I started practicing on the sax 18 months ago and have watched innumerable videos on embouchure and this is the best one I''ve seen by far. Thanks to you I finally understand why being a goldfish is the way to go. I'm thinking about signing up for your classes Jamie. You are really good.
You, Sir, just blew my mind! Just switched to this for my practice session and oh ... my ... god. It all came so naturally, sound was amazing, intonation spot on and zero pain in the lower lip. I could only do it for 30 minutes in a controlled way, but I'm sure that it will improve with practice. Thank you so much for this holy grail of saxophone playing. I'm watching your master class with a good cup of coffee on the weekend. Bravo!
My wife gave me a saxophone for my 74 birthday in February 2021. I’ve been practicing an hour a day pretty much ever since. For the past 2 months I have been trying to learn what I call the Joe Allard embouchure. You acknowledged Dave Liebman for helping you with your embouchure. Well, I watched the Leibman seminar videos several times months ago and could not quite understand how to get his embouchure and sound. I found several Allard videos on RU-vid and watched them repeatedly too. Better sound, but not the big, rich tone I was striving for. You clarified the placement of the lower lip and to not use the bottom teeth for pressure (unlike Allard teaches). BANG, I was hitting low B flat with all the richness I’d been hoping to get. So, thank you very much. Of course, I went flat as you cautioned. The strange thing is that with my mouthpiece as far up the cork as I can push it, I am in tune on low B flat, but NOT sharp on the high register. In fact, I’m flat at the high end. The opposite of what you predict in your video. What’s going on? How do I correct it? For the record I’m playing a Selmer AS500 which I had put into proper playing condition when I purchased it. I have a Jody Jazz HR* mouthpiece with C* tip, and Silverstein Alta synthetic reed, strength 2. (Incidentally, I love the reed. I’ve had it for about 3 months, and it just keeps on going. Silverstein guarantees it for 6 months and says it should go a year even for someone like you who plays much more than I. Do you want a used Reed Geek?) Can you give me a tip or two on how and why I go flat as I go up the register? Many thanks in advance.
Lip out not over your teeth. When I first started I was taught lip over my teeth and used to chew my mouthpiece away and my sound was like a strangled cat. It was only when I dumped my teacher and went solo I discovered lip out which is very much more relaxed I found my sound improved. That’s why the sound on the high notes can sound thin because it’s a tendency to tighten and even bite in order to produce the highest notes, in fact you can with practice still play these high notes with a relatively similar embouchure. Practicing overtones helps and is the key to a quality high high tone.. I’ve been playing soprano predominantly for just over 2 years now in order to improve my tone and sound production as it’s the hardest Sax to keep in tune and sound good on. The slightest change to embouchure can have a massive change in tone on a Soprano, you need to experiment with things to see what produces a good tone.
@@GetYourSaxTogether 👍 it’s always a bit of a problem if you like using multiple mouthpieces on one Sax, other than having more than one neck (expensive) I usually bore out the smallest to the biggest size and re-cork the neck.
Thats where I was going wrong trying to make my first 'sound' I was getting squeeks and tones but no 'proper' sax sound. I was putting my lip OVER my teeth (great for tones on the Bb key ) but not a decent sound. Great video
Thank you. My primary instrument is clarinet and I found my self using my clarinet embourche on my tenor sax and was getting very high cold sound on the lower octave, but once I did what you said; the lower octave finally got a warm-deep sound. Thank you
Actually I have another "one" question. Hope it's permitted. Going progressively sharper at the top end. Particularly the palm keys. Any typical causes and fixes? PS very good video!
HI Jamie, big thanks for your goldfish embouchure suggestion. I wonder if I still need to bite on the TOP of the mouthpiece (with my upper teeth)on the goldfish embouchure? I have tried, either way works. Do let me know, thanks.
I practice few days and I got this "easy" feeling embouchure instead of hard blowing! So I think first things first I'll try to catch and keep this feeling while playing notes along with slow metronome and tuner as well!
Hi. I have a dumb question. When I do the goldfish face, my top teeth are not on the mouthpiece. My embouchure is relaxed & corners are in. Should my teeth be on the mouthpiece?
