Hi Jennifer, thanks, as you can tell my alto is out of tune, after almost four years of daily practice, I believe the neck is slightly bent, I can’t get it in tune anymore. Also notice I changed some of the notes in the song. I replaced the high D with a middle A, since the alto is out of tune those high D’s really sounded harsh. I also started adding Grace notes in to learn to play them.

@@thepugvilleexpress7556 I didn't think it sounded out of tune at all. I've actually been working on Grace notes too. Sometimes they are easy. Sometimes not so much. Can you get a new neck? I have a Warburton and love it. Made a huge difference in my tone, when I switched over to it. They make a song sound so much richer. I may have to change out the Altissimo notes in the version I'm working on, but I haven't figured out how to do that exactly. The high D is actually the highest note I've been able to play consistently and make it sound half decent with a natural reed, but it took me a little while to get to that point. If I used my metal mouthpiece and synthetic reed, I can hit the higher notes all day long, but I just don't like the way it sounds near as well.

@@jennifercook-sax I use a tuner app on my cell phone and a electronic tuner, I set them on the music stand while practicing, both are telling me the alto is flat. They both say the tenor is in tune. When putting the neck the horn over the past 4 years, it seems to have bent slightly. I first noticed I was trouble hitting the upper G, I made sure all the screws were tight and that nothing had moved out of place. I checked the movement of the October key and noticed it wasn’t centered. I adjusted it and was able to hit the upper G. I called the manufacture and explained the problem, after a series of questions and answer, they said it sounds like neck is out of shape. I will order from the manufacture to make sure it fits properly. Adding Grace notes can be tricky, It seems to make a difference if it’s added before or after the note. I try to limit to a half step for the grace note if possible, but no more than a full step staying in order, in Amazing Grace I added b flat after A, and E before middle B

@@thepugvilleexpress7556 The Warburton neck I have came with my Sax (otherwise, I couldn't have afforded it - they are expensive), but it is still a pretty tight fit. I worry about it getting bent at some point, but I try to be really careful with putting it on and taking it off. Grace notes sure can be tricky. I've only used them in a couple of pieces. That's only because I've been trying to play more advanced level pieces the last few months to challenge myself. I'm currently trying to learn how to do "falls" in addition to the Altissimo notes. Doing Baker Street recently forced me to learn Glissandos and Note Bending. That took me a long time. I still didn't perfect it, but at least I have the basics of it down now and can expand on it. I play with sheet music right now, but I am hoping one day to be able to at least play by ear. I admire you for being able to switch up notes like you are doing and still make it sound so great.

I like the synthetic’s by Legere, I use signature cut on the tenor and American cut alto, the one for the alto lasted a very long time before it split, probably more than two years of daily practice. I don’t like spending upwards of $30 a box for naturals and getting maybe two or three that are playable. The synthetics are consistent. The one I use for the tenor is going a year in service, no complaints for the $35 cost. They are a bit dark vs natural. To start hitting altissimo I would need to go to stiffer Reed. I like the hard rubber mouth pieces. I recently switched from a open big chamber medium to a Yamaha #3 for the tenor since it take a lot more air at lower volume, the smaller chamber makes it much easier to play, especially starting off on the deep bass notes playing songs like “Take my hand Precious Lord” (my version) starts off with a deep b.

@@thepugvilleexpress7556 The Legere is what I use too. I would like to try them on my hard rubber mouthpiece, but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with it. Every time I try to use it on anything other than my metal mouthpiece, the reed will stick to the mouthpiece making it unplayable. I'm thinking for use with my hard rubber mouthpiece, I would need to get a stiffer reed. I've been using #2's, since I started back playing. I do love that the synthetic ones last a lot longer. I've really been going through a lot of the natural reeds lately, and it definitely can get expensive. I use Selmer, Otto Link and Mindi Abair mouthpieces. I switch back and forth depending on the sound I am looking for in a song. That B is definitely hard to hit. As far as chamber sizes go, I haven't really decided which is best for me, yet. I am still experimenting with a lot of different things to do with mouthpieces, ligatures and reeds. Can't wait to hear your version of "Take My Hand Precious Lord."

@@jennifercook-sax the reeds will stick when they get too wet and moisture starts to build in the neck. Sometimes I practice for four hours, I have to swab Out the horn and dry the mouthpiece, Reed and neck a few times depending on humidity. The natural reeds when they get saturated will collapse and stick to the mouthpiece, you will notice certain notes will start to sound different then it will start getting difficult to play. I keep a Paper towel paper towel handy to Dry off the mouthpiece then eventually remove the neck and swab it out and dry off the reed. Make sure your reed is in the proper place in respect to the edge of the mouth piece, if it’s not responding well, slide it back a hair at a time to allow more air into the tip of the mouthpiece. I also use a leather ligature placing it at the bottom of the reed and have learned to not make it so tight as to stop the reed from vibrating. I noticed the tightness of the ligature can change the way the reed responds. There are tons of videos on KZbin about alternate keying for altissimo, one guy I follow is Sirvalorsax he has posted a ton of videos on alternate keying including altissimo the guy is awesome!

@@thepugvilleexpress7556 This information is gold. I don't know how you are able to practice that long at a time. I can usually practice for about an hour, then I have to take a break and pick it back up later. My embouchure isn't strong enough to last a long period of time at one sitting. I have noticed my natural reeds will eventually stick to the mouthpiece too, if I've overused them, as well as warp if I have been practicing a lot. I'll have to try loosening my ligature and see how that works. I have a habit of making them pretty tight. I've realized there are a ton of different fingerings for Altissimo notes. I will definitely have to check out your recommendation.

Thanks, I’m very much a beginner

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