Saxophone Low Notes | How to play low Bb 

He answered all of the comments..... HE IS THE CHOSEN ONE

"So grab your horn right now" It's nearly 2 a.m. people are sleeping.

It’s so strange as a former bass clarinettist who loved the low notes, I’m now viewing d,c and b with trepidation!

For the first 20 years playing the saxophone, based on my first two teachers, overtones and descending legato octaves was the path to sound and control. Well, when I was finally introduced to calibrating the emboucher to low Bb, things dramatically changed for the better. Wish I knew about Exercise Zero decades ago, it works. I’ve been using it with my students. Thanks!

I have no idea if you still check in on this channel but I'll comment. I started sax at 80 and waffled around with other instruments. Going full on sax and backing up to your fundamental stuff to correct some sloppiness. Your detail is exactly what I need. Thank you! If you hear some sour notes, that may be me. Hoping to see progress by September.

You had me at "low notes." This is exactly what my college professor told me. Sonny Rollins was known for warming up with low Bb for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.

I LOVE your presentation style. Clear, brisk and to the point, with a sprinkle of dry humor here and there. Thanks!

Starting with that low Bb sure does set the motion and makes a difference through the range. After practicing this, I am managing to play much smoother, cleaner and not all that vibrational over toning, stops and squeaks I've been getting. Thank you Dr. Wally!

Magnífico !!! Vou praticar esse exercício!!! Abraço meu amigo.

Dr. Wally. You are the best!

I just want to say that in addition to your awesome music-stand-side manner, that half the fun is reading these comments and your hilarious and witty replies. I’ve been following several Sax teachers but I think I have decided that you shall be my go-to professor. Respect ✊

You're a fantastic teacher

Amazing level of details and depth. As a complete beginner I appreciate your work a lot sir!

Great lesson. Joel

The a#/b flat as a calibration point really works! Possibly the best playing tip I've ever encountered. Thanks!

Whenever I need a little bit of sax in my life Dr. Wally shows up

Great lesson, makes total sense etc. I will be incorporating the zero exercise into my practice routines. Thanks.

By chance I came across one of your videos and was captured by the interesting and pertinent information you provided. I appreciate your dry sense of humour and find your instructions to be clear and very useful. Of the many music instructional videos available on the Web, I consider your videos to be the most useful and professionally done. Keep up the good work!

How great that you're back and up & running! I picked up my basics and classical playing thanks to you (and Covid lol). I was even lucky to get hold of Concept AND DeLangle occasion mouthpieces the past months, how about that? Never sounded more legit haha. Keep 'em coming!

good humour and also easy to understand. Love it. Alan GB

Great video excited for what's to come

Wauw , that was an eye opener , thanks Wally. I just joined your Academy and am now jumping from RU-vid to the Academy site as it happens clicking the links in the starter course. I have been playing for many years (started in i guess 1994), actually most self taught incl some months of lessons. Yet as a multi instrumentalist, school music & music therapy and breath / voice trainer i got the hang of it fairly easy and have practiced various methodes over the years (started with Berklee online and books). This what i now learned from you rely have not heard from anyone else and it make Perfectly Sense. So i will start practicing for sure. Kind healthy music greetings from out of Finland from a Dutch guy :-)

Very insightful. Also possibly the best attired Sax player.

Been playing a long time and still have tone control issues. It's great to return to solid fundamentals. Thank you so much!

Another brilliant video from someone who knows what they’re talking about and makes every concept fun and entertaining. Thank you again Dr Wally

I wish I could spend a week with Dr.Wally, he could teach me so much. Unfortunately, I would leave him a quivering nervous wreck popping all sorts of meds, just to get through the day. Thank you for your content, both amazing and amusing.

Great video Dr Wallace, what an informative video. I hope all is going well my friend. Stay safe out there and happy practice.

Exercise Zero is so helpful! Thanks Dr. Wally for another great lesson. I'm a beginner, but I was able to hear some improvement in my tone the very first time I worked the exercise. I've now been at it for about a week and I'm already seeing noticeable improvement in the lower & middle registers. I'm still having a little trouble shifting quickly from the upper register back down to Bb, but I'll get there.

