Low C & below on tenor – tips for playing easily?

[Jazz Cat]

Johnny, quick question, any tips on getting comfortable playing low C & below on tenor? My newly-bought YTS62 plays them much better than the yts23, so that’s a plus. I’m finding though, still I’ve got to open up my jaw area and push a lot of air into it, to play at tempo is a bit tough. I’m playing ‘Chameleon’ and that’s the low note. I can play it, but it’s much more work than low D. Any general tips on getting comfortable play C & below?

thanks,

ken

[john]

welcome to the tenor world!
you just gotta really blow to get those notes.
you will find that it’s easier when you slur down from a note or 2 above. so from the low E and DS slurring down will be easier cause you’re not breaking in between those notes and the harder ones below.
If you find your self having to play the low C straight on then it’s just a matter of good timing on the tongue release with the combination
of lots of air.

[Jazz Cat]

thanks very much Johnny; your tips make a lot of sense; will do re D/C slurs to ease into it…takes so much more air than alto. Will do re tongue release w/straight C, that’s smart since more explosive air burst off tongued C makes it easier; good idea.

[john]

after 30 years of playing my set up is still hard sometimes to play the bottom end, especially quietly. I can do it but it takes a lot of effort. I can change it like a softer reed and mp but my set up is great for the rest of the sax’s range, especially up high so I keep it this way and just deal with the low end as I must.

[jake]

That’s cool to hear from Johnny that’s been doing this a helluava lot longer than we have. Not that I’m glad u have the same problem but that it’s a universal problem we share. I have the same issues here with my reed sizes. I like the thinner reeds as it’s easier to play and give me more buzz and get low notes easier but when I go high the thin reeds just don’t cut it. Gotta find that happy medium that works for the majority of what we do!!!

[Anonymous]

i recently posted a comment that i hardly ever play my nidar guardala king that i bought 2 yrs ago – the reason why – for the clasical music that i often play, i cannot physically play a soft low Bb – the mouth piece is designed for loud projection and low notes are harder to play softly on these mouthpieces.

[john]

ya, we don’t use metal mp’s for classic music for those obvious reasons. But, that’s the beauty of the saxophone, it’s so versatile for how many different types of sound and music it is suited for.
Listen to famous classical saxophonists and then to a jazz and then a rock guy etc….the tone is soooo different yet it’s the same instrument.

[jak Swift]

sxpoet. Hi man. All good ? What’s the lowdown on the guardala, if you don’t mind my asking ? You keeping it, selling it ? Jak

[Anonymous]

Hi Jak – i’m keeping the guardala, as its the only metal mouthpiece i’ve got, in case i wan’t to move to metal later on.

[jak Swift]

Thanks man. Have a great weekend. jak

[Author]

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