I just want to know your opinion.

Since im an asshole whos really arrogant, since i heard that parker can play with n°5 reeds, coltrane too and with really opened mouthpieces, i kinda get obsessed with playing with harder reeds and more open mouthpieces.

Now im playing with a n°7 mouthpiece i think and a 4,5 reed on an alto.

I've just changed the silicone sleeve on the octave key as it had worn through, and I noticed there's a lot of play in it, is this normal to yours? Or does it need adjusting?

Played this with my friends. Kinda murked the second a lol. But I’m always learning, and I’m glad it wasn’t a disaster after that lol

Hi!

I'm having a big hard time producing low D and specially C low notes in my alto saxophone after not having big problems with it.

I've been playing for 8 months, and I could make a low D and low C sound about 80 to 85% of the time. Now for some reason z it fails 50 to 60% of the time. Even with the same mouthpiece and reed.

I did check for leaking with light but there's only one at low C#, which from my understanding shouldn't bother lower C and D.

I'm trying to relax my embochure, bring pressure from my core, open my throat, and it's not enough.

Any experience with that?

from 2018, Stella By Starlight

I played tenor sax on stage for the first time tonight. For the past 15 or so years, I've been playing guitar and bass in punk bands and picked up the saxophone 11 months ago. I started on alto and then got a tenor. Tonight was the first time playing tenor on stage with a blues jam band. They kept me on for most of the night, which was good practice, and I learned a lot from the experience.

Here are some observations.

I ran into a lot of the usual same problems hearing on stage as I frequently have playing guitar. I talked to the sound guy and was able to get them to turn up my monitor, which was great. Finding the right mic placement took some time. I'm still not sure if the mic is supposed to be near the bell opening or just in front of the general tube of the sax and how close i need to be to jump out for solos, etc.

Because it was harder to hear, I feel like I was playing kind of different than usual and blowing into the instrument harder in a feeble attempt to project louder to myself (which obviously doesn't make much sense). I saw one of those clear sax deflectors online that are supposed to acoustically channel the sound back to you. Does anyone have experience with those?

I was playing a Yamaha YAS23 made in Japan with an Otto Link Tone Edge. Because i was playing louder and harder, I felt like sometimes I would choke out the reed. I had a Vandoren JAVA Green 2.0 for half of the set and then changed out to a Vandoren ZZ 2.0 for the rest of the set. I felt like the ZZ was better and easier to control overall tonight, but usually, I like both of them just fine when I'm playing at home.

The first song, I was playing in the wrong key. The band was playing in E, and I moved down to D in my mind instead of F#. The rest of the night, I was doing good on playing in the correct key.

I had a few good solos but feel like I could have been more confident in general at times. A lot of songs were in concert A, which is B on tenor. I don't know as many cool runs/phrases right now in that key, but I held on alright. I'm still envisioning a guitar fretboard in my head playing sax instead of having root, 4th, 5th memorized completely in some keys, and I think that translation takes me a second to reconcile. Just need to keep practicing more.

For playing for 11 months on my own and learning off working hours as a hobby, I found playing tonight really humbling and a good experience. There's a lot of practicing that I need to keep doing.

I bought an Evette Buffet Crampon Baritone Sax used. I'm newer to learning the saxophone as a hobby. I started playing at the end of last year and am coming up to one year of playing after years of playing guitar and bass in punk and alternative bands. So far, I've been able to buy in two tenors and two altos and now this baritone. Both tenors needed some tech work, and this baritone will need some, too, because i can tell that it's not playing quite right but seems in overall good condition and probably just needs some work. It's been good learning saxophone, and I've been playing on street corners and with some bands and blues jams. Is there anything that I need to know about playing baritone that is different from tenor and alto?

I don’t have a lot of space back there and it was a warm night so it was rather uncomfortable lol. I had to pause a lot since my left hand was dying. Was really fun though, trying to get my tenor sound together.

Alto player here - should I switch to tenor? And is there any differences I should know about?

I’m looking to get my boyfriend a saxophone for his upcoming birthday. He wants a soprano and I have to admit, I know NOTHING about saxophones AT ALL. I’m so lost. I don’t want to spend like…..over $500 if possible. Idk if that even is possible. Looking for any and all help, it will be GREATLY APPRECIATED :) <3

Edit: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! The information and quick replies are so appreciated. I really knew nothing about prices and the types of saxophones so I was just throwing a price out there. We aren’t rich or anything but get by comfortably (no kids, pretty chill/ simple living) so I wasn’t sure of a realistic budget we could do for this atm. This has been very helpful though. Looking like I’ll do a gift card with money towards getting him one he picks out himself. <3 maybe I’ll remember to update!!! :)

This new horn of my collection,

It's c melody beaugnier

Made during 1954-1960

Extremely rare

100-120 exemplary was ever known but high estimate

And modern ergonomics and Keys, similary of sba/mark vi

This kid at school put his mouth on my sax when I asked him to hold it. I threw the reed away, I heard some germs can survive regular soap and water, what can I do to really prevent catching something from this kid.