Very helpful. Thank you.

It makes me so satisfied that the metronome in the intro lines up with the music

Hello person reading this, just wanted to say hi! Things have been pretty bad lately, so I wanted to say that it's gonna be okay. Just get some rest buddy!

Dr Wally.. I'm subscribing today...it's my 2nd time to watch...you've won me over... Man-alive, you're like a walking, talking, expert - playing Oxymoron...dressed and looking like a bank manager you deliver the goods with such correctness, and HUMOR...barbed wit and are just plain funny.... and don't try to tell me you don't have Gary Larsen cartoons in your house... I won't believe it.

After digesting this video I worked on my embouchure and - success! Can play from low b flat to alto notes now well not perfectly yet (playing for 3 months now) but there is a difference! Thanks for all your videos.

Very nice tips! I agree with one hundred per cent of them! I'm allways saying those things to my students, but I don't try to make them play the low Bb in the early classes. But I think I'm gonna try now. This video is perfect for that purpose, and I'll translate it to Portuguese, to my students! Congratutations!

Ive been slacking Dr.Wally Ill admit it. Thanks for still being there you are steeling my resolve

Another great video Dr Wally, I now play low B Flats for a few minutes to kick start all my practise sessions and I already notice a big difference in my tone, my embouchure and my confidence of hitting those notes on my baritone. My family are getting a little tired of the fog horn though

"His fine, I just forget to call him" That was HILLARIOUS! Greetings from Okinawa Japan!

< Priceless Knowledge Doc. Thank You !¡! >

I've been playing (well that's what I call it) the sax for three weeks now. I've watched too much youtube content and far too many about embouchure. So this vid is refreshing as it states that the embouchure does not change except in minor ways, whereas I've seen stuff that says the opposite and one famous sax school that proposes that a Clarinet embouchure should be used, which I would suggest is incorrect unless you want to lose your lower lip. I will try out what's suggested in this vid and perhaps it will restore my enthusiasm for learning the sax. :)

New bari player here. Got a low C out the first try but low A was a different animal. Slowly improving, but a slightly modified Exercise Zero will speed my along the path to rich low tones. Thank you!

Newbie to the world of playing a treble cleft instrument. New experiences at the age of 64, preparing for harmony in life. Self training this instrument, your commentary is a great help. Thank for assisting me with this adventure.

New sub here, revived an old tenor of mine. Self taught on sax and lows notes are my greatest weakness. Came across your video and certain things made sense, using the Bb to test your embouchure. So I will be practicing in the next couple of hours using your tips, looking forward to see the results. Will update as well and do pray i have finally found the solution :D

Love your analogies. To compared the mechanics of marksmanship firing to proper embouchure wow brilliant. I’ll give you another analogy. Many years ago when Tiger woods decided to completely change his golf swing people in golf said why. He was the most successful golf player in the world why change a swing that had won tournaments. Because he realized that his swing was not mechanically correct. Remembered he didn’t win a golf tournament for several years after the change until he finally succeeded in mastering the swing and began winning again. Then the media praised him as the best of the best. The same way many of us have problems with our embouchure but are not willing to change because we have spent years playing with the one we developed and changing would be like a total waste of time. Well you convinced me I’m going to change . Thanks for the lesson.

I wish someone told me this years ago. Thanks Doc!

A great video again.. many years ago I developped my sound on the tenor just playing long notes down there, from low Db to Bb... I wish I had your hints, so technical and accurate. Thank you again !!

I just found your channel pretty awesome Im akeyboardkeyboard guy I can read music etc. but I’m taking up the alto sax now Thanks for your help.

Thank you so much sir

Incredible video man! Even though the concept is the same, would love to see you play som low B flats on the tenor back there. It takes more power and maybe you could give us some expertise on that as well? Thanks so much fir this channel!

