Saxophone 101/411

December 21, 2007 4:24 PM

My Sis gave me her sax a while back and I have a few hours to fool with it. That leads me to 3 questions.

1. Does the reed go on my upper or lower lip?

2. What is the easiest note or finger configuration to start with? (I know I should do some research and actually learn something, but sadly don't have time.) I just want to have some fun for now.

3. Is it possible to mute this with a rag or some household object?

Thanks in advance. Any advice on the super-basics is appreciated. Sorry if this is stupid, but I have a feeling someone might be able to give me a little jump start with this.

posted by snsranch to media & arts (14 answers total)

The reed goes on your lower lip. Keep your lower lip tensed and pulled inward, like an old man with no teeth, otherwise you will honk like a goose with a megaphone. Controlling this pressure ultimately allows the saxophonist to vary his or her tone and dynamic level in various ways, but don't worry about that for now. Keep your teeth lightly on the top of the mouthpiece.

On the top row of buttons (played with the left hand) you'll find that the first button pushes down the second. If you only play that second button, that's C. The first button, that presses down both, is B. Holding the next along with these gives you A, then G. Continuing downwards (assuming you are holding all previous buttons) you get F, E, D, and then finally low C if you use your right pinky to hold down the top button of two that seem to make up a circle and reside maybe an inch or two below the normal right hand button bank. There's a bat-wing looking button right by your left thumb that makes playing up an octave a good bit easier, so now you have the C scale through two octaves.

The saxophone doesn't respond well to muting, but your best bet (I believe) is to put some type of cloth in the bell of the horn.

Have fun! It's a fascinating little piece of work.
posted by invitapriore at 4:36 PM on December 21, 2007

For playing low C, I meant the bottom of those two circle buttons. Sorry.
posted by invitapriore at 4:38 PM on December 21, 2007

1) The reed goes facing downwards, i.e. on your bottom lip.

2) Check out a fingering chart. Assuming this is an alto, you probably want to start between G and C (without the octave key).

3) A lot of the sound of the sax comes out the keys, so stuffing things in the horn isn't going to help very much with volume reduction. It will also tend to throw some notes out of tune, which will frustrate you. It'll also make the horn harder to play, because you'll need more air pressure.

But really, if you have no idea how a sax is played, you are going to benefit immensely from at least a few lessons to get you on your feet. I can't imagine trying to figure out how to get any sort of reasonably musical sound out of a sax without some direct instruction. How your lips and tongue interact with the reed and mouthpiece properly is not very intuitive. You'll also want to invest in a basic book to give you something easy to play.
posted by ssg at 4:38 PM on December 21, 2007

What the above people said, except (and this is just my own personal pref) -- don't really "tense" your lower lip too much ... it should be a little loose.

and

MAKE SURE THE REED IS SOPPING, SOAKING, DRENCHING WET (caps on purpose) or you will make noises like an ice pick being driven between your eyes. Seasoned players can get by with dryer reeds but you want yours soaked. Hot water for 15/20 mins should do it, and suck on the butt end while it's in the water to draw water up through it.

Don't bother with really high or low notes for a while, you won't get 'em. Just screw around mid-register and have fun.
posted by Camofrog at 4:44 PM on December 21, 2007 [1 favorite]

You know how you purse your lips inward when you put on chapstick? Put your lips over the mouthpiece like that, so the reed touches the edge of your lower lip. Blow from your gut to make noise (as opposed to blowing with your lungs, as you do when you whistle). The vibration of the reed might be a little ticklish for a while, but you'll get used to it.
posted by phatkitten at 4:47 PM on December 21, 2007

Also: the tip of the mouthpiece should be just visible behind the tip of the reed when looking at the mouthpiece from the reed side ... placement makes a huge difference. If you can't get a solid tone, adjust here first.
posted by Camofrog at 4:47 PM on December 21, 2007

Thanks to you folks! I thought this was maybe a foolish or impossible endeavor, but after reading your advice I've been able hit three different notes without squeaking! w00t! You guys rock.
posted by snsranch at 5:08 PM on December 21, 2007

One more tip from a saxophone teacher...watch some youtube vids of pro sax players. Then, when you practice, look into a mirror and try and make your mouth look just like that. It's a poor substitute for having someone there to show you, but it's a start.
posted by rjacobs at 5:21 PM on December 21, 2007

You know how you purse your lips inward when you put on chapstick? Put your lips over the mouthpiece like that, so the reed touches the edge of your lower lip.

Em, you only want to do that with your lower lip. Your teeth should gently press the mouthpiece on top.
posted by Camofrog at 5:37 PM on December 21, 2007

And don't puff your cheeks. That's noob.
posted by Camofrog at 5:42 PM on December 21, 2007 [1 favorite]

Em, you only want to do that with your lower lip. Your teeth should gently press the mouthpiece on top.

Ack, left out that part! Sorry. My sax has been a few hundred miles away for a few years now, and some details escape me. (Like how to play actual notes.)
posted by phatkitten at 5:56 PM on December 21, 2007

This link is a saxophone fingering chart that will show you the various combinations of where to put your fingers (fingerings) to get different notes on a saxophone. To get a slight amount of instant gratification, I would start with the second row because they are easier for beginners to play.

That said, you might want to realize that the more you play the better you will become. Don't judge your ability as a musician by your first week or month with an instrument. If you commit to putting in some time, you can really become pretty good at this. However, the process would be a lot easier if you had a tutor. You can usually find one by asking at a local music store, where a lot of these guys leave their contact information, etc... Best of luck playing what I consider to be the coolest instrument in the world.
posted by boots77 at 3:14 AM on December 22, 2007

my opinion: the sax is the easiest wind instrument to master. concentrate on getting a solid embrochure, then focus on fingering. don't stick anything in the bell because the sound comes out the finger holes. work your scales and master your fingering chart. youre too young in your career to worry about lessons. ok, get 1 lesson to get on track.
posted by Davaal at 3:16 AM on December 22, 2007

Also be careful not to bite the inside of your lower lip while you are playing. I had a sax teacher once who always got angry at his students when they would "bite" (because a) it screws up your tuning, and b) your lips are the doing the real magic) and he would take out his set of dentures and scream at them with no teeth in his head about how "you don't need teeth to play the saxophone!" And then he'd play something amazing and show them that you really don't need teeth to play the saxophone. So be careful with that.

Any word on what brand/model sax you inherited? Just be careful, because there are some really valuable ones out there that you will want to take good care of and have professionally maintained. I inherited a sax in middle school that turned out to be a Selmer Mark VI - considered the best sax that the Selmer company makes.

Also check to make sure that when you press all the buttons down that they actually close. If the buttons or keys are bent at all, you'll want to get those fixed. Leaks will only make it harder to play the sax (or impossible, depending on where they are and how strong you are).

Run down to your local music store and buy a beginner sax book. It will teach you the fundamentals of reading music, and a few very easy songs. If you can figure out a fingering chart on your own, then you can learn to play "Lightly Row," "Hot Cross Buns" and "Ode to Joy."

Good Luck!
posted by greekphilosophy at 6:32 AM on December 24, 2007