Saxophone Tips

Know your instrument
Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone in 1846. He created 14 different varieties for military band and orchestra. The orchestral instruments were keyed in C and F. The military band instruments were keyed in B-flat and E-flat. These are the instruments that are still in use today including the sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, and contrabass.

Practice with a metronome
The metronome is a tool to help you improve your sense of time and tempo. Set the b.p.m. (beats per minute) slow enough so you can keep up. As you begin to feel more comfortable working with the metronome, gradually increase the speed until it becomes more of a challenge. Every instrumentalist should place a strong emphasis on developing a good, strong sense of time and rhythm.

Use a chromatic tuner
Intonation can only be improved by regular practice with a chromatic tuner or other fixed pitch instrument such as a piano or electronic keyboard. Saxophone intonation is affected by the quality of the mouthpiece/reed combination and make of the instrument. Intermediate and professional instruments tend to have better intonation. Also, poor breathing habits can adversely affect intonation. Always breathe deep using the diaphragm muscles. Put your hand flat over your stomach when you inhale. Does it stick out? If not, you aren't breathing right. Your stomach should stick out when you breathe in and withdraw when you breathe out.

Find the most in-tune notes on your instrument. Tune those notes and adjust your embouchure (the muscles in and around your mouth) to fix the other out of tune notes. Concert A is usually the best choice for starting to tune. Push the mouthpiece in to correct flatness; pull the mouthpiece out to correct sharpness. Temperature can affect tuning - cold instruments are flat and warm instruments are sharp. It’s a good idea to tune slightly flat at the beginning of your playing session so that you will fall into tune as you warm up. No further tuning will be necessary after you warm up. You should only adjust pitch with slight adjustments in your embouchure.

Mouthpieces and reeds
This is the most important part of your sound regardless of the quality of your instrument. Find the right mouthpiece and reed combination that works for you. Not all players can use the same mouthpiece with the same results. What works good for some people may not work for everyone. Your set-up should be easy to play and sound good. This is easier said than done! You must experiment with a few different mouthpieces and reeds to find what works best for you.

Here is a brief list of recommended mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures. The models listed below are applicable for all saxophones (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone).

Mouthpieces
Classical	Jazz
Selmer S80	Otto Link
Morgan	Berg Larsen
Vandoren Optimum	Meyer
Reeds
Classical	Jazz
Vandoren Traditional	Vandoren Java
Alexander	LaVoz
Hemke	Alexander
Ligatures
Classical	Jazz
Vandoren Optimum	Rovner (Light)
Rovner (Dark)	Francois Louis Ultimate Ligature