Hi Jamie a question. How long does it takes to build those massive corner muscles?Because expecially when I play in the upper second octave in a few minutes I become more like a monkfish...Thanks
Brill. Looking forward to trying this. But a section on the problems that might occur. Going from years and years of lip on teeth etc to a very different arrangement and how to manage the different pressures on mouth piece when playing bottom notes and top notes as jaw and teeth do a lot of work (rightly or wrongly) in the lip on teeth way.
I changed embrochure from rolled lip over to the ooh shape and didn’t really experience any particular problems at top or bottom of instrument. At first my embrochure got more tired but that was the only slight issue and didn’t last long. The positive …an amazing tone!
Just to find out it seems that I'm struggling to keep a note and I have a 2.5 of a beginner Green from the beginning I think I need a 1.5 just to keep a note and get stronger that's what I would ask
I'm so glad I've just found this video. This IS how I was playing after watching one of your beginner videos. I had my first ever sax lesson two days ago and my tutor was telling me that I was producing a very jazzy and raw sound, he was encouraging me to move my mouth towards the tip of the mouthpiece and curl my bottom lip over my teeth so the notes would be more refined and melodic, it felt awful and was much harder for me to play consistent notes. I sounded like a pubescent teenager who's voice was breaking. Relaxing my lower lip and moving further onto the mouthpiece again makes it so much easier for me to play consistent notes and it just feels more natural so I'll be sticking with this from now on.
Hi Jamie Just like to say this is the best advice I’ve been given in my 5 years of learning, I’ve been doing this gold fish embouchure for a week and my tone has improved so much and now my mouthpiece is pushed on a lot father down the cork. Thank you 🙏 🎷👍
Well, Jamie, yesterday you asked for two questions about tone and I asked two and today you answered both. Not bad! However. with the goldfish lips my endurance is about 3 minutes and 45 seconds before my face muscles collapse and the air escapes around the mouth piece. But it sounds great while it lasts! I guess it will be 4 minute practice sessions, 30 times a day until I get into goldfish condition.
I have been using this embrochure for about a year or so now from listening to lessons from Dave Liebman and Harvey Pattel etc.What a difference it has made! My new teacher from Royal Northern College of Music who is kindly teaching a beginner like me told me this week that my strength is my “warm, rich, resonant sound” as well as tuning! I am made up by that comment! I think it has been down to this embrochure, starting on overtones and playing on the mouthpiece only. I am playing both classical and jazz and it contributes to both! Don’t hesitate to change to this you will hear the difference and thanks for the great tip Jamie!
Hello! I think you should inform yourself better about the way the different kind of embouchures work before doing a video like this. The half of what you are saying doesn't work at all as you tell in the video. Respect and peace ✌️.
There’s always “one”, and it looks like you’re that “one” this time. How should I “inform myself better” in your opinion? Obviously about 30 years of study, practice and playing on the pro stage and successfully teaching thousands of people (who see massive transformation in their enjoyment and sound) isn’t enough to inform myself? I don’t appreciate troll-like comments like this and neither do my regular viewers, so perhaps you’d like to reconsider such a rude comment? 👎🏻 Can’t see much respect in your comment, so don’t sign off with it.
I'm sorry if it looked rude as comment, it wasn't the idea at all. I'm not interested in being rude with people. And yes, there's always people who disagree, that's how knowledge is created. But it's not just me who disagree with you this time, it's all teachers and saxophonists which I have studied and played with... And even more. The way you described a different embouchure technique from the one you use it's not right at all (...And actually kind of rude). It's just a different technique which will give you a different sound results. And, over all, it's not a technique that wont let your sound goes out, developpe or have a good harmonics range. The one who uses it just need to do it right, like everything. Like the technique you propose, it wont give sucessful results if you don't apply it well. So my comment was just around this point, to suggest you to ask other saxophonists with experience using different techniques before saying that something is bad. Greetings!
Hi Jamie, Spot on, mate. I was taught sax by my clarinet teacher, so when I started playing sax he taught the same way - exactly the problem you mention. It 25 years before the penny dropped for me, and my sound opened up immediately. One thing I notice with the "goldfish" embouchure, is that it takes much more muscle stamina in the lower lip, than the clarinet embouchure. So practise, practise, practise to exercise those muscles. The major disadvantage, apart from sound, with the clarinet style is that you can cut your lower lip. This is bad news - done often enough can result in permanent damage.
