two simple singing exercises to do just using 4 different pitches, the first exercise you will use the tip of your tongue when changing pitch, while the second exercise you will keep the tip of your tongue perfectly still (this time using the larynx) when changing pitches.

In both exercises you will sing the pitches 1 3 5 8 5 3 1 ie the pitches for any major scale root arpeggio (eg if you want to sing in major C scale, then sing pitches going up the scale for C E G C then back down the scale G E C). You might need a keyboard just to ensure you are singing the right pitch, but it doesn’t have to be pitch perfect, just close enough, you are not aiming to become the worlds best singer, just to get a feel of what is going when you use that wind instrument.

1st exercise – you will just sing the word La seven times, but for each Next La you will tongue it going up a higher pitch like in the 1 3 5 8 root arpeggio and then back down . Its not important to be a great singer, just to get the feel of the pitches changing while using the tip of your tongue. Notice hardly any change in tension of your lips, your jaw might slight change in movements.

2nd exercise – this time you will just sing the letter E instead of the word La in the 1st exercise because the letter E uses no tongue muscles, you can keep the tip of the tongue relaxed & still, resting on the bottom teeth. To change up in pitches you now need to work the voice box (larynx etc), you shouldn’t notice any change in lip tension, you shouldn’t notice the tip of your tongue changing position, what you will notice is you need to push a lot more air up there, what you will notice is some movement at the back of your mouth as you allow your larynx the freedom to move around without be being restricted by a tensed up voice box area.

The 2nd exercise is akin to changing overtones on the sax, so weeks later on when you blow a high D using the palm key, you can pitch up to a Altissimo B by going up a pitch. So no need to be changing biting, very little change in lip pressure, but a lot of pushing up air to hold that larynx steady in the next new position. It is an exercise that improves with daily practise, it has to be done slowly to start out, you will tire easily – so stop – start again the next day, like singing exercises you have to pause and rest for periods, so as not to strain the muscles around your voice box.

The benefits of these two singing exercises – its the closest thing to demonstrate what you are trying to do on your sax when playing overtones, it is training your ear to get used to and recognise the 4 pitches of a major scale root arpeggio so that you feel and notice on the sax when pitches start to go in and out if tune, it is training your breathing to get more in control,of the long tones on the sax and holding a steady pitch, it is training you to get less tensed up around the lips which stops you choking the voice box and causing you to play out of tune.

If you are practicing the sax and your lips start to get tired (turn to jelly), then stop playing and start again tomorrow – otherwise like me you will start using your bottom teeth to bite the lower lip to maintain lower lip pressure – resulting in a sore bottom lip, a tensed up voice box causing pitches to go out if key.

If you want to do additional singing exercises, repeat exercises 1 & 2 but singing in a different major scale root arpeggios eg D major ( up d f# a d down a f# d).

A tuner is very useful to show that a pitch played on a sax is in tune. However a tuner cant show you a timbre change in the same pitch. For example you can play a C pitch on the guitar and the tuner will show it played in tune, you can play a C pitch on a sax and the tuner will show it played in tune. What the tuner wont show is that one is played by a sax and the other by a guitar, only your ears can tell the difference in timbre. When you play low notes on your sax the timbre is different to the timbre in high notes, just like in a sax and a guitar – this is due to the different lengths of the metal in the sax vibrating before the sound escapes out of the sax holes.

Changes of timbre for the same identical pitch can give a false sense of one of them being out of key to the listener – just go in a piano store and play middle C on a lot of different pianos (made from different woods), you might start to feel some are out of tune, when in fact they are all in tune. Some people will argue this piano sounds darker or brighter, thus down to you hearing different partials in the same pitch.

So how do you get the higher pitches to sound in tune with the lower pitches, even when they are both in tune on a tuner. I need answers to that, as the only information i’ve found, is to practice playing higher notes to be in tune with the overtones produced on the 4 Low notes Bb, B, C and C#. Or to compare my sax sounds to a keyboard pitch.