Saxophone Lesson #1

[saxman113896]

having puffed cheeks isn't necessarily bad. Some people such as lee konitz, and Don Menza will play with stretched cheeks. There are also a lot of embouchures that players play with. The best thing I could recommend when trying to develop an embouchure is to look at videos of saxophonists playing. pay attention to their embouchure and what they're doing with their throat. That is definitely going to point you in the right direction.

[pojopaladin101]

it wont stretch your cheeks unless you are doing something, very, VERY wrong.

[Katsuro1993]

I still don't have any idea how to make the sound "higher" than standard sound when I blow. Can anyone tell me how to do that?

[thegoldengolem549]

0.0

[marquosch]

hey i have just one question, since i dont play saxo but would like to start:

is it true that playing saxo may "stretch" your cheeks, like making your face look bigger?

[1998timcop]

@marquosch

Ummm, no. hahaha where did you hear that? Maybe trumpet, because thats much different to sax, but no, it doesn't stretch ur cheeks.

[toughcookieftw]

@marquosch no its not true, i've been playing sax for 5 years

[MASTERCHIEF2434]

My band teacher says to blow in cold air and not warm like fogging up a mirror... wtf..

[bartlettmusicacademy]

@MASTERCHIEF2434 . .. .I recommend purchasing Larry Teal's Art of Saxophone Playing and Dave Liebman Book on Finding your own personal sound on Saxophone. This is guy is starting folks off with a basic approach. He did not go to in depth, which must not have been his objective in the lesson. However, if you do your research amongst professional players who have printed material like I mentioned above you will find Warm air is accurate.The need for a relaxed open throat is essential to good tone

[waterbomb22]

Thanks! I am a clarinet player learning to play the Tenor for Jazz and Marching band. I was having trouble with getting the lower notes since I have such a tight ombreshure. <-spelled that wrong, didn't I? Any ways, thanks a lot!!! I will try this next time I have jazz.

[Fluffyninjacake]

Lol in band class i do this when im putting up my sax everyone jumps LOL

[PianistsAnonymous]

@Fluffyninjacake One time at band camp... :P

[aj4648]

thanks that helped im a beginner i have to learn for my school well thanks

[Clydemontreal]

Very helpful for beginner as me! Thanks! :-)

[KurtMichaels31]

Thanks! Its been 10 years since I picked up my sax, and I am thankful for the lesson- I forgot how to use the mouthpeice!

[BluesSaxophone]

Great!



[octavioa2]

Thankyou for the video! it helped me alot :)

[paraguayrules]

Cut the bullshit, teach me Careless Whisper.

[datmpham]

@paraguayrules you are man shit !!

[astralwalk]

@paraguayrules well said

[thegodfather395]

Epic sax guy is better.. LoL

[datmpham]

@thegodfather395 you are another piece of man shit !! :-)

[thegodfather395]

@datmpham Lol? chill out ಠ___ಠ



[SharonMAPerformances]

my friend paul thinks you have man boobs. well at least you can play sax amirite!!!

[CivilianRapzter]

i cant get the sond.eveythng i get is air :(

[juliealice1]

Okay, I'm borrowing my band teacher's saxophone, and I can't get ANY good sounds out of it. AND I also can't find any youtube videos that teach me how to make good noises.

[ilharoo]

tha´s a great lesson

[klasse2bub]

Do u acctuly have tooths under the reed? I cant seem to get sound in mine :( Im kinda depressed by it ;p

[moonlightshadow8503]

@klasse2bub i had some troubles too, you need to wrap your gums on top of your lower set of teeth so that it forms a cushion and then use that cushion to let the mouthpiece sit on it and when you go to blow your mouth will close a little and that will allow the sound to come out the mouthpiece (thats about the best way i can explain it at least thats how it seems to me)

[Holycrap27]

the mouthpiece alone sounds cute

[11223311]

AH!!!! I tried!

I just bought a sax ytd :)

This for putting on this video.

It works! But it's so loud it scares me...

[UpcomingJedi]

So, tell me....Do you change the pitch at the mouthpeice when you change notes like on a brass horn or does it work like a flute where you just blow and changing the length changes the tone? Can you demonstrate the mouth peice on the sax while you change the blown tone while not changing the open position of the keys?

[andreacrazy285]

@UpcomingJedi It just works where however your fingers are the notes will always be the same. Blowing differently should not change the note unless you are blowing less r more air for the loudness to change. So it does not work like a brass horn because of that. Each note has a different fingering.

[Lazzi41]

Hi, could you please tell me type of tuner, you used in this video? Thank you

[chinesename]

i used to play the clarinet.. and that line about the difference in technique really helped a lot. thanks!!

[warriors1029]

1:28 i HATE THE CLARENET at my school they sqeek too much

[relyn69]

Just the tip

[virdafjell]

I love it how he spelt TONNES wrong.

[GrowlinWillie]

I had the mouthpiece in upside down. It seems to work better right side up. I just got a sax and I want to learn to play it.

[Mr9111950]

this man is an excellent teacher.....me thinks.!

[DansonHonda]

I'm a clarinet player that plays alto sax for jazz band :)

[Karissa7898]

where do you put your reed

[suprnovatk]

"Put it in about half an inch" Thats what she said!