I’m 37 days into my saxophone adventure and which my instructor would spend 30 ins just on embouchure instead of ‘play this and I’ll duet’. Inconsistent, tired jaw, sometimes ‘feels’ great and other times I’m beating the reed/notes and my lip/jaw into submission to get them right, with a big jaw drop to keep the low notes from overtoning on my Jean Paul TS400 Tenor with Yamaha 5C mouthpiece and 2.5 Java ZZ reed. Now, I’m going to 1). Learn the fingering for low Bb and 2). Get my embouchure calibrated to it and springboard from that for the rest and 3). Hope for the best! Thank you for your videos!

Something else that REALLY need mentioned is that low Bb is the note on the sax that, out of all of the others, most critically depends on a properly maintained instrument. Every single pad is used, and a leak on any one of them makes the note very hard to speak and may make the newer student feel like they'll "never get it" even if there embouchure is perfect. I remember the first time I had my sax tuned up in a shop, and I was astonished at how easily my low Bb spoke when I got it back.

Good stuff thanks

You Are absolutely right.Low B flat speeds up the higher register but quality sax matters

Love your videos and your music - I just have trouble getting my head around the suit

THANKS

thank you for clarifying how the tonging is done while the other people pretending to teach it and spend hours on that topic, don't explain it right and end up giving the wrong information, shame on them really

Whenever i get tired now and use too much pressure i go to low Bb to reset my Embouchure. Really helps. Also my exercise zero improved already.

Beginning sax. I can play many melodies (without reading music which creates a whole new layer of difficulty and intense frustration); but my embouchure is inconsistent, so intonation and octave accuracy are also affected -- frequent unintended octave jumps when transitioning from high to low notes (its fascinating that the octave key is hardly required to make these jumps). I have been trying to figure out a reasonable method to start from as a working adult. Exercise Zero seems to be a bright systematic beginning. Thank you for making this available. (Thank you for your service to our Nation.)

I'm the hammer man. Because of you no more bell will ring in the area😉 A big thanks to have point this defect, only one try on it but I definitely level up. But I wonder why you are the only one the explain this... They all talk about tongue attack!

Thanks for the lesson Wally. I realized that I almost always play the low B & Bb as sub-tones, otherwise they are notes "only to be used in case of emergency." Ha. But starting out on the low Bb is new to me, but very helpful in establishing embouchure and tone for the whole range.

I started playing sax in 5th grade. I am basically self-taught because my school district was pretty well-to-do and the expectation was that we would all get private lessons. My parents didn't get me those so most of my learning came from band class. Believe it or not, I didn't learn tongueing until high school! I was using my air stream to separate notes. I was taught the concept of tongueing by a classmate who was flabbergasted to learn that I didn't know how to do it. (He's a music professor now btw.) Anyway, by sheer force of will and a little talent, I graduated High school and one of the best sax players (I was a bari guy). I played all through college, but only in marching band and other sport pep bands. Nothing that really challenged my so I would say I peaked in high school. I graduated from college in 2003! I stopped playing for YEARS but now I'm getting back into it. My question oh wise professor, is when should I place my tongue on the Reed when tongueing? I remember friends back in the day that cut their tongues on their reeds. I want to avoid that if possible. Thanks for reading this (if you do)...and thank youbfor these videos. They're a big help. P.S. sorry for writing so much. I'm a pastor...which means I'm long-winded! Lol

The Bb workout on Bari is for real. Never tried so hard to slur to and from low Bb

I never thought of applying the four principles of marksmanship to playing the horn... 1) The weapon must point naturally at the target without undue strain. Well applicable to the sax and embouchure. 2) The hold and position must be strong enough to support the weapon. Yep. Or in this case the sax. Like it. 3) Sight alignment must be correct. Well, in this case, I guess that means your instrument should be set up right. OK. That's applicable. 4) The shot must be released and followed through with no disturbance to the position. Definitely applicable to embouchure and breath control. Thanks for that, you've taught me something today!

Maybe I'm missing something obvious. In the 80s those of us who took band (be it marching, jazz or whatever, basically any kid in the music dep't) were called Wallies by the other kids. You're probably like yeah mate that's the point. But I haven't heard Wally for a band person in 40 years, so, well done.

Excellent! Thanks Dr. Wally for sharing and making available all the tips and teaching. Do you recommend long tones?

