Sax Palm Keys...what you MUST know! [

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Learn how to master the high notes on saxophone by learning the correct technique for the side palm keys.
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• Technique
Chapters
0:00 - intro
0:23 - about
0:52 - hand position
2:07 - adjusting the palm keys
4:14 - using scales to practice palm keys
5:03 - using the high E side key
6:10 - the front F key
7:54 - sign off
8:47 - music and bloopers
Get Your Sax Together is a fun and informative channel, packed with free online saxophone lessons. My name’s Jamie Anderson and I’ve been a pro saxophonist since 1996. I release new content every Sunday at 7am UK so you can Sax Up Your Sunday! Please subscribe and click the bell icon 🔔 (set to ALL) to get notified when new content is released. Practice hard, practice smart and enjoy your music! Jamie 🎷
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#getyoursaxtogether #onlinesaxlessons #saxtechnique

[@yosefattias9371]

Hi I have been learning Saxophone for 8 months I decided at the age of 70 to study I have always had a dream to play since I started learning Always watching your videos and always helped me a lot I just want to thank you for everything you do for your audience you really help me and thank you again

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Great to hear Yosef, glad you're enjoying the channel

[@Islendingar]

This was a great lesson Jamie and will help so much too !!! Coffee is on its way and enjoy ! This and the pinkie lesson will help once I get my sax back from repairs …

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Thanks for the coffee 🙏🏻. Glad you’re enjoying the channel.

[@glenntomassi3442]

Excellent Jaimie thank you!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

You're welcome Glen

[@vintry99]

As usual really helpful tips. Many Thanks. Now back to practising !

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Have fun!

[@emmaswanwick4908]

Another great technique message thanks

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

You're welcome

[@gianlucaperugini]

Thanks Jamie! super clear as usual :) .

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Anytime. 😊

[@chrismills5110]

Very useful, many thanks for this advice

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

You are welcome!

[@eugeniaavilava584]

Best explained! Everything I needed to know.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Awesome!

[@enhancedramen9392]

thank you so much! your videos have been very helpful to me!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Great! You are very welcome

[@cliffrobinson1991]

Thanks guys the lesson on the front F key. I have asked several really experienced and expert sax players who had no idea what that key was for. I'll be trying it on my arpeggio practice.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Ha! All good.

[@hazelhemsley2930]

Great lesson thank you.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

My pleasure!

[@kittosing6639]

Thx very much again and again for your sincere efforts ....

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

You’re very welcome ☺️

[@midaxsax]

Lotta wisdom in a short vid, thanks again. I didn't know about playing hi E with the front F key (fingering G). Now I gotta try it.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Awesome

[@Heyhaylix]

Ive been doing beaver paws and did't even realize, and stuggled with these so much!!!!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

:-)

[@samuelreus7868]

Wow amazing

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Thanks 🙏🏻

[@JayCee-hw4zc]

Fabulous!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Thanks!

[@javierm_uk1588]

Good stuff!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@rickpeterson1089]

Very cool... I’ve played sax off and on since 1970... I even have a few grandchildren playing sax and I’ve never heard of the Front F & E fingerings... Thanks

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fulhamboy70]

Having watched this i now get the alternate fingering. The high F key on my tenor is gold and i didn’t know it was there lol, didn’t even see it, no wonder i couldn’t understand your alternate fingering chart, off to have a practice. Thanks Jamie

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

You're welcome Dave

[@AYOQ77]

thanks for the gift Jamie! jajaja the last part of the video was fun = D.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Glad you enjoyed it Ayo

[@jillytiffen6305]

Thank you Jamie..That info has been very useful! 👏👏Just need an alternative for the high D/Eb and I’ll be happy! Having lots of wrist/thumb/ arthritic issues on that left side so would be great to know about! Your lessons are always fun! 👌😁

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Right. Not sure there IS an alternative to those to be honest?!

[@frankdossantos882]

Hi Jamie, I'm from Brazil, I watch some very good American saxophonist channels, but yours is exceptional, you give golden tips and teachings, man! I would like to know if you will take one or more syllabic articulation classes, it's something you rarely see here on youtube! Congrats on the great job!!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Thanks for watching man. I’ve got no plans to do that right now dude.

[@gordonreddy1214]

Awesome video Jamie! I have a 1936 Balanced Action alto I play on occasion but there has always been an issue brushing the D key while playing. Although I didn't think it was happening, it turns out I had a bit of a Beaver On The Bridge happening. Now I am taking advantage of the protruding D to help me correct my hand position. The mirror is an excellent aid as well. Thank you Sir!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Good stuff Gordon!

[@eugeniaavilava584]

Ogh, there another beaver hand as well. Lol

[@thvd64]

Hi Jamie thanks for the tips. My Jupiter Saxophone has a mechanism where I can rise / lower my palm keys.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Sounds great!

