Saxophone Basics // Embouchure (How to Blow Air Through the Saxophone)

[@jimtheyid]

Absolutely superb video. Everything my instructor tells me ,And it works . Thanks

[@sarahjohnsonj06]

started playing tenor for jazz a few months ago i play clarinet this helped me play a few lower notes

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Cool, glad it helped!

[@williamjackson2990]

Me too

[@pas0003]

Very good beginner tutorial! I'm very much a beginner and have been struggling with getting a consistent sound. It seems that low notes are pretty easy to hit, but the high D and onwards often come out squeaky or sound like the low D. I believe it's my poor embouchure form - I think I'm either applying too much pressure from the lower lip/teeth or have too much mouthpiece in my mouth.. it's.. tricky

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Thanks! It is tricky, especially when first starting out, as there are many things in play that could be impacting the sound. Some things you can think about that may help. 1) Awareness: Try starting at one extreme and then move to the opposite extreme. For example, try playing with as much pressure as possible and then gradually reduce the pressure, and then the opposite. This will give you a better sense of the range and how much pressure you are actually using. You can try this with several variables: pressure, amount of mouthpiece, amount of lip rolled in/out, angle of mouthpiece, etc. 2) Conditioning: when first starting out the muscles that support the embouchure are still developing, so over time it will become easier to support and keep the embouchure stable, especially with regular long tones. 3) Try using a mouthpiece patch for your top teeth. This will help keep you from sliding forward on the mouthpiece / help keep the embouchure more stable and consistent. Hope this helps!

[@pas0003]

@@paulzaboracmusic thanks for your advice! Mouthpiece patch definitely helps a lot - I was finding the vibration pretty uncomfortable before and now it's smooth sailing! Practicing the extremes also helped a lot - excellent suggestion! It's seems like I have to almost lift my chin up from it's normal position and blow into, rather than breath into the mouthpiece to reliably hit the high G. Still not sure if such a dramatic change to my embouchure is a good thing to have to do 🤔 I actually ended up sending my cheap Amazon saxophone back and got a Yamaha instead. It plays infinitely better! Only obvious issue I still have is the high G, but that seems to be getting better. I've got my first lesson with a saxophone teacher tomorrow and am hoping he can help me troubleshoot my embouchure and point out anything that I'm not noticing myself. Thanks again!

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Glad it was helpful! Yeah, after you get awareness of things through exploring the extremes, the goal is to find the point where everything works with minimal shifting/tension in the embouchure. It is definitely a process. It's great to hear that you are studying with a teacher though! That will most likely help, as they will be able to see what is happening and notice issues as you play. Best of luck!

[@vpm234]

Thanks I learnt something from you

[@justq2109]

Thank you so very much as a beginning adult this has been frustrating however, watching this tutorial allow me to create a tone that doesn’t sound like a wounded duck thank you again so very much and I look forward to more videos.

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Thanks! Glad the video was helpful!

[@jimtheyid]

Exactly. I'm 7 months in ,But this is my biggest issue, Consistent sound .

[@eugeniaavilava584]

Sooo funny but true as wounded duck lol

[@ndieofficial9274]

That fu thing helped me out 😂❤️thanks

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mktsai4783]

Thanks !!

[@claragary]

Thanks, great!!👍

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Thank you!

[@AntonTsy]

Great video ! Pls keep it up !

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Thanks! Will do!

[@takotako920]

wow, interesting!!!

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Glad you think so!

[@olimphus26]

nice tips

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Thanks!

[@joeguo2013]

Hi Paul, thank you for making this great video, I got some questions that I sincerely need your expertise on. 1. I couldn't find the right contact point of embouchure like you did in the exercise part, I mean when you blow air, it immediately makes sound. It always takes one or two tries when I do it, when I did find it, my breath almost went out. 2. I couldn't make a long steady sound like you, my God it was consistent, beautiful when you played it. Could you tell me how can I fix my problems please? Thank you so much！

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Hi Joe, here are some things to try: 1) Make sure you are setting your embouchure fully before moving air through the instrument. Think "breath - set - air." 2) Pay attention to each variable of the embouchure individually: pressure, amount of mouthpiece, mouthpiece angle, amount of lip rolled in, etc. to see what may be causing issues. Also, if you are just starting out, it takes time to develop the strength to maintain the embouchure and consistently make a sound. So persistence is key. Sorry I can not give you more specific feedback to fix your issues, as I cannot see what you are doing, so hopefully this helps!

[@joeguo2013]

@@paulzaboracmusic Thank you so much for your reply Paul, in the end it all depends on more patience and exercising I guess, thanks again for your kindness!

[@rao.4354]

Hi Paul I did the exercise however the tone is a lot more airy than yours. the note is hitting g# but the tone isn't smooth. is it because of my weak embouchure ?

[@paulzaboracmusic]

Hi Rao. It could be because of the strength of your embouchure, but it could also have something to do with how the embouchure is formed (pressure/placement/lips/voicing/etc.) and/or the reed (placement/strength/age). I would continue working to develop the strength of the embouchure and experiment with/investigate other possibilities for the issue. Sorry I can't be more specific. Hope this helps!