Excellent , clear and very helpful advice from Dr. Wally! One question regarding articulation: how can I maintain "back pressure column of air" while stopping the air flow with the tongue ? Meanwhile, thank you very much for your informative and uplifting videos!

Dr. Wally studied with Michael Hester? Hester's recordings, in particular his performance of Desenclos' Prelude cadence et finale made me fall in love with the classical sax. I didn't even dig the alto before hearing that.

You are saxophonist super man 👍️❤️🇳🇵

Hi Dr. Wallace! ❤️ your Sax Academy vids!!! Thanks SO MUCH for posting them. Am just getting back into the sax and want to master the lower and altissimo ranges. Strangely enough, I can do the altissimo notes better than I can the lower notes. I'm REALLY STRUGGLING with those!!! I'm doing my best to keep the same embouchure for ALL of the notes, but it's NOT working for me. Do you think I just need to practice more or do you think it's the size of my reeds (rico 2.5)?!? Please advise.

Hi, thanks for the great videos! I recently switched from clarinet to saxophone, and your lessons help me a lot. I have a question about the tongue movement: do I touch the Reed from the bottom or from the front? I always moved the tongue up because it felt more natural, but some clarinet teachers told me to approach the reed from the front. I'm confused.

Essential lesson! Does the same principle apply for soprano sax? Thanks .

Thanks for this lesson, it really helped me out. I have one question though. Every time I play low Bb, my fingers are pressing very hard onto the buttons, so much that my hands hurt after half of Exercise Zero and I have to stop. I also tried to press less, but then no tone was coming out of it. I dont think that theres something wrong with my sax, because its not that long ago it has been in maintenance. Any suggestions of what I should change in my playing?

Love your videos Dr. Wally! And your sense of humor! I'm like a lot of people I see on your channel...retired with a saxophone collecting dust. Finally got it out and wow, I am so rusty, but determined! Quick question: I've been a tenor sax player all my life and I am thinking about buying an alto sax. Will I have to learn a whole new embouchure or is the alto pretty much the same as the tenor? Just wondering if there's anything to consider before I purchase something. Is it a difficult transition? What are your thoughts? Thanks!!!

I really enjoy your videos. You have awesome tone. What is your setup? Mouthpiece + reed?

I love listen to you

Hi! Really enjoy that attitude and sense of humor! Quick question, do you approach subtones the same way? I'm playing on a student tenor and that low Bb is a struggle (although getting a bit better over time)...

I really like how you say "go practice" after each lesson🤣

A good friend and player described Sonny Rollins doing the low Bb thing at a 48th street store in NYC to check-out what he was looking for in terms of a horn with great resonance and tone. HOWEVER, Sonny certainly never looked as if he had a "set"

Love your videos Dr. Wally!! What mouthpiece are you using in this video? Just curious.

Downloaded the workbook and lesson for January. After months of ignoring music and watching several of your videos today this is the obvious starting point for me. Any advice on breath support and increasing one's ability to maintain it? Sadly, getting winded easily.

Dr Wally thank you for your videos I find them fun and inspirational. My problem with low B flat is the fingering with my left hand. I’m 75 and my fingers aren’t as flexible as they used to be, I also have fairly small hands. Is there any advice you can give me or should I take up the drums. Richard in the UK

Great video!. How come The G on my guitar ( Low E string 3rd fret ) does not match ( in frequency ) the G on the Alto Sax? Thanks !

Curious... I play alto at the moment but fell in love with a used bari I saw the other day at the place I got my alto from. Any bari videos in the offing?

Great points, Wally! Hopefully you have no prior experience with falling down stairs while attempting to thread a needle:) To this day I still have to reign in the unconscious urge to physically shift when starting off on a low Bb (especially on tenor). Keep up the great work, and thank you, as always!

"You might just poke your eye out." I knew I recognized you from somewhere! How's that Red Ryder BB gun treating you these days? ^_____^ Appreciate the video!