[@aaronrobinson9386]

Been trying to get better at intonation at the keys. Well I mean if anything a few months ago I couldn't play them in tune at all and now its kind of spotty, but hey I'm in it to win it.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Nice man - keep going! 👍🏻

[@Trevayne4]

Thanks for the front F key lesson

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

You’re welcome!

[@lisawanderess]

Great tips thanks Jamie. Yep I’m guilty of the “tower bridge” effect! Had no idea about the risers, will have to look into those. Any tips for making small hands be able to reach the low Bb key? I struggle at full stretch to reach it.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Make sure LH fingers are horizontal, not pointing down. This is what I call beaver paws.

[@keithcampbell6806]

Good evening in Guyana South America where palm key risers are not available we make our own. We shape and paste a piece of flat cork with adhesive then cover it with furniture upholstery material it works just fine.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Necessity is the mother of invention!

[@rafaeli2487]

Tks, very good.. remember david sandborn, this hith notes played fast

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

:-)

[@carlosramirez-no1kk]

Muchas gracias.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Most welcome

[@sb.8769]

Fantastic, I'm improving no end. Oh and you were smazing at Butlins with Wet Wet Wet Early Nov.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

🙏🏻

[@gusmarrero]

I built my C melody ones using Sugru and honestly they look and work awesome.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

That's cool Gustavo

[@ailishbethd4033]

Thank you. This is what I'm struggling with at the moment. Especially the descending F major scale. I'm concentrating so much on the palm keys that I inadvertsntly remove my fingers from the other keys🙈. I can never get my finger on the Bb in time. Something I need to work on.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Practice practice pratice!

[@jeffarcher400]

Thanks. I always wondered what that front F button was for.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Glad I could help!

[@bobpremecz5429]

Got here with 1000 views 100 likes. 101 likes now! While I never added height to my palm keys, it took lots of practice to keep the London Bridge from opening in my early years. Now that I've been teaching for quite a bit, showing the advantages of efficiency takes considerable reminding. Great lesson, as always!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Thanks Bob

[@larry4589]

Eternal triangle is my favorite but how about johnny griffin john coltrane and hank mobley on a blowing session or al cohn zoot sims?

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Blowing Session was defo on my short list. And Tenor Conclave!

[@ryangatling2973]

Hi Jaime - you reviewed one of my video clips and yes I had the beaver paws. However, I have long fingers and it is hard to have my hand flat against the horn and articulate the left table key; it hits the middle of my pinky versus the fingertip. What tips could you give for people with long fingers

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Try arching your fingers a bit more Ryan and make sure your left thumb stays over the octave key

[@matsmanteatern698]

Great lesson! One more tip about palm key risers; There are quite a few different brands out there for sale…A warning for Protec wich are very cheep. They are made out of a very soft material wich make the action and feel under you’re fingers unprecise and sloppy. They also have a tendency to slide of the key every now and then.. Also different saxes have different design of the palm keys. For instance Protec didn’t fit my Selmer VI without making a small cut with a scissor.. Sugru works great! And then you can also shape them and make them the perfect height just for you’re own fingers!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Great tips

[@dreamwatcher6235]

Hi!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Hi

[@craigscott3133]

Can't keep risers on my keys. Going to look into Sugru. Thanks!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Good luck!

[@geoffparker6332]

Thank you for that, Jamie, despite having treated myself to a brace of Yanagisawa WO1s (alto and soprano) I still suffer from “London Bridge” syndrome when using the palm keys. Having revisited the problem after watching your video, I believe that my solution will be to invest in a set of palm risers and some synthetic putty so that I can put the putty on top of the palm risers. This should add the extra height that I need to allow my palm to brush the keys and also be removable should I ever wish to sell the instruments. Good luck with the studio renovation. Geoff Parker

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Sounds like a plan Geoff

[@geoffparker6332]

@@GetYourSaxTogether Hmm... Not going too well. As I had to add a complete sachet of sugru to each palm key, it added too much turning moment to each key. I really don't want to start gluing things directly onto the plan keys, so it's a "work in progress" at the moment!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

@@geoffparker6332 😬

[@geoffparker6332]

@@GetYourSaxTogether Is there any way that I can send you an image of what I have done?

[@geoffparker6332]

I think that I have found the source of the problem! I start off playing with my hands curved as though they were holding a tennis ball. When I start concentrating upon the music, my hands seem to move towards a “beaver paws” position, but still with the fingers curved. This hybrid position opens up the gap between my palms and the palm keys. It looks as though some conscious retraining is needed, Scales and long tones here we come! On entirely another note, I bought a silencer for doing my mouthpiece exercises and that has provided some excellent reinforcement for your very good videos about the use of the tongue and Larynx in sound production. Thank for the great videos, Geoff Parker

[@claretuckett2669]

Jamie; Your mate Jay Metcalf has a video on Better Sax entitled DIY PALM KEY RISERS, showing you how he added the Sugru palm risers.

