The problem is it is hard to subtone on high notes!! This technique is hard to explain, but involves a very soft embouchure, with the bottom lip pushed very slightly forward, and a moist reed. In fact, if you can easily get down to those low notes, you are probably subtoning!! Store this embouchure for future use, as it is a lovely sound. I think I could always get to top D without much trouble, but it is only now after nearly a year that I can get to top f# without "playing up to it" and that is still tough when my mouth is tired.īTW, The idea is to be able to play every note without altering your embouchure at all, so if you have to tighten to player in the upper register, then this is your embouchure!! In reality though, I think we all tighten a touch I certainly do because I like a fuller tone on the lower notes (this is call subtone, and might be what you are doing without even realizing it!) So, as long as you are not "biting" dont be alarmed if your mouth aches at first. It takes a long time to build up those (until now) underused muscles.īoth of the teachers I have had get sore lips after prolongued playing, my current teacher had a terrible mouth after a workshop weekend (5 hours a day playing) and he has been playing and teaching for 30 years! Now, no-one told me this either: but initially playing the sax can be tiring on the mouth. This means drawing in your mouth like an elastic band, as hard as you can. The basic idea is not to let any air escape from around the mouthpiece.
I think you have answered your own question, to a degree, and Mr Teal's advice is pretty sound, although some people here suggest a different embouchure, his still works OK We didn't touch the high notes with him as a study material though but he played the whole range of the sax.Īs I mentioned in my another post I yesterday tried #1.5 Vandoren reed that came with my sax kit and it was really much much easier to blow than #3 but it didn't help to produce the higher notes easier, only the low notes wich is the subject of my other post.Ĭongratulations on taking up the alto, you have made a good choice. The sax was checked by my teacher before he went on vacation. My equipment: Trevor James Classic alto with stock mouthpiece and #3 Vandoren reeds. It sounds to me like those beginners with 'low notes' troubles get high notes naturally while the opposite troubles me. I've read lots of stuff on sax tone production including Larry Teal's 'Art.' book and watched some instructional videos like Walter Beasly's 'Tone.' but I don't remember that I noticed any emphasis on the tight embouchure for high notes. I saw some posts where it was mentioned that higher notes require tighter emouchure but I haven't seen a single post where it was really stressed. I probably tense up as well as those notes look really difficult for me. I have to blow hard as well, I don't know why as I do it intuitively. As a result I can play those high notes at the edge of my physical abilities. I can play relatively smoothly up to C# but when I hit the octave key with D fingering to produce the second octave D there is no change in pitch from the lower octave D unless I squeeze the mouthpiece really hard as I perceive it. I have problems with notes that engage the octave key. I have no troubles with low notes on my alto starting at low Bb up to C# open. To do that, tell the resampler that you want to convert from 52.4 kHz to 44.1 kHz.I 've found many posts in which beginners complain about low notes. So instead of playing that sample at 44.1 kHz, it must be played at 44.1 kHz × 1.19 ≈ 52.4 kHz.Īssuming that your output device still runs at 44.1 kHz, you have to resample that note sample. In other words, it should be sped up by a factor of 587.33/493.88 ≈ 1.19. Then, with the actual and desired frequencies, you know the ratio by which the speed of the sample must be changed.įor example, if you have a 44.1 kHz sample of a note played at B4, and if you get a MIDI event that wants to play a note at D5, then the sample's note frequency is 493.88 Hz, while it should be played so that the note's frequency is at 587.33 Hz. Use a formula from Note names, MIDI numbers and frequencies to compute both frequencies: f = 440Hz * 2^((m−69)/12) You have to play back the sample at a different rate so that its pitch is correct.īoth the sample and the MIDI event have a note.
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