Speaking of embouchure, I'm switching to single lip. I should have done it years ago, but being an oboe major, it didn't seem to be that big a deal. I love the sound though.
as always you are the most helpful out of all the other teachers out there, you teach stuff that really works and helps and you take the time to share and explain it in depth. THANK YOU!!!!!!
Thanks a lot Jamie for answering one of the questions I asked so quickely after the survey ! I did improve my tone and sound etc by doing the "goldfish" position naturally by playing Tenor Saxophone and then coming back on alto saxophone ! High notes are still less reliable though :/
This is your best lesson ever Maestro! I switched to sax from clarinet and play with lip over teeth. Have tried playing like a guppy this morning and my sound is so much better.
I am playing sax in a praise and worship team. Sometimes I need to play very softly, with a mellow, warm sound, sometimes quite loud, with more of a pop sound. Presently, I am playing a Yamaha 7c mouthpiece (1.9 mm / 0.075 inch tip opening) with a #3 Legere Signature reed. In the middle and the high range I can get a tone that I like, both for softer and louder pieces, but in the low range, I struggle playing softly. Any tips?
3rd day of learning the sax, lip-over teeth-embouchure, bad lip pain and worst of all, horrible, squeaky and inconsistent sound… if any. Today I saw this video and I can tell, it just saved me years. Bright, proud and confident sound without any pain. Can’t play a note for as long as I used to with the old embouchure, but I’ll get there. Thank you man :)
Your videos are very helpful, thank you. I have watched multiple lessons on mouth positioning, so this was quite different as your know. Sooo, watched another of your lessons, you were using the tight mouth, “no guppie” mouthpiece grip. What gives teach?? Which one do I use?
@@GetYourSaxTogether thanks for getting back to me. Let’s make it easier for me anyway. When do I go guppie and not to. I have seen your videos where you go lip over teeth.
Hi Jamie Thanks for your videos. I have been playing sax on and off for a couple of years. I use a denture pad as my teeth and very thin and sharp (and old!!). I'm now trying to change to goldfish embouchure as I tend to bite and use too much tension so find it difficult to keep in tune even when practising long tones. I am still finding it difficult to keep in tune on long tones and now also am finding the sides of the reed are irritating my lip. Am I doing something wrong still/using too much pressure or should I just persevere until I get used to goldfish embouchure??? I am using a yamaha 4C mouthpiece and changed to a 2.0 Legere signature reed a few months ago which I was enjoying as it is a lot more consistent. Do you think I should change back to cane reed?
Hi Jamie I've been practising the new embouchure (former clarinettist here, I have so much to unlearn!) but my tuning is now TERRIBLE. I've pushed the mouthpiece on to adjust for being flatter, but I'm just finding it way harder to control my pitch. Is this normal and I just need to practice my way out of it? Or am I doing it wrong? Thanks for the content as always.
Two questions (sorry) First, if you are playing any note using the Spectral Display on Tonal Energy how many peaks do you typically see? I presume that more of these peaks equates to the bigger tone that we are looking for. Second, I thought that a 'Jazz' embouchure was more straight line and classical was more Goldfish like. Should both be more goldfish like.
Hi, I have improved my ability to get the high register notes out by using your techniques in a video you released (e, f and f sharp), but have my lip over my teeth and a bit more mouthpiece. Using this goldfish lip position, what is the technique for getting the high notes out? Thanks Steve
Well, the question I would ask you if we were sitting together over a coffee is, "Can we play together for a half hour, and do some call & response?" -- Ha
Thanks Jamie! What you’re giving away here is gold! Question: Is a classical saxophonists embouchure any different? Btw I might have cried a little after watching your live gig video filmed by your daughter. Still in lockdown here down under.😥
I want a tour of the new studio, I'm assuming you just got it done? Can you stand up now? Thank you for another awesome session, you would think it would be repetitive discussing embouchre and going "Full Guppy" (love that KeefieT) but each time it reinforces the message. I played and was taught classical clarinet and its a hard habit to break but with your guidance its happening. Cheers! Subtoning....
