Bad intonation

[James Hellen]

Hi all, I’ve been playing tenor sax for 20 years and as I’m am deaf in one ear, I have always struggled with intonation especially in the higher octave.
I practice a lot with a tuner but it is always over the place.
I was wondering if anyone knows of a mouthpiece for tenor sax that could help with this problem.
As most music store in Australia are closing I can only obtain mouthpieces on line without being able to try them.
Any information, cheats, lessons etc on this subject would be greatly appreciated.
Missing the pitch
James.

[Pete]

Hi James
Iam no expert all i can advise is regarding mouthpiece is Otto link metal tone master. I have tried loads of m/p and always go back to my Otto link tone master7*. Are you opening your throat wide, are you having enough breath ready?what reed are you using, how about changing that for starters? just my thoughts.

[sxpoet]

I’ve been playing over 10 years on the Alto.

One thing i’ve noticed is lower strength reeds are harder to keep the HIGH notes in tune, they are very thin sounding and unsteady and continually go in an out of tune and its harder to play a steady strong long note.

I also have metal and non-metal mouthpieces. i’ve noticed that metal mouthpieces have a clearer pitch sound if thatʼs what you are aiming for.

Finally, my only advice is waste a lot of cash trying out different reed brands and reed sizes, until you find the type of reed that sounds the best on your mouthpiece – they do make a difference to your sound. Before you start frittering away large amounts of cash on different mouthpieces.

Look after the reeds and the mouthpieces will take care of them selves.

One other thing, get your saxophone serviced – i did and the it changed from a dull sounding instrument into clearer sounding instrument – i couldn’t believe the difference in having all the pads replaced with new pads.

[john]

yup….it can be a never ending quest because of the different combinations and possibilities of the 3 things you talked about.
I personally don’t have the time and interest to go into a very wide range of experimentation at this point so keep it within a couple different reeds and mp’s…
but ya, there can be a big difference even there.
when I think about the mp and reed choices decades ago when I started, and now…it’s just huge…so many choices…so little time!

[saxomonica]

G’day James!

Yo bro howz thangs? Whats’s happening, mate?
We last rapped on line about three years ago, that is with respect to carbon fibre reeds and, further, a request for John [ @admin ] being for the air,“I just want to make love to you”.
see ►

quote

‘Awhile ago you suggested that you might do a cover on I just want to make love to you.
Have you done this yet or are you still planning too?
Much appreciation
James Hellen”
~~~~~~ / ~~~~~~

Carbon Fibre reed

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Hey man i hear what you are saying about Australian music shoppes closin’ down – it is evident the Country is now in dire recession and other not so bonza probs however we better not extrapolate in this peculiar regard with your kind indulgence because it has prior been made apparent that some other Member’s don’t wanna see the website herewith being used as a political platform, say 🙂
Moving on .. ‘Roll it on over’ ♪ ♫
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Heya good buddy,
Which ear are you deaf in?
If it’s NOT the left ear that is way cool coz apparently it is the one we hear music best with (often when i practice i put a ear plug my right ear, for this very reason!)
Ok

1)
Mate i reckon the ABSOLUTELY best course of action to solve these manifest vexatious intonation hassle is to (drum roll) join Johnny’s Premier Membership on site (if you haven’t already) and then have a really good gecko at,

~ Tone Development Section

There are four great lessons and inclusive is the absolutely amazing and mind-snapping super calafidgatastic and ever most way cool, ‘Altissimo Course’

This will sure get your ya ya’s rockin’!! {Guaranteed no Snake Oil Additives.}

2) Am now using the App Tonestro only coz i tried it for free about 6 mths ago and it then went over the trial period so i got stuck with it. Sad to relate agh. Long story short i put my tenor in for service recently and am mucking around with my alto and using this particular App to wring its neck for bang for buck, that is as it expires soon.
Mate, you can oft see them advertising 75% off.
If you wannna give it a swing i can post a link.
Its rather good but the songs are kinda rinky dink.
Most importantly, it gives you instant feedback. !!

But what i noticed was i was playing real flat on the alto and it has taken a bit to change the embouchure from my tenor to get in the groove now, so to speak.
And how i did that was

simply playing heaps on the mp alone

.

3) Most every day for years now i start the day with my long tones on the tenor. I got the App Tonal Energy and it has got my intonation pretty good now. It took a while. Thoroughly recommended! Not so much with dropping the jaw, ball in the throat visualisation or stiffer upper lip stuff etc but the

air stream deflection inside the mouth

and different syllables, for example agh, err, y’know what i mean

4) Also important for consistent tone is good abdominal support deep down in the belly and a good exercise is low Bb, and first overtone F, then Bb with the octave key; REPEAT.

5) James, get a tech to put a light down your sax and check out the pads are closing properly, given in addition, who sings, “Shine a light on me” …… ??

6) The points that @admin , @sxpoet ( @kz12afwgmail-com) and @pete raise are real sweet. i gotta tenor Otto Link tone master7* too and i love it long time. OOH mama! But the lig screw always fall out so now i use a cheapo Ebay leather thingymajig which does the trick anywayz.

7) Maybe the earths paradigm is changing, the times change and we change with them lol.
If you ask Google it may as a matter of fact state somethink like,
“The magickian causes breath to enter the word. Written words are like dry bones. But with the shaking (vibration) of the wind (respiration) the bones shall live. The sophisticated manipulation of air molecules, in accordance with the alchemical instructions for the pronunciation of the God’s ‘Name’ (usually only transmitted orally from teacher to student) thereby makes manifest, it brings to life, the Divine Being, the one who seemed to have died, before the one who intoned the Name.”
― Laurence Galian, 666: Connection with Crowley

Crikey Moses i know not what ↑

8) Have you tried a Jody Jet? (Discussions in the Forum here prior.)
There are cheapo metal copies on TEMU incidentally.

[See Google Jody Jazz]

~~~~~~ /~~~~~

Cheerio, toodles, stay cool after school!

Chat soon fellas, rap rap

[saxomonica]

[saxomonica]

↑ FOR TENOR ↑

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↓ FOR ALTO ↓

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FOR SOPRANO

[saxomonica]

for ALTO

~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~

Good explanation herewith being for to all saxes here about pitching – and intonation,
and dynamic level …

We’ve got to gain the ability to regulate pitch as we change dynamic level and that’s a function of oral cavity and embouchure working together with our breath support.

‘Then next we want to hear where we want it to hit the note, termed PREHEARING’

[Author]

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