Sax Lesson 16: Long Tones

This is one way to practice long tones that I have found very helpful and have modified it slightly over the years. This can be practiced on most instruments with a little variation.

This long tone exercise in practiced in 3 parts, I'll explain each part in some detail.

Keep in mind, this exercise will sound ugly to practice, but it will definitely help you develop a better sound and better habits (relaxing and listening).

1. Take a deep in-breath: Use a diaphragmatic breath. Sometimes expelling all the air first and then relaxing to let the breath in will work too.

2. Gently hold your breath without closing your throat and relax and listen actively. Relax any way you can, mentally scan your body for any tension and try to physically release it. Listening actively is the hardest part of this exercise. You can easily forget to do it and loose the what I consider to be the most important part of long tones; the ability to fully listen one pointedly, without thought, to the sounds that are reaching your ears. With practice it should be obvious when you're really listening actively and when you're not...

3. Breath out and play your long tone on any note but play the note flat. By playing the note flat you will strengthen the muscles on the sides of the embouchure which help open the sound and let the reed vibrate freely. This will also allow you more pitch and timbre flexibility over time.

That's all there is to it, just repeat this for 20 minutes to an hour each day (or as long as you can) and within about a week you should notice that you're actually playing differently on the bandstand; listening more, leaving more space, staying more relaxed and in general, becoming more involved in the sound of the music.

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[MattOttoJazz]

@ToliKwoli I recommend learning to sing everything you're trying to play, especially if you ever hope to play it fast and still maintain an honest connection to the idea. If you sing the phrase you're working on you will gain a real understanding of what it sounds like, once you hear in clearly in your mind, like your voice, you'll be well on your way to playing it fluently on your instrument.

[ToliKwoli]

Thanks for responding!! I have one more question: I am trying to become fluent in my playing but I have a hard time playing phrases fast and fluently even after I've learned them.... How do I fix this problem?

[MattOttoJazz]

@ToliKwoli Thanks for the comment, I'm glad you enjoy the blog lessons. When I say 'active listening', I just mean listen to the sounds that your ears hear. Imagine someone has asked you, "what do you hear right now?". Just listen to whatever sounds your ear picks up that moment, than relax and play your long tone.

[ToliKwoli]

@mattotto I just want to say that you are amazing!! I like how u encourage to play subconsciously and in relaxed states which currently I'm learning...... But I'll get it... I actually have a question: while we actively listen, what are we listening for? Are we listening for the note that we use to play the long tone?

[MattOttoJazz]

@Beeflat79 You play the long tones flat for two reasons. One is to help develop the muscles in the embouchure that are responsible for opening up the sound and changing timbre - which will also help you avoid a nasal/pinched/small tone or sound. The second is to help gain control of your ability to adjust the pitch, in general, there is more room for adjustment playing flat than playing sharp, but, it is more difficult to maintain a stable tone while holding the note flat.

[Beeflat79]

Thank you for the lessons Matt, Great site! i have a question about this lesson... why do we play the long tone flattened?