HOW TO TUNE UP ON SOPRANO

Tuning up correctly on soprano sax will go a long way toward making your life on the small horn so much more enjoyable and musical.
Here is an explanation of what is at work and how to establish a solid, dependable tuning that will open up the horn for you.
Don't assume that you can just get one note in tune and all is well. Imprecise, casual tuning is a recipe for trouble on soprano.
The saxophone is a "pitchy" instrument. It
s one reason we love it but that "pitchy-ness" presents some challenges, and none are more slippery than getting a soprano in tune with itself.
Once you get the horn in tune with itself, it will speak better, respond better and the intonation will have a stable, dependable center.
Give it a serious try and see for yourself.
SOPPRANOPLANET.COM is the home for all things soprano. Be sure to "like" us below. It's appreciated.

[@martatessi]

Thank you so much.!

[@dennis524]

Good stuff, thanks Joe.

[@davidphillips6173]

Tune low. This is a great video, Thank you.

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Getting in proper tune on soprano pays big dividends in terms of response and overall intonation across the range of the horn. The soprano is, in many ways, a Ferrari. A baritone is more like a pick-up truck in comparison. Spend time finding out for yourself. Nothing compares to first-hand experience.

[@geneoliveri3907]

Nice Advice... hey interested in tour mpc.

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Send me an email at [e-mail] and tell me what you are looking for in terms of sound and response.

[@sweetbushstudiochannel4606]

Hello, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. I’m interested in learning Soprano Sax, I play a variety of instruments including bagpipes. However I don’t have teeth and the dentures suck. I have good lip and cheek strength due to the bagpipes, would it be possible to play the Soprano sans teeth?

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Yes. There are a few major artists who play without any teeth. There is a facing style that would work best.. Email if you have any questions. But the answer is yes, if you mouthpiece is preoperly set up for your situation.

[@sweetbushstudiochannel4606]

@@josephgiardullo7403 thank you very much for the response. I ordered an inexpensive Soprano to work with. If I find myself needing help I will email

[@josephgiardullo7403]

@@sweetbushstudiochannel4606 Great. Good luck!

[@Kinglymarker8988]

Man oh man! No one has ever said- tune low. Makes so much more sense. I will try this out. ✌️🤟🎷

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Be sure to post your results. Let There are a lot of folks who need to know what works and what doesn't work. :-)

[@shatteredrift]

Thank you! I rented a soprano sax a few days ago, not having played for about 20 years (and playing tenor back in gradeschool when I did). I know that I don't know what I'm doing, but this advice is also helpful for me to narrow in on things as I get back into practice.

[@janewinchcombe2561]

Thanks so much for you advice ❤

[@michaelwendell7771]

Hey Joe, I'm assuming this will work on alto sax also...?

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Can't hurt. But, I don't know if many alto players tend to play with a short air column, like a lot of soprano players do. The goal is tuning up the HORN not one particular note. Get the horn warm and in tune and then the rest will follow, unless the player introduces issues or the horn has some peculiarities in its scale. My 1927 King soprano has a middle A ( concert G) that was flat and I had to vent the g# key sometimes to nail it.

[@cassiusmishima9052]

Thank you Joe, I think I can adapt this to Tenor practice

[@rbroderick]

Always struggled with the soprano. Thanks for the info.

[@orlandoblack7584]

thanks a lot for the support!

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Hope you look at the other videos, too. Soprano is not hard. But it requires some precision from your mouthpiece and some attention from the player. That's it. Have fun.

[@Gator1699]

An Opera singer said always breath through your nose and I have for over 30 years and it will never disturb your embouchure open your throat more on the upper register. Overtones play along with great players on sound system. Prac Prac Prac . 🐊

[@XavierJordanMusic]

Thank you. My grassi prestige thanks you as well

[@maloneap64]

Great tips for a great sound on soprano.

[@xrgiok]

You are wise man! Just bought alto and my goal switch to soprano, after getting some practice!

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Go for it!

[@cheshirecharlesmahoney4353]

Thanks Joe. Happy to get experienced advice for soprano tuning.

[@serzok1]

I’ll try. Thank you for the advice!

[@hartwheeler4591]

Thanks, Joe, for this invaluable insight.

[@paoloalbano4690]

Joe, thank you for your video! Great advices.. as always

[@matthias5825]

Seems to be similar with clarinets

[@smoothvelvetsinger]

Thank you, excellent advice👍

[@a1saxy]

Great advice thanks!

[@Caglarsax]

When i run out of breath ,I am not in tune .now I am believing that it is all about the mouthpieces without high baffles.high baffle mouthpieces changed my life.do you agree on high baffle mouthpieces makes everything easier on tuning and breath control ?I heard about you from Fred Varese who plays comfortably .thank you for the great video ❤

[@josephgiardullo7403]

There's a lot of information in your comment. First- you should not be running out of breath. Soprano does not require much air at all. If you must blow hard, that suggests a mouthpiece that isn't working correctly or reeds that are too stiff. But, most likely, a mouthpiece with issues. Check the table for flatness (I have a video on how to check). A mouthpiece that is well made and has a high baffle will respond very quickly and easily. I wouldn't say it helps tuning. Most players experience pitch going sharp up high on mouthpieces with noticeable baffles. It's caused by a certain amount of lip pressure but more so by the shrinking space near the tip ( due to the baffle). I've "tuned" soprano mouthpieces for very accomplished classical soprano players by adjusting the area near the tip. High baffled pieces are quicker and require much less effort to speak. The other side of that is they can be "pitchy" ( intonation) and they can also produce a smaller, compact sound. And they can also create difficulties for the bottom end of the horn. So..... the baffle gives and the baffle takes away, so to speak. The "running out of breath", though, is a giveaway. Check the table of your mouthpiece. Also be sure you're using an appropriate strength reed. This is not any "rule" but.... in general a tip opening of 5 likely likes a # 3 reed. A tip of 6 or 7, probably a # 2 1/2. Check that table. That could be the source of the "running out of breath". Watch my video on "checking the table". Let me know what you find or if you have any questions. The soprano isn't the "beast" that a lot of people claim.