"Lip-out embouchure" was a real game changer for me. Even if it did nothing for my tone, you just don't get nearly as tired playing--and thus can practice WAY longer. SirValorSax has good advice on his channel about reducing reed and tip opening when you switch. This is embarrassing but I'd ask you about growling, bc I honestly think there is something physiologically limiting how much grit I can add to my sound lol. I've seen every tutorial and can do all the things they recommend (growl and whistle, hum a half step down, roll R's--I can even growl on a recorder/slide whistle) but I suck at it on sax. I don't even consider myself a beginner player at this point, I can play up to double altissimo G# (thanks Jamie) and have "really good tone" (according to one of my sax heroes Wenzl McGowen) but god do I suck at this one particular thing. It's a big reason I only play with a really edgy mouthpiece bc it's easier for me to take the "grit" away. PS: Hope that alto mouthpiece served you well on your DJ/club gig(s)!
Great comment, thanks! Somewhere in there you said about humming a semitone lower but I don’t think that’s a “thing” really for me. I just hum any old thing. Worth a try?
My one question. What causes ducky (quacky, nasal) tone, and how to fix it? I'm a tenor player and when I occasionally play alto I get this ducky nasal tone in the mid range and it's driving me quackers!!!
i started learning alto sax only 3 weeks ago. im learning curly bottom lip type of embouchure. and when i do that, my mouth and lips are line not circle, and my mouth is tensioned. my teacher tells me RELAX YOUR LIPS. how do i do that? i think i need to change to goldfish style. question: how can i stop filling my chicks with air and blow normal? i forgot to say thank you!!! great channel and contents, especially your smile is very cheerful!
You've no idea just how challenging it is to form a proper embouchure for someone who had bell's palsy at some point in his life. My muscle control on the right side of my face still isn't 100% what it used to be before i got BP 8 years ago. I'm really struggling but I'm going to keep on trying. :)
I am practicing the exercises on the TTM course, (which I think is great). I am retraining my embouchere, but intermittently I get a squeak sound, and I think it's the sound you have described in your videos, - that natural sound that the read has. I'm not sure how to overcome this. What's your advice?
Yeh, it’s quite common and actually still happens to, even, pros sometimes. Could be a faulty MP or reed, or you just need more practice. Of course make your your embouchure isn’t too tight as that usually causes it.
Dusted off my tenor and got back to practice after a 5 years hiatus thanks to this YT channel. I´ve never been more than an intermediate student, tho... but now I found newer techniques to develop my tone. No more honk trombone-like lower range nor thin oboeish highs... thanks, Jamie!
I have a somewhat embarrassing question..is it normal to build saliva in the mouthpeice and neck? I find myself sometimes trying not to salivate or focusing on restricting my saliva thereby dampening my sound or adjusting my mouth position and messing my sound up. I stop every 15-20 minutes to clean my sax bcs it sounds like moisture is in the neck, mouthpiece etc.
I watched the embouchure tip video whilst awaiting the Tenor Altissimo Chart pdf download some days ago, tried it immediately and I was amazed with the results! But I wanted more. Then, you had made this the day after or so! What great coincidence.
Hello again Jamie! There is so much to know and ask...but one thing: what is the high note in your presentation music (this video 00:14) is it altissimo growling or multifonic, - or is itsomething else? I've been wondering that sound for a long time now.
Jamie, thank you for all your enthusiasm and instruction. I love your sound. I just started playing maybe 2 months ago and am still trying to find my natural lip position. Some days I play great or can hit lows and highs with no problem then I ever so slightly reposition and baam its gone and I sound like a wounded duck.
Indeed if you look al the online movies its always thought to go with your lip over you teeth. I found this un natural and doing the goldfish lips . Thanks for the confirmation 👍
You're a bloody legend Jamie! My question is this: I have a few different mouthpieces that I flick between depending on if I want big and bright or mellow and smooth, but the actual opening that goes on to the neck piece is completely different sized on each of my mp's. The cork is too loose on one and too tight for the other so I've had to resort to using electrical tape (not a good solution I know!) Just wondering if you have any tips for adjusting cork thickness to adapt to different mp's?
experiment with the mpc that is the most versatile, and work on the technique required for the sound you like, and offcourse that fit tight around the cork on your saxophone neck
You can get the mouthpieces altered so the bore is the same size on all of them, I’ve done a few of mine and it’s useful if you like to use multiple mouthpieces and swap them regularly. If you have one main one and the others aren’t used so often and are bigger then use gas PTFE tape, it’s thicker than plumbing PTPE.
