SAXOPHONE SOUND & TONE EXERCISES

EXERCISES FOR TONE & SOUND

Most saxophone players aim for a sound that is either what is accepted as a good sound for a particular style, or else a unique and personal sound, sometimes with a combination of the two. Assuming that you have the right instrument and mouthpiece for the sound you are aiming for, the most important part of developing a good tone is to practice long notes. This sounds very boring, but it will pay off whether you are after a particular sound.

In all the following exercises the sound should be started and stopped by the tip of the tongue on the tip if the reed, the throat should be open (as if yawning) so that there is always air pressure in the mouth and throat (see Diaphragm Breathing. When the tongue is released from the reed you should imagine a clean start to the note, as if singing either a "tu" or "du". When the note is stopped with the tongue, it should be a clean precise stop. Neither the start nor end should be louder or quieter than the rest of the note. Imagine the sound as a long straight horizontal cylinder with a vertical disc at the beginning and end

Tone exercises are not the most exciting things to play, and it's important that you concentrate on the sound you are making, so it's a good idea to take a break or practice something else once your mind starts wandering.

• Basic Long Notes

  Try to keep the note as straight and steady as possible, no wobbles, hiccups or vibrato. Use a keyboard or tuner to check intonation if you like.

  1. Play a B (1st finger left hand lower register) and hold as long as possible without losing the note or getting out of breath
  2. Repeat on the next note down chromatically until you get to low Bb (or the lowest note you have learnt)
  3. Go back to the B and repeat the process up to top F (or the highest note you have learnt), or higher if to practice altissimo.

  If you have not yet learnt all the fingerings for the chromatic scale you can use a major or minor scale. If you don't have enough time on your practice session you can use a whole tone scale, in which case the next time you practice start on a Bb.

• Long Notes with dynamics

  This is the same as above except that the notes start quietly, get loud, and then quietly, or else you can start loud, get quiet, then loud again. use a slow count to make sure that the crescendo and decrescendo are evenif you like.

  It's important to concentrate on the tuning, there is a tendency to blow flat as you get louder.

• Legato (Soft) Tonguing

  The aim of this exercise is to be able to tongue a series of notes so that each note flows smoothly into the next with no gap or accent. You should imaginge the start of the note as du rather than tu.

  1. Start on a B as with basic long notes
  2. Tongue the note repeatedly at a tempo that allows you to play an even tempo
  3. Imagine this as one long note (remember the cylinder) but with very light almost imperceptible articulation du-du-du-du-du-du-du-du-etc

  Although this is a series of single notes, it's useful to think of it as one long note that is very lightly punctuated by the tonguing:

  

  Each day set the metronome slightly faster, but never so fast that the you cannot maintain an even tempo. Apply this tonguing to scales and other exercises.