Making a sound on the sax

One of the first interactions that I will have with a new client (after making them a cup of tea, of course) is to describe to them how to produce a sound out of the mouthpiece of a saxophone. The way that I do this is by detaching the neck from the body of the sax and, with the mouthpiece on the neck, I go through the necessary steps to make a sound. This includes curling your lower lip over your bottom teeth and then placing the mouthpiece in your mouth with the reed facing the floor and resting on the lower lip. Then the two front teeth rest on the top of the mouthpiece. Now, this can feel very unusual or uncomfortable to someone if they've never done it before, and I often have to check that they are indeed making contact with the top of the reed with their teeth, as this is essential for creating support for the mouthpiece.

The next thing that I do is to point out that there is a small gap between the tip of the mouthpiece and the tip of the reed. I demonstrate taking a deep breath, and with the mouthpiece in my mouth as described, just pushing some air through that gap. At this stage, I'm not aiming to make a sound but just a hissing noise. Once they're able to do this comfortably, I demonstrate how to do exactly the same thing but gradually increase the pressure of your lower lip, which pushes the reed into the airflow, and the reed will start to vibrate. This is why it's essential to have your two front teeth on the top of the mouthpiece because the lower lip needs something solid to push against. If the teeth aren't on the top clamping the mouthpiece down, then the lower lip will just push the mouthpiece assembly up, and you won't get a sound.

I also point out to them that the kind of sound that we're looking for is a long, even and straight sound rather than a sound fluctuating up and down and changing in volume. Most people that I teach are able to get the hang of this after just a few minutes.

One of the interesting things about saxophones is that the sound is produced by a lot of organic things coming together, such as muscle, saliva, breath, wood, and metal.

Personally I think this is part of the reason why we love the saxophone so much, it's because it sounds so natural and organic, it sounds like a voice and in way it is.

The sax is not like a piano where sound is produced by mechanical means, and because the piano is so mechanical, the sound it produces is consistent and predictable. The saxophone just isn't like that, and no two notes are ever truly the same. It only takes a few minutes to learn how to produce sound on a saxophone, and anyone who plays the saxophone will continue to develop, strengthen, and perfect their sound for the rest of the time that they play this beautiful instrument. https://youtu.be/a2NHau_8oOA

(My son Charlie)

Lynden