A great lesson as usual Jaimie. After struggling with tone since I started on the alto sax about 18 months ago, this made a big difference immediately. I think it worked so well for me in part because I have a thin bottom lip and a slight overbite, making the reed strangling issue much worse. Am I right in thinking, however, that classical players (O.K. I know I am weird in trying to play both jazz and classical music) probably don't use the lip-out embouchure in order to clean up the overtones and blend in with the other instruments?
Hello. I am from Romania and I sing traditional Romanian music. I have a question. with this blowing technique, how do we support the lower lip? does it sit on the teeth or in front of them? because I feel that I have no stability in tuning. the tone is fantastic but I don't master the tuning in the treble area. I played the clarinet and used the lower lip over the teeth technique until now. thanks
yet another insightfull video from you Jamie, I play alt and tenor since 21-07-'20 and due to experimenting these rolled over and lipout technique, makes your sound indeed much richer
Wow, thank you for this! Being a doubler, this goes against everything I was taught on clarinet and oboe. I recently switched to single cushion for sax and love the projection, but I'm hearing and feeling a choke on the higher notes. This may be the solution.
So from using the goldfish embouchure, do you not have to use our bottom teeth underneath our bottom lip? How will it affect some dynamics like vibrato?
I am a beginner so my sound is not the best yet , I have to practice more and more I know , but now..sometimes , specially if I want " force " some note my sax "Squeak". Is it a question of reed? Probably is my " some wrong action "...can you help me with this . Thanks in advance from Italy . Ciao Massimo
When I was thirteen, I studied sax with a man who had played with Zousa's band. He taught me this technique. I do not put my teeth on the mouthpiece as taught in most videos on embouchure. It works for me. I have a good tone. Marlys Feder
Hey Jamie! Love this video. I’ve heard you talk about embochure a few times now, glad you did a full video on it! I have bad muscle memory habits I’m currently changing! I learned in 4th grade (over 20 years ago) and I played too many years using more of a clarinet set up for my mouth and using my bottom lip too much! Excited to work through all of your exercises practicing my new embochure. I feel my lips slip back into habit, but it’s getting better and better! Thanks so much for all the variety of videos to progress as a saxophonist. Keep up the amazing work!!
Practice. Practice overtones to get control of your throat as you need to be able to have a throat/ mouth cavity that can move and isn’t static. Use a tuner to observe how your throat and oral cavity has an impact on tuning.
You mentioned TENOR specifically in this video and I can imagine this would work well for BARI as well, but how about ALTO and SOP - would you recommend this technique with them as well?
@@GetYourSaxTogether What utility derives from placing teeth into mouthpiece? In my experience it only transmits unpleasant vibration into your head? I have only ever used double lip, and cannot understand why anybody would touch teeth, as teeth can't grip, they just touch and jangle vibration, which must put many off woodwind
@@GetYourSaxTogether Or you could use a double lip embouchere and save yourself the cost and the environmental degradation caused by manufacturing totally unnecessary mouthpiece pads. Double lip is beyond preferable, it is the only true embouchere
Thanks for this tip Jamie. I watched this lesson in the morning and made a determined effort to keep this embouchure for my gig in the afternoon. A real difference especially to the higher notes which I had a habit of choking off with by having my embouchure too tight. Thanks again and enjoy the coffees.
Jamie I tried this today ! Omg … what a difference ! I started on clarinet so always had the embouchure with lip over teeth . The high notes were so much better with the goldfish technique . Fantastic advice
Amazing video ! So cool, so nice, so clear, so fun! However what happens when you play high notes ? In my case I feel obliged to make a vertical pressure with my jaw, and if I play for a while my lip hurts... is it normal doctor Anderson ? Thanks again !!!!