I find that I need a tighter embouchure in the higher octave. Should I tighten my embouchure on low Bb to match? Or, if I should stay loose all the way up the horn, what variables could I play with to sounds the high notes properly (air stream? Throat?). Thanks!

This was very enlightening! When you say keep an open oral cavity, what does that mean exactly? And does it change as you go up and down the sax?

my prblem right now seems to be that after pulling back the tounge, no sounds comes out nonetheless I will continue to practise! Great vid btw

Great videos! One thing I may have missed... for normal/beginner articulation what part of the tongue touches what part of the reed? On bassoon I teach just above/back from the tip of the tongue touches the tip of the reed (bottom blade for double reed). Is this similar on sax for you? Thanks! ...Jesse

Dr. Wally! I’m a senior in high school getting ready for college & getting started in music education! Any tips as a saxophonist going into college?

Hi Wally, i've been taking the autodidactical approach to the sax for about a year ( i play jazz guitar/piano/ and bulgarian kaval already, its a lockdown project, gigs having all dried up) but having discovered your amazing channel thought i'd get to work on your exercises. Unfortunately I find it ny on impossible to get that low Bb which is a bit of a stumbling block.. . Only the octave overtone comes out. I thought it might be the instrument (borrowed yas23 ) but just once i got it so ... i'm good with the C and sometimes a muffly B. Bit frustrating as i have time on my hands. Any advice? Also i can't help but think in concert pitch because i know lots of tunes already. Makes reading a headache! Or it might be that i upped my coffee intake. Do you think in concert and Eb/Bb simultaneously? Love your channel, playing, and approach and poetry 😅

I find that I'm struggling with this on baritone sax. I try to produce a sound with just air but either nothing comes out or I'd wish that nothing came out to say the least. I'm also trying to learn an etude from Paul DeVille (Number 4 from the "Twenty Studies" section) and The transition from D2 to F1 makes an unpleasant sound. It's a little disheartening to experience this as I've been playing tenor for a long while but I'm beginning to realize more and more that the bari is a separate beast. Do you have any advice tailored to this issue or will just the stuff in the video be good enough? Thanks a ton btw!

❤

Hey.. first of all..great tutorial! But I have a question.. i want to do quick changes or tremolo with the low b and d flat note...on my left hand I have to roll my pinkie finger fast forward and backwards over the rollers. Everytime I try that..there's a short C in between. Is it even possible to do it fast? Or maybe there's a trick. Greetings from germany

Hi Doc! Just looking for some novice advice. Working on all major scales from your workbook and exercise zer0, so using Boston Sax #2 on Selmer C*, which is sounding better and better. Tried my Selmer C** today and was surprised I could play it. Is it beneficial to start practicing on the C** with the wider tip opening or stick to basics with C* ?

I take it that you are a doctorate musicologist . I have searched most or perhaps all of your videos on the production of subtone on tenor but have not found any. Do you in fact have a video specifically devoted to this technique with specific references to type of mouthpiece with its various parameters , type and hardness of reed, details related to embouchure and all other aspects that must be considered with the production of the subtone. If you do have such a video please give me the link . Thank you.

How important is mouthpiece in making sure your embouchure is correct? Being a beginner I have a 4c. Does your mouth size, teeth positioning (Anatomy) contribute to different mouthpieces etc? Thanks Dr

Hello. I have not played classical saxophone in 40 years. the low Bb does not speak but jumps to the first harmonic. I have a Selmer mark 6 tenor with a Selmer C* and a Vandoren 2.5 reed. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you for all your free lessons Dr. Wally! When I play low Bb, middle Bb comes out first. Sometimes just for a millisecond, but it always does, no matter how I change my embouchure. When I play low Bb following another note there is no problem. Any suggestions?

I find it beneficial to not just focus on Bb flat. I used to practice low Bb flat like half an hour a day and then I realised I couldn't apply my progress to low B somehow. Actually, I feel like in terms of articulation - at least on my horn - low B is better for measuring your deficiencies because it'll overblow easier. Great video and helpful reminder!

Beginner... I’m doing the jumps up to high D but above that it comes out as a bunch of lower harmonies. Any suggestions or is it just more practice?