I am a mom who did not have the opportunity to play in middle school/high school. All three of my children have been or are in band. My youngest is in high school and playing the Bari Sax and have been watching a friend (retired high school band director, when I was in high school) play throughout this pandemic and I decided I wanted to learn the sax. He found me a sax, it is currently being checked out for repairs. I haven't had the sax in my hands yet, but am getting the essential beginnings before starting. Thank you so much! I am glad I have come across your channel!
haha, yeah I guess. I know many people already watched my original embouchure tutorial, but RU-vid likes stuff to be recent and I wanted the course to have consistency so I made another one. I'm glad you consider it an improvement.
This is what I expected when I took some lessons, but it did not happen. IMO it is so important to get this right form the get go, and establish good habits.
Yep, I came to sax as a professional flute player and was mostly self taught. Finally I found a great sax player and we discussed my poor sound. He handed me my mouthpiece and said ‘play a note’ - I couldn’t, in fact it took me two days just to produce a sound. What I was actually doing was making the sound somewhere in the crook. Once I mastered producing a reliable good note just on the mouthpiece my playing changed almost within a day.
I played sax in a Chicago cover band back in the 70s !! Now in my somewhat golden years, I decided to get back to playing... So far so good, LOVE your videos, they are extremely helpful. I also am planning to purchase a new mouthpiece from your website today !! Thanks for the great videos..
I was looking for an alto saxophone tutor and found one of your other videos. I liked how you taught so I started watching your saxophone lessons, I am glad I did as I have learnt so much already. What a great saxophone tutor I will be watching more of your videos.
Dang it. I played from elementary through high school and despite private lessons, no one EVER told me I was rolling my lip in too far and biting too hard. 😡 I spent years with a painful indentation on the inside of my bottom lip from my teeth and, what's possibly worse, I constantly struggled with pitch. Anyway, after a decade break, I'm unlearning bad habits and am grateful for your help, Jay! Thanks!
@@bettersax Been recently trying to improve my sound but just not making much progress. Watching this video was the first time anyone ever told me not to roll my lip back too far. I can already feel and hear how much better it sounds. Thank you for enlightening me Jay
Just bought my Alto , I am on lesson two trying to get a sound out without fainting 😬😬 based on your video, I definitely need a softer reed. Thanks for your much needed and helpful video!
Beginner with the Saxophone. Took me a few minutes to get the sound to come out of the mouthpiece but finally got it. Excellent tutorial. Looking forward to moving on with Better Sax.
Just got my sax today, been really excited to start, my mouth is tired after 20-30 minutes. Gonna need to try again tomorrow! Excited to go through these videos
Thank you. I'm 42 year old trying to learn. Your first two videos have been helping me so much. And i have the cheap amazon alto sax you did a review on.
I'm mainly an oboe player, but I started playing tenor saxophone recently and your highly descriptive videos are really helping me with getting started
Extremely useful! Having just started playing the saxophone, I'm finding it extremely challenging to produce a consistent sound, with no squeaks. More so when heading lower or upper in the register (middle seems to be the easiest). Thanks!
maybe you should try a mouthpiece with bigger tip opening - when I started (as everyone on yamaha 5c) I've had the same problem (squeaks), but it has disappeared after I switched to otto link 7
@@gvgvhk.jg.4579 bigger space between the mouthpiece and the reed at the tip require more pressure and air, so it should have been easier with a smaller tip opening. How is it going so far?
Thank you. It's been 20+ yrs a reminder to get more of my mouth on the mouthpiece fixed my pitch problem. This is a great video. Look forward to the rest of the series.
I have been practicing and stuggling for a few months now. Now I know why I was having a hard time when playing more than a few minutes. This video made me go back to the very basics and concentrating on my embouchure and training my facial muscles. So, thank you very much and keep making these helping and entertaining videos.
Both the mouthpiece reed setup and Embouchure/lips/jaw information was very important and should relieve alot of frustration I was running into when attempting to play my tenor sax! - thanks much!
I just set up my first reeds and made my first sounds on the neck and sax. What a thrill to be starting on this adventure. Thanks for these videos, Jay!
BEST COURSE EVER!!! the quality is perfect and how Jay explains the sax makes it simple to understand. Thank u that was a great lesson I've learned a lot!
Just recieved my better sax alto sax 😆 this is a beautiful saxaphone! Im 57,,always the sound guy, never playd,,but this seems like a perfect fit for me and my musical desire and expression 😊,,thank you, mike from mo...
These videos are pure gold! Thank you for highlighting the wrong positions, and how they would sound like. I think all of us beginners need to know what we are doing wrong and why, and how to correct it. This is hard to pinpoint when no instructor is present.
It is truly remarkable that when I rented my first tenor sax from a music store owned by the band teacher that he mentioned NONE of this! He sold me 3 1/2 reeds with a wide tip opening as well. I could have saved weeks of time/energy if your videos had been available then! Thanks for your work, critical for beginners!!! 🚀🙏
Most sax players start out and don't have the benefit of this information. My goal is for that to change thanks to RU-vid. I hope these videos get a lot of views.
This is a fab video - thanks. Clear and concise and perfect for a beginner. Just about as good as you can get without being in the same room to teach in person. I was getting the cushioning on the bottom lip not quite right before watching your version of the technique.
I've been playing for about a month and was really struggling with the high F, and sounding clear in general. Your clear and detailled instructions were a massive help! Thank you for your consideration and encouraging videos! I've still got a lot to learn, but you've given me the confidence I can do so
I am 74 and and just starting to read music. The Tenor saxophone is the instrument of my choice. Your first 3 lessons have been very helpful. Looking forward to practicing the techniques.