[@claretuckett2669]

It includes a great video of Kenny Garrett live with his Sugru riser key!!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Fantastic - I've seen it. Good video!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

:-)

[@gangofgreenhorns2672]

I'm still waiting to see one of those new baris that have high G key lol. Mouthpiece is in the mail btw Jamie. Hope you like it. They said it'd take like 10 days.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

I've got the mouthpiece thanks, have sent you an email.

[@tumwinerwekanika8375]

Thank you. Let's see what happens

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

👍

[@francistaylor5097]

Top lesson, Jamie. I've gone down the Sugru route after watching Jay Metcalf's video. It works a treat on my old tenor as the keys are so low.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Great to hear!

[@shamilshamil8542]

Sae xpalm

[@danielnduka99]

Hello sir just started. What should I learn

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Start here... kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3i8e2Sbo7BmaNk

[@camthesaxman3387]

If I drop my left hand into the "correct" position for the palm keys, I can no longer reach the table keys (especially the C# key) without awkwardly curling my pinky inward.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Yeah, you might have to rotate your wrist a little bit when you use those keys. 👍🏻

[@Redwane-Music]

I am still confused, can the palm keys be used without the octave key ? because I hear you playing only high notes but you can get lower notes without the palm key, at least I do, am i doing something wrong? thanks

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Yeh, if you don't voice those palm key notes right in your throat they come out down the octave. I use these palm keys notes quite a bit without the octave as an alternative fingering actually.

[@christoguichard4311]

Is that a Selmer MkVI? 😊

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJWuaImalsmeoac

[@sebastianperez4240]

ok so im new to the alto sax and i was practicing on the palm keys.. when i pressed them down all at once, there was nothing coming out. is that not how i was supposed to do that? because individually i get the notes but when all 3 are pressed down i get nothing

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Check your fingering chart, because above Eb, you need to use the RH side E key as well. www.getyoursaxtogether.com/fingerchart

[@sebastianperez4240]

@@GetYourSaxTogether right... because i had them all down at once and not a single came out. i was practicing yesterday and i was worried that no sound was going to come out.

[@ph2738]

I was having trouble seeing which keys were pressed in a demo of alternative fingerings. Then it occurred to me that it would be nice to have a little diagram of sax fingerings lighting up the keys pressed appearing as a picture in picture as the instructor played. But how would you do this? (“Dreamer, can you get your hands in your head? Oh no!”) It must be pretty hard because I haven’t seen this anywhere on the Internet. Could you do a stop motion video with a bunch of flash cards of fingerings of the whole instrument range, then sync it up with the performance video. Sounds tricky. Sounds time consuming. Deconstruct an ewi and catch the midi output in an automation? That’s several steps beyond my technical skills, and an ewi doesn’t have palm keys.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Emmm. Yeh. That. Best I can offer is a fingering chart I guess! www.getyoursaxtogether.com/fingerchart All my Hall Of Fame breakdown videos have fingerings for each note though!

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Watch my FREE Masterclass here! www.getyoursaxtogether.com/masterclass

[@ian_s7481]

I had to make risers for all my sax’s as I have long fingers and they push my palm away from the keys.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

If anyone can do it Ian - you can!

[@robstevens9590]

My standard way of playing the palm keys is the "London Bridge" technique. Ha.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Correction - “Tower Bridge”. 😂😂😂

[@robstevens9590]

@@GetYourSaxTogether Thank you for the correction! I only spent a week in London (and that was back in 1966).

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

This may be folklore, but they replaced London Bridge and the old one was sold off brick by brick. It was supposedly bought by a Texan who later realised he wasn’t buying Tower Bridge, but a simple brick arch structure! Just googled it - it’s in Arizona. No mention of buying the wrong bridge either but it’s possible I guess! londonist.com/2013/04/londonbridge

[@robstevens9590]

@@GetYourSaxTogether Thanks for the history! I just started playing soprano and I don't have the "tower bridge" syndrome like I do on the alto.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

@@robstevens9590 good news!

[@sir6541]

Anyone got tips to “silence” your growl cause apparently it can be heard more than the actual sax sound 😂 (Btw I use the growling sound and blowing at the same time technique)

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Try making less of a humming noise when you blow?

[@danielfittipaldi3705]

If the front f and e exist, why would I ever need to use side f and e?

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Tone. Mind you Adam Larson doesn’t use them anymore!

[@flrn84791]

Sugru is 👎👎👎 not that hard, very nasty to work with, and looks bad if you don't sand it. For me it was waaaay too big as well, so not helpful at all...

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Sorry it didn't work for you. Will help some, not others and that's cool

[@kccarl7447]

I use wine bottle corks and shave them to the height I need.

[@GetYourSaxTogether]

Cool! Thanks for that