getting down to low notes

[Jonathan Hurst]

Hey everyone. I’m having trouble getting to low notes on my sax. (E,D,etc.) How can I fix this and play smooth beautiful low notes? I’m playing at church tomorrow and wish for it to sound excellent.

Thanks, Jon

[Anonymous]

Playing really good on the sax is like mining for gold!
You have to shift tons and tons of stuff just to get a few ounces!
Unlike mining where theres no gaurantee of finding gold,
The more you work on your sax will show better results!

For me practice long tones!
Start with the lowest note that sounds great!
Then move down a semitone and work on that one!
Just keep going lower as you progress!
A lot of it is exhaling slowly & evenly , less
pressure on the lower lip.
Imaging your lungs are a balloon that has a tiny hole leaking air,
try & relax as much as possible for better sound.
Best to work with a tuner that shows you’re in tune, blowing to loud can sharpen the sound, likewise too soft can flatten the sound.
For me theres no short cut to getting a good tone!

I recomend Johnny’s daily practice routine!!!!

[john]

good advice from sxpoet regarding taking those semi steps down push more air through.
I will just add that E and D aren’t terribly low so if you’re having a lot of trouble there it may be that your sax has a leak so I’d make sure of that first to avoid more aggrivation.

[Jonathan Hurst]

Thanks you two. I will use that advice. Add my sax is 60 something years old, I got it two years ago. I’ve gotten it repaired once since, but haven’t got it checked since. Thanks again.

Jon

[john]

One of the very first automated emails I have send out whenever someone joins this membership is regarding this very thing about making sure that your horn is in good working condition before you dive into this thing. Why? because even a minor pad leak can make certain notes almost impossible for any player to get let alone someone who is just staring out. So, making sure you have no leaks will at least put you on even and fair ground. If that’s the case you can get past your problem of hitting those notes thru tips and exercises here. If you have a leak or two you can’t and you’ll be bashing your head! Good news is that a minor pad leak or two is very quick and inexpensive for a repair person to fix.

[Jonathan Hurst]

Thanks, I’ll be getting it fixed before concert season. I appreciate it.

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