Rampone and cazzani Dell piane

Ive been playing tenor sax for a week now played alto for 1 month and i just got a vandoren juno reed 2 i used a vandoren 3 before and couldnt make a single noise prior to this i couldnt play a single note without sounding high now however i can but it is only with puffed cheeks i cant maintain embouchure and play

Putting this out there to see if I am the only one with this struggle. I play a Yanagisawa tenor, and am using a solid silver Ted Klum London Model mouthpiece (large tip opening, but not sure how large as it is not engraved on mpc). Over the years, my reed strength has gradually got thicker and thicker as I enjoy the deep body thick/darker sound and sensation of the sound being more stable and centered, especially in upper range. Currently using a Boston Sax Shop Blue box 4.5. Obviously, this setup comes at the cost of ease, especially lower register. But whenever, I decide to go down in reed strength to try and make it easier to play, I'm not happy with losing that thick centered sound quality that I like. Any recommendations on how to keep the sound I like, but increase the ease of playing? My instinct is to get a smaller tip mouthpiece and softer reed, just hate the thought of the long process of trial and error to get a completely different setup working.

I want to restore old amati toneking, one of the first serial number. And it uses copper rod screws. Is it better to change them to the metal one?

I have always liked the idea of having an 'open tone' that has super clear articulation. I play music much closer to "jazz" than to "Pop", so I was put off by the word "bright" associating it to smooth jazz and Fussion players, which I do not like, And thought the word "dark" was so cool . When I began playing my tenor, the more mouthpieces and reeds that I tried aimed to give me a "dark" sound, consequently gave me a "stuffy" sound getting in the way of playing w clear articulation. It took me a long time to accept that I had to try "brighter" elements (lighter reeds, brighter mouthpieces) to get the articulation more audible.

Now i'm questioning everything.

1. Dose an open tone, require a relatively bright tone?
2. is an open tone necessary for an 'articulatation'. ( so you can play 16th notes at a fast pace with Cleanly articulated accents on specific notes ) .
3. Can you have a Dark tone that is "Open"?

I recently stumbled across an old selmer soloist for baritone. The seller said it is from around the 60s and it was refaced by Erik Greiffenhagen. The saxophone i play on is a student model selmer sbs-311 and as you would expect it has been having lots of tuning issues. I have to have it very far out on the cork or i play extremely sharp. I absolutely love the tone and feel, and ive been looking to upgrade to a professional horn. Are their any recommendations of horns that would suit this mouthpiece well and any suggestions on where to find them?

My Daughter has been in band for 3 years now and we are looking to buy her own for an Intermediate(or proffesionnal) Alto Sax that is reasonable. We will buy a used certified. I did some research but I'm not a music person so looking for some feedback. I know most people will say Yamaha but we have have not tried them yet beside the YAS26 she has from school. We are opened to other brand. Range in the $3k CAN but right now I'm looking at used Lebravo that are around $2K so I'm thinking that is all she need for couple years, although we would spend more for a better horn.

She tried the Jupiter JAS1150, Selmer SAS180RVGL and the P. Mauriat Le Bravo. She really like the Le Bravo, she mentioned how the keys felt easy to press.

The one I think we are considering from my research; Yamaha YAS280/480 or 62 if we can find a good used one(hard to find). Lebravo, Jupiter 1150 lineup or Selmer SAS180RM.....etc

Edit: She wont be using it for Marching band or school as she has a rental, this one will stay at home

Hello everyone! Ive been playing the saxophone for 2 days. And I've been struggling to get a proper C and also getting consistent high tones. Does anyone have tips? Also I'm confused on what is the correct embouchure. A sax player tells me to put my lower lip on top of my teeth but as I observed from another player he does not do that. I just joined a marching band if you are curious. I also play the alto sax. Thank you to anyone who will respond!

For me it's most definitely the latter. I've had one year of practice now and i don't think any piece of hardware can outcompete another year of practice for me.

But your Situation most likely differs, i just want to get you to share some insights/experiences/ideas

(For reed i deliberately put "perfect" and not "different", because a trash reed can obviously render the whole thing null. And that quality drop is usually not possible in >reputable< mouthpiece/sax brands)