What i do first is a warmup session lasting anything from 20 mins to an hour.
i started out using JF’s daily practice routine – as my sax teacher mainly said do lots of long tones etc..
Then overtime, i started developing my own warmup routine, more tailored my own problem areas, and what other people have suggested.
But after doing the warmup session, i went straight round for a sax lesson, the 1st thing the pro said – lets hear Low Bb before starting the lesson.
when i blew the low Bb loudly (not blasting loud like ff) the pitch started out smooth & firm , then after a few micro seconds it changed and kicked into a solid firm louder sound, like as if a car engine had settled down into a deeper droning noise.
What he told me to do, before doing any playing (after the warm up session) – blow the Low Bb and get straight into the solid firm deep blasting pitch ie hit it straight away – one continuos pitch with no change in pitch.
In terms of lip pressure – firm pressure but relaxed. Too tight lip pressure will choke your voice box.
You can feel your voice box somewhere around the adams apple, and if you start doing various things with your embouchure – you can feel it tensing up, this is what you need to avoid.
Some people do an exercise where they put 2 fingeres in their mouth, either side of the mouthpiece and practice blowing a mid B to feel that they aren’t being too tense. Or they blow a mid B and feel all round their lips with the right hand finger to see how tense their lips are etc..
.