I used to be top sax player in my school but I quit. After many years I really wanted to get back into it. This is very helpful. I need softer reeds to correct what you've talked about, but I can feel the muscles coming back.
This video really helped me, for a simple reason. I was trying to play the sax starting off today, and I got discouraged. I couldn’t get the sounds to come out to save my life, no matter what I did. I almost quit and just accepted that I might just have to listen to saxophone and not play. I then watched this video and realized that my mouthpiece was upside down.... I was putting my teeth on the reed instead of my bottom lip. I’m probably the only one that has ever made this mistake but thanks for the help anyway!!!
Excellent tutorial :) if I may add, the note to be played with the alto neck is an a-flat, and with the tenor neck it's the note e-natural. good to practice with a tuner or a piano to check the pitch.
Thank You! I've been trying to figure this out. I'm new and I just got my horn, but I can't get it to sound in tune, and I didn't know what I should be shooting for. I'm learning on my own, so this tutorial along with knowing what key it is SUPPOSED to sound like helps me feel less crazy. A new tuner and this advice proves what my ears have been telling me: I'm totally OFF! LOL~ Kudos for such a useful comment!
Hi Sir Jay! Thank you for your free lessons. I learned a lot from you. I just started learning sax last December 2020. I just bought my alto sax from China. I hope someday I can upgrade or buy sax base on your sax's brand review. Thank u so much.
Thankyou, thank you, thank you. I started with so many video but today after watching you i got my first sound and it was impressive. I even replaced so many reeds and make many adjustment to the reeds but to no avail but after listening to you and i tried it i got my first sound and i shall continue to practice and practice until i get well verse with it and master it. So as a gesture of gratefulness i subscribe you and save your video.... Stay blessed.
Currently in the start of my adventure in doubling saxophones. I've mostly played bari, and after a few months of getting good at tenor this is helping me relearn fundamentals to get a good start on alto. Thanks, man!
I have a lot of respect for saxophone players now. I never knew exactly how much effort it takes to produce a good sound. Thanks for this video, it helps out a lot.
Hi Jay. I decide to start again tô play sax and with your lessons I saw a lot of mistakes that I was doing. Thank you for share your knowledge with us. Now I am on the right way. Take care yourself.
Love it, so much detail and easy to understand. I am also ready happy that I can walk into the woods near me and just practice with the mouth piece and neck.
loving these videos man! Ive been playing the guitar for 9 years and ive never really tried another instrument. My sax comes in on monday! these videos are very informative!
It's crazy how embouchure is something you need to be constantly working on, regardless of how much you've improved. I have been self learning for the past three years now and if I mess up my schedule for a while the sound will loose quality. I have been struggling getting a good sound for very high and very low notes still and thought maybe my sax needed to be doctored. But I guess it won't make much of a difference if my embouchure is weak. I still don't know when to take a break and will insist on playing on a tired jaw, bitting the MP just like you showed in the video. Thank you for the lesson! You are great.
I started playing in 5th grade, I'm in 9th grade this year, and although I've improved on the basics at a regular level, I've been trying to work on new techniques. it takes me about 15 minutes to get good embouchure and it really screws the band up since I'm always wonky and goosey for a bit. thanks!
@@bettersax One thing I’d like to ask: Before I make my fledgling attempts at blowing my first notes, I own a used sax that was given to me as a gift. How in the world do I tell if it’s an alto or tenor?? And what is the difference between the two? Does the alto play in a different key than the tenor? Or is it possible to play in any key with both instruments? This instrument has hung on my wall for years! Mainly because no one has ever been willing to answer simple beginner questions I had! Years ago, there was a guy set up in the foyer of my local grocery store. He had the sax plus a small sound system for his backing tracks. I stopped to listen and was fully taken in by the magic of his sound, so I stood and listened for a long time. After he was through I expressed my enthusiasm and wanted to know simple basic things to get me started. Well, long story short, he acted like a snob and didn’t even answer my questions!
I am thrilled to get this practice. Seems pretty basic but when you start like me you don't want to skip any step in order to become good and get sound you are looking for. It's like the flute, practice with only the neck first and when you get a continuous good sound you can start to add notes to it.
Thank you for this. At 51 I am picking the saxophone back up after 30 years. I realize now all the things wrong with a brass band instructor teaching woodwinds :) I don't know how many things I need to unlearn, but this is helping.
Tutorial like this u must pay a lot of money but here u get for free plus instructions in all areas and a good quality video.... I can't thank you enough
I'm trying to transition from Clarinet to Soprano saxophone but these tips you've given have actually helped me realize some flaws in my Clarinet practice so thanks a ton for this😁
This was really helpful! I'm an alto player switching from classical to jazz after 9 years of break, and I was told to change my embouchure by rolling my lip out more. I wasn't sure what 'more' meant, but after watching this video (and another one) I realised I don't need to change all that much at all. Focusing on applying less pressure while still keeping a part of my lip on my bottom teeth was the key piece of advice. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this information! It makes so much more sense now. I'm a guitarist and pianist, but it's been a long-term goal to learn saxophone. Recently got one as a gift by a loved one. This is so helpful!
Word to the wise. Don’t quit!! I’m back after 20 years, and trying to find my old embouchure is HARD. Everything else has come back in a snap. I didn’t even forget the keys, not one of them. I’m trying so hard to remember but the muscle memory is just gone. Don’t make this mistake. 😭
These seem truly excellent, sir! As soon as I finish my book on Music Theory I plan to purchase a student sax and sign up. I played drums as a kid from 4th-12th grade but always wanted to play the saxophone.
