EIGHTHS) TAAA (HALF)
First measure ends
SECTION (MEASURE) TWO STARTS HERE:
TA TA TA TA (EIGHTHS) TATATATATATATATA (SIXTEENTHS)
TAAA (QUARTER) THEN SLUR TO C NATURAL AAAA (QUARTER) FOLLOWED BY QUARTER REST.
Then, start the whole exercise on C natural and work your way down to low B flat. I suggest getting the rhythm in your head on just the C# and C natural notes before you proceed. This will build your confidence. After you feel comfortable, you can start the entire exercise on any note. Phil
Contrary to popular belief, the saxophone is best played with a very loose embouchure in order to let the reed “float”. I’ve studied the Larry Teal method which is very different and having made mouthpieces for so long I believe the Allard method was best. There will always be some tightness and jaw movement no matter what you do and there have been plenty of players that didn’t subscribe to this method that sounded great but there are many variables and nothing is unequivocal, especially in art where anything can go.
However, we'll never know if so-and-so might have sounded better if he had used a different method. Maybe it might have made him more comfortable enabling him to play his ideas more freely.
So, for those of you who want to challenge me or post things to the contrary as in part I, please don’t, it will only add to confusion to players trying to grasp these exercises. Many players struggle with intonation, mouthpieces, and embouchure so if you feel a need to post something opposing my views please start a separate thread. I think many players struggle because of the very different opinions they hear and from watching players. However, I think a lot of us feel as though we should be tight around the embouchure because for example when you watch a player they may seem to be suffering especially when playing loud and the veins in their forehead may protrude while there muscles around their mouth grow taught and they may turn red in the face. Well, this is natural if the player is playing especially loud because if the player didn’t tighten up, the mouthpiece would come out of their mouth as a result of blowing loud, okay?
So I’ll add that it’s not necessary to get obsessed with the exercises, as someone pointed out in part I Sonny played incorrectly, so they say but nevertheless sounded incredible. In fact, I think Sonny may have had the greatest sound of all time on the Live at the Village Vanguard albums. I will add though, having worked for Sonny, he seems to do everything correctly, he takes in LOTS of mouthpiece. So a couple of pointers before we proceed.
1. Remember that you can’t take too much mouthpiece in. You shouldn’t choke but try to pass the point that the facing starts on the rails of the mouthpiece, an inch for tenor, ¾ for alto. That’s the teeth should be past that, not the lips. At first, this will be uncomfortable and the sound may be crass and hard to control but be mindful and you will persevere.
2. The only pressure on the reed should be with the bottom teeth through the lip USING THE JAW MUSCLES, NOT THE MUSCLES IN YOUR FACE. It should just be enough to FEEL the reed through the lower lip. Any more than that and you begin to close the tip opening of the mouthpiece off. If you have to do this, then it’s time to get a new mouthpiece but not from me.
3. The last thing I’ll add is that you can break rules but first I suggest getting familiar with the exercises as they are, okay. Or I’ll come and burn your house down.
So, I'm challenged by the limited manner in which I can notate so I'll use words. The first part or section are all open C# until the end when you slur down to C natural. This is the whole exercise and you’ll just continuing down chromatically. The syllable HUH is used with no tongue and the syllable TA is a fast hard staccoto. You should be blowing hard using your diaphragm feeling is move as you blow.
OPEN C# FOR TWO EIGHTH NOTES FOLLOWED BY TWO STRONG STACATTO EIGHTHS FOLLOWED BY ONE STRONG STACCOTO HALF NOTE
SECTION (MEASURE) ONE STARTS HERE:
HUH HUH (EIGHTHS) TA TA (EIGHTHS) TAAA (HALF)
First measure ends
SECTION (MEASURE) TWO STARTS HERE:
TA TA TA TA (EIGHTHS) TATATATATATATATA (SIXTEENTHS)
TAAA (QUARTER) THEN SLUR TO C NATURAL AAAA (QUARTER) FOLLOWED BY QUARTER REST.
Then, start the whole exercise on C natural and work your way down to low B flat. I suggest getting the rhythm in your head on just the C# and C natural notes before you proceed. This will build your confidence. After you feel comfortable, you can start the entire exercise on any note. Phil