[@Caglarsax]

@@josephgiardullo7403 thanks for your time 👍❤️i will check the other videos

[@avidor1421]

Joe - thanks so much; this is gold. I’ve got two questions. 1). Once the air column and horn are sufficiently warm and it’s time to tune with a low note, what’s the correct methodology? While watching the digital tuner, does one maintain a natural-feeling, neutral embouchure and voicing (suitable for that note) and then adjust the mouthpiece position on the cork to find the sweet spot - the place where the note is best in tune with the least amount of mouth/throat adjustment? 2). If yes to that, how exactly does one work one’s way up the horn? Will further changes to the mouthpiece position be needed to find an “average” placement that will keep most of the notes in tune? Or should the low note tuning position be kept and intonation in the higher notes (especially those sharp-tending palm keys) be achieved via subtle adjustments to the player’s air, embouchure, voicing, etc? Thank you again for giving us so much of your experience and knowledge, just “for the love of the game”. ~ Dave

[@josephgiardullo7403]

I subscribe to #2. It will "tell you" about your embouchure, it will make you more conscious of the impact you have on intonation by biting, it will show you just where in the range of the horn that impact starts to show itself. Then, as a player, you must adjust ( not necessarily the mouthpiece position, but your way of delivering the air, your air support, etc). But, first. it will tell you where the mouthpiece should be placed for the horn to be in tune with itself. Any "subtle" changes in mouthpiece position will likely require some subtle change in how you deliver the air. Find what works best for you and your set-up.

[@avidor1421]

Thanks, Joe! That clears it up. I’ve got the mouthpiece positioned so that my low Bb is nicely settled in tune, and everything else on the way up is falling into place just fine mostly with adjustments to air support and tongue position. I very much appreciate your help.

[@robertnorris8096]

This is new to me. I’m going to give it a try. I’ll let you know.

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Please let me know your experience with it.

[@precisionhoops365]

Thx!

[@OGStazzy]

So your saying after you warm of the sax… play a low ? I’m kinda new to transposing on alto sax what note would I play to see if it’s really in tune, thanks

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Typically, folks tune to concert A440. On Bb saxophones ( soprano, tenor), that note is a B, and tuning soprano to the low B helps to get the whole horn in tune with itself, as I described. On Eb saxophones ( baritone, alto, sopranino) a concert A440 is an F# fingering. I don't know if that is what you are asking, but that's how I understand your question. You should learn/know the concert sound you get on your Eb alto for each note, in my opinion. Same for all saxophonists: know the concert pitch associated with the fingerings.

[@jamesjefferson8353]

Thank you this helped me a lot

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Great. Being really in tune changes everything about how a soprano responds and resonates. have fun!

[@solomann940]

👌👌

[@henryholt1359]

Thanx do you suggest the same for tenor alto?

[@josephgiardullo7403]

I don't find the bigger horns to be as problematic in tuning as soprano. I believe that the soprano, because it is smaller, lends itself to being played with less than a full air column ( from the throat or chest) and that is a major source of "pitchiness". Tuning "low" reinforces the use of the full air column. But, tuning low on the other horns can't hurt, either.. Whatever works.

[@henryholt1359]

@@josephgiardullo7403 thanx 😊 I play bent yanigisawa sop for years, and using a tuning app is very deceptive sometimes.It definitely helps, but the proof is in the pudding when you hear back the recording.The tape never lies.Keep up the good work..Best Henry Holt

[@tboy5443]

You aren't doing it right. As a sax repairer . I will tell you that your mouthpiece must almost touch the octave lever for your horn to sit in tune. You don't need all the stress You are talking about

[@tboy5443]

Push your mouthpiece all the way through to the octave lever . Then it will be right

[@josephgiardullo7403]

Depending on the mouthpiece design, that can SOMETIMES be the case, but it DEFINITELY is NOT always the case, not even close to always. It only takes a Google search of images of soprano players like Marsalis, Liebman, Lacy, Bloom, Franck, Surman, Garbarek, Kenny G, Grover Washington and on and on to KNOW that. Not one of them comes anywhere close to the end of the cork, much less the pip. For the majority of soprano players, pushing the mouthpiece on up to the pip is not even possible, but if they did it, they would be incredibly sharp. And, there is no "stress" in tuning up. It's what we all do every day. You may be a competent repairer. Stick to that. Your "advice" regarding the mouthpiece placement is plain wrong and will cause many players a lot of trouble.

[@OGStazzy]

Doesn’t sound stressful at all, sounds like a good horn being in tune… one thing sax is teaching me is patience.. my sore lower lip is teaching my grace and gratitude… this video taught me a deep way of tuning

[@OGStazzy]

Cheers pal