[Johnnyboybravo]

I don't get how to get that middle sound lol how do you know if your too high or too low of a pitch.

[confoozled3737]

@Johnnyboybravo Use a tuner or some other sort of pitch reference.

[KrayzayKilla187]

@Johnnyboybravo you will have to hit an A on a piano... or some guitar tuners have a mic which will also tell you if your at A.... when you are more experienced you will just know!

[MissMoonlight1994]

SCREAAK :D so funny ^^ recently I did what he does and I frightened so hard when suddenly a tone came out :D

[merlinos95]

1:24 We all thought he was going to blow....He fooled us all

[Jazzman555]

when i play on the mouthpiece (vandoren A25) the note is a C below that A and i cant reach that top note at all. Any tips ?

[JohnWesleyBarker]

Not a suitable embouchure for the Larry Teal octave key tremelo.

[dacandy]

I have no excuse to ignore my saxophone, because the lessons are free.

[KonguAwesome]

Is that an Eb sax?

[FantomOfFear]

I've been playing alto sax for four years and I recently realized that my embouchure might be wrong, no one has ever pointed this out to me.. My bottome lip is completely tucked in and my teeth go up into it and it hurts when I play for a long time. Am i doing it wrong?!?

[jbluna2]

@FantomOfFear try not to put your lip back so much and the hurting is supposed to happen your mouth its natural but either way make sure your not biting the mouthpiece or clenching to tight

[saxoforte]

Hello!

Greetings from Milo

milo-saxophon.de

[xyasuminax]

is the Saxophone hard to play

[radasmyworld]

OK if this couldnt get boring enough....... 

[Wafelwaffel]

@radasmyworld

double post :P

[radasmyworld]

OK if this couldnt get boring enough....... 

[raffaelesax]

ma xke vi ostinate a fare ste lezioni su youtube??? nn servono a nnte...nemmeno a far diventare una persona un saxofonista di 4 soldi

[cp49907]

im going to be playing the sax in the middle school band next year

[cbarnes94]

the correct vowel is not o, it is f. there should not be any pressure from the bottom lip

[Bugside]

I'm thinking of ordering a bamboo sax, i.e. a flute with a sax mouthpiece.

Is it too hard to play? In a sax you don't jus blow, you must develop hearing to keep it in tune while playing right? Is it hard?

[InBy9OutBy5]

nateo5, I agree. Most lessons about embouchure are bad, including this one, except that it is good to play on just the mouthpiece and get a good feel for it. Check out Jerry Bergonzi's lesson right here on Youtube about the no-embouchure embouchure. He's got it right.

[BlackShinigami999]

wow......just wow

[HaloVideosHQ]

ty very much

[nateo5]

this cats too tight...you should be able to play a whole octave on the mothpiece i can get down to middle c up to C# above a 440

loosen up

[swid441]

The intent of the video is NOT to show the total range of the mouthpiece pitch.

[copy200]

@nateo5 dude thats preatty hard to do tho

[zivmeiri]

laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[MissJulieLovesMusic]

Gah. But I am a clarinet player on a saxophone!

[overthekhyber]

1/2 inch.... hmm...

[Sunyveil]

good stuff!

[MsGAMEADDICT]

I know a site where pro saxes cost 500 to 1000.... 50% off

[MetalHybrid]

Hi im interested in playing the tenor sax, i very much like the song "I still Believe" the song from the movie THE LOST BOYS, is that song hard on tenor sax ? thanks!

[Peter5000Films]

Concert A would be a good place to play a sax, but it really depends on your tune. If you are constantly sharp on a note, you move your lip down, to be sure you are always in tune.

[stevotanner]

1:58  hahaha

[nickmonkey22]

depends wat kind of sax a used alto is around 300 to 800 while pro ones cost around 1000 to 5000

[kylieekhaos]

:(

jerks.

 stop makiing pervy jokes about the saxophone.

[crazyCyrus111]

hehe

[MusicHero62]

lol

[crayyawn]

@vmarshall51 too easy haha.

[copy200]

@vmarshall51 lol

[Wafelwaffel]

@vmarshall51

ghehe

[riqyl32]

@vmarshall51 very clever

[COOLRODDUDEpsrussian]

@vmarshall51 i knew someone would comment about that lmao

[PortugeMafia12]

a saxaphone costs over 1200 - 1900 dollars

[wtfman013]

more like 1200-5,000

[Driger413]

How much does a saxaphone cost ?????????

[dhrvchaudhari]

thanks so much

[Darinstal]

Hey he's my music teacher =D

[MyManDan]

0:47 "maintaining the sound of OOOOoooooooooooooooo..........­.." creepy fuckin moment haha

[drummingkid150]

hahahahahah.

then he says...i like to put it in about a half and inch

[The1kevino]

I thought bars were pretty good places to play the sax!

[savioroftehuniverse]

is the mouthpiece is supposed to be A on a Baritone?

[beaver2009]

i wanna bang his beaver

[jaslynnnt]

warm airstream or cold airstream?

