How can I get a better sound out of my old alto sax?

Question

How can I get a better sound out of my old alto sax?

Answer 1

Get a new mouthpeice or really good reads and maybe send it to an EXPERIENCED repair man. Something may be wrong with it and you dont know.... Good luck!!!!!

Answer 2

With this I am assuming that you have the horn in good repair, ie no leaks or mechanical problems.

Reeds are tricky. If you get a good one, it is a good day, if you don't then that is not as uncommon as you think. Some reeds play very stuffy and sound like c**p. Unfortunatly that is part of the game of playing a woodwind.

Mouthpieces do make a difference but you have to work out your fundamental tone before you can claim to know one mouthpiece sounds that much better for you. Don't start here until you get going, but don't think you can stay on a low end mouthpiece forever.

Longtones are boring but they are the best thing that you can do for a good sound. Build up a good embouchure and endurance and you will be on your way. Hold a single note, say a middle b, because there is less resistance. Play it until is sounds as you want it to. Increase or decrease flow of air, but always use plenty of support. Air Support is 90% of your tone, believe it or not. Play notes up and down the horn like this. Then play soft as you can and loud as you can within a good sound. Over playing or under playing is worthless as a regular practice.

Listen to those musicians you wish to sound like. If you want to jazz then listen to jazz. I deeply love classical music, and I listen to it. Try and imitate their tones and sounds, not their skills, you can build these with more time.

If your horn is descent it is a good tool to learn on. It takes a lot of work to learn, but in the end your self satisfaction is really what drives it. I have been playing for almost 10 years and will earn a degree in Sax Performance from CSU in December. I encourage you to take private lessons and be patient, it will come, and the more you know, the more fun it gets!

Good Luck

Answer 3

The problem probably is in between the chair and sax.

No, just joking.

It all starts with the mouthpiece and the reed, make sure those are all good.