BUZZZZZZZ

[john]

Sorry guys I just spent 30 minutes tryin to answer some of these concerns and the hotel wifi cut out and everything was lost
To tired now so will get back on this

[Anonymous]

I have never been able to rest my upper teeth on the MP, the vibration drives me nuts!
I may be scolded for this suggestion, but this is the way I’m actually blowing the reed on my Alto at the moment.

I fold my upper lip back over my top teeth and press down on the MP to form a soft horseshoe shape over the top and sides of the MP.
Using as little contact with my lower lip as possible, I press upwards with my lower lip just enough to form a seal.

The lower the note or the more air one blows, the less pressure one has to apply on the reed with the bottom lip and the more ‘buzz’ the sound has.

What do you think guys? Is this an acceptable embouchure?

[john]

Hey JB I tried to move your last post about recording equipment to the recording your saxophone section but it went somewhere else and now I can’t even find it!
Can you please repost it in that section again?

[Anonymous]

Thats Ok – i’m going to buy some recording gear next week (microphone, audio interface & some headphones, active bluetooth speakers – to play backing tracks on). more or less decided on what to buy.

At the moment i would be connecting it to a pc, but later on i will buy an apple mac with logic pro – so want to make sure it will fit with that.

i was curious to hear if the buzzing noise that Jske wants to improve on, was also down to the type of mic & mic position as shown in the video.

For me i think its our own voice box that produces the difference in buzziness between other players and has nothing to do with lips & teeth?

[john]

Lots of comments coming in here so I’ll ad a few myself and hopefully be of some help
First @ Jeff I Ll say that you’ll probably never develop a solid tone without resting your teeth on the top of your mp
If you’re getting a buzz or vibration something might be going on with your horn cause I’ve never experienced that
@ jake those pads on top of the mp you mentioned I tried them years ago and bit through them in days
My point is you top teeth are very tight on your mp and you should be aggressive
When I was playing for less than two years I had the opportunity to meet a local idol of mine and asked him the best way to get a good big sound and he taught me about breathing from you diaphragm
This is the most important thing along with your embouchure
Are you breathing from your diaphragm?
You must know and make sure before moving o
In my how to play sax shook I cover this
And it’s basically lying down with a book on your tummy
As you breathe it should be going up and down
If not you’re still getting your air from your throat and your tone will be thin and small and wavering
Blow hard and deep from your diaphragm with a wide open throat….this is my secret for a full tone
No I’m not growing all the time
When you listen closely you’ll hear the growl notes come out then not but the tone is still full and on the edge because I’m working really hard with the air support
That’s the ticket

[jake]

Hey Jeff. I had the same issue with my teeth rattling on top of mp. I use the rubber pads on top and that vibration is gone. Like Johnny said I bite thru em in a few days. Even with bite marks in em it still helps with the vibration.

Thanks for your tips Johnny. Will re evaluate my playing.

[Michael Bishop]

Hey Jake: I hate those bite pads, they stink and are totally worthless. When I made the decision to stick with Claude Lakey MPs (they are the most versatile MP for me, from low Bb, Buzzing, Altissimo, etc..), I tried the set of bite pads that they give you with the MP….totally worthless. I put one on and it was thrashed within 24 hours. I also noticed that the “edge, slight buzzing” was also not there when using these bite pads. I get the best results with my top teeth right on the MP. For buzzing, it seems like the more we supply air into the Sax, the more the reed vibrates and this really helps get a buzz. Just personal observations, in addition to things everyone has mentioned here, I think a good ligature can really help out to get that “buzzing” because it helps the reed to vibrate more freely=buzzing sound.

[Anonymous]

apparently these reeds are supposed to be buzzy

http://www.sax.co.uk/lupifaro-jazz-alto-saxophone-reeds-box-of-10.ir

i use bite pads on my mouthpieces, and i change them once a year, if you guys are biting through them, mine have marks on them where my teeth are which i find useful as i can put my teeth in the same spot everytime. But seriously you shouldn’t be biting that hard from comments i’ve read by top players,

As for buzzing i can’t find any documented evidence as to the exact cause, some say reeds, mouthpiece, sax, microphone position, recording software effects, rattling teeth, loose screws on the sax etc…

imho its like growling – some people just naturally do it better/louder than others – perhaps buzziness is the same ? Who knows?

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info Johnny. There’s nothing wrong with my sax only the player. It’s the vibration from the reed which sets my teeth on edge. I have been gradually improving my tone by making minor adjustments. The long loud note exercise has worked wonders for the sound too. I’m used to breathing from the diaphragm from various physical exercises, but it’s the technique of sounding the notes properly which is taking time to develop. I’m enjoying the process and it’s quite likely that I will have changed everything again in a few months time. I’m playing louder and clearer now without pressing the reed up as hard as I used to.

Jake, our local music shops don’t have any MP pads. So I will have to see the next time I go to Johannesburg. I wonder if bicycle inner-tube patches would work?

[john]

There are probably a few different no pads out now but Yes try the inner tube rubber its basically the same…maybe better
That’s good Jeff keep experimenting and moving forward

[Author]

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