[Geoff]

whats that device called?? my music teacher had one of those, forgot its name...and I need one

[BioHunta]

That is a tuner, you can get them at any music store for pretty cheap. Depending on the instrument, you usually want to tune to a concert Bb for wind, and concert A for orchestral...Usually

[marshanmanhunter]

concert F is usually for a band setting. concert Bb is for winds in the full orchestra setting. but the strings only tune to A. it varies from different settings.

[lacrossecrazy77]

your bottom lip should not be touching your teeth because you will just get a line on your lips. if your lip is touching your teeth you will get a clasical sound. If you put the inside of your lip on the reed you will get a more raw sound for playing jazz.

[cleff01]

thank you so much!

[xxzippedxx]

thank you that helped loads :)

[gagiandjeo]

5 *****

gagi

[mrkandyman1911]

NO wonder... I'm a ex-clairnetist and I play with a clarinet EMBOUCHURE.. no wonder why I suck at vibrato

[nusua]

same here, mrkandyman

[marshanmanhunter]

embouchure has nothing to do with vibrato. vibrato comes from your air stream when you push more air or slow it down a litlle, taking turns rapidly between the two.

[SaxophoneProductions]

that is only on the flute, bassoon, and a few other instruments. on the saxophone you shift the jaw and curl the lips under the reed

[flamezofury]

im learning the saxophone in a junior band and ur vids really helped so thanks dude

[jaimegmc]

Great Info!!!!

[GamerDrifter]

'A sax player playing the clarinet'?

Is that an insult?!

I'm a clarinet playing playing the sax!!!

[ecir]

I think you know very little about wood instruments and the sax origin...

[ecir]

I think you know very little about wood instruments and the sax origin...

[drfeelgood883]

It's not an insult, he's just saying that the sound that comes out of a saxophone, when played with a thin air stream, sounds similar to a clarinet.

[xingfan1227]

i think he meant to say "a clarinet player playing the saxophone".

lol idk. but usually a saxophone player cannot just pick up a clarinet and play like a clarinet player plays the saxophone.

[milkandcookies1239]

i play clarinet in a middle school saxaphone class. yes, i am a student. my band director showed us this video today during band.

[poopoop121212]

Thanks for the tip!

[jedenlitr]

is he Polish??

his surname sounds like polish :)

respect than :)

[renewong32]

what instrument should learn before learning the saxophone would be better? because my music teacher told me to learn something else first before the saxophone but i forgot what is it . could someone please tell me what is it ??? thx

[andriesu]

Depends on your age ...small children usially start with block flute...I was flutist and at 22 age started with soprano..and it's very hard for me...I mentioned that best sax players are clarnet players....

[xXDaN1213Xx]

clarinet... however when i picked up the sax i got it in like a week or 2 you just have to keep practicing!

[thehushkat]

Well.... It's kinda weird. Flute has almost the same fingerings as the saxophone, but clarinet is closer when about embouchure.

I played recorder in 3rd grade before saxophone in 4th grade. It doesn't really matter - you can just jump into it. :]

[M4R10X15]

start with guitar or piano :D hehe lol

start with a flute, then try an ocarina or a clarinet...

[bleedingrasberry]

what do you think the best begginers band instrument would be?

[andriesu]

For beginning Alto is most easy..

[thehushkat]

Alto is the easiest.

But it's great to spread out with clarinet, trumpet and french horn! :D

[ArchieWW]

This is the best Saxophone Embouchure lesson I've seen on YouTube - very well explained. Thank you - and greetings from Scotland!

[lonelywan]

I've been playing sax off and on for about 10 years. Though I never took a lesson, I thought I was getting pretty good.

That's until I put up a video at youtube (see "Exception to the Gruel" at my youtube page. Everyone says I suck. I think I just need a better back-up band but, what do think?

[walterppk1989]

you suck.

[goto5612]

Hi Pete, really great lesson

[catchthatfish]

tnx for the lesson

[kUSHGUITAR]

Hello Sir,

Thanks for the lesson. Will there be more lessons in future ?

[swid441]

This video is not suggesting a constricted throat. I'm pointing out the differences between sax and clarinet embouchure and air. Cold air is a function or oral cavity NOT throat constriction.

[swid441]

This video is not suggesting a constricted throat. I'm pointing out the differences between sax and clarinet embouchure and air. Cold air is a function or oral cavity NOT throat constriction.

[swid441]

This video is not suggesting a constricted throat. I'm pointing out the differences between sax and clarinet embouchure and air. Cold air is a function or oral cavity NOT throat constriction.

[piggyfish]

No self-respecting clarinetist would even THINK about playing with a constricted throat. Sheesh.

[swid441]

Try firming up around the corners. A slightly cooler air stream will help too. The concert A is for ALTO only.

[jdsowa]

using the just the mouthpiece, I can't hit the A. Can only just barely get to the G below. Any advice?

[ndfootballch]

pull in the corners (think an AH mouth, or think about inhaling an OH)

Also, think about opening your throat-- imagine yawning

[swid441]

If you are at the G below, just firm up the embouchure slightly. Most people have the opposite problem of being too high on the mouthpiece.

[sacredgeometry]

@swid441 odd i have the same issue