1. hobbies and interests
2. guitar

New Saxophone Skills!
Now that we are past our concert, it’s time to invest some time in some new saxophone skills! We need to
learn more about playing in tune. !
!
There is a “truth” that all players have to learn, accept, and work with and that is: !
!
Instruments don’t play in (or out) of tune…the PLAYER plays in or out of tune!!
!
Shocking isn’t it! The truth is that when someone says something like “My saxophone is out of tune”…
they need to be enlightened. !
!
You are far enough along in your playing where you CAN learn to play in tune. It is a skill a saxophonist
has to develop. This handout has some ways you can learn to start improving your ability to play in tune. !
!
For starters, you’ll need a chromatic tuner or an app. Mr. Beall uses an app called “Tonal Energy Tuner” in
class. It’s the one with the smiley face :-) It is less expensive than buying a tuner and does way more.
You will use a tuner as long as you play so it’s a good investment. If you are having difficulty obtaining a
tuner please let Mr. Beall know. Saxophone players need a tuner in the same way a calculator is
sometimes needed for math work. IF YOU HAVE A SEPARATE TUNER THAT YOU CAN KEEP IN YOUR
CASE THAT’S EVEN BETTER!!
!
If you use “Tonal Energy Tuner” make sure that…!
• The “tone generator” is set on “Alto or Tenor Saxophone”!
• A=440 (can be adjusted under “prefs”)!
• Skill: Intermediate!
• Use the “tuner” window to see easily!
!
Mouthpiece Exercise:
!
Can you produce the correct note on your mouthpiece alone? If not, that means your embouchure needs
adjustment and ALL of your notes are probably out of tune!!
!
• Alto Sax should play a high “concert A”- (F#5 if your tuner is set to Eb alto sax)!
• Tenor Sax should play a high “concert G” (A5 if your tuner is set to Bb tenor sax)!
!
Remember:!
• Corners “round” and forward!
• Tongue down (ahhh/awwww/ohhhhh) - see what works!!
• Throat relaxed/warm air...but moves FAST at the front of the mouthpiece!
• Use FAST STRONG AIR!!
• You must have ENOUGH REED IN YOUR MOUTH (ask Mr. Beall)!
• This is probably a BIGGER/ROUNDER embouchure than you are used to using. If it feels “normal” it’s
probably just your old embouchure. Make it feel different…different is good!!
When the mouth shape and air speed are correct you will notice that: !
!
• The instrument will respond to ALL notes very quickly. !
• Your TONE will be excellent.
Pitch Bending Exercise:
!
Play “high D” (just one key on your left hand - this is the D way above the staff). This is a really easy
note to “bend” pitches on. !
!
See if you can bend the pitch DOWN one “half-step” (sounds like “Jaws”) and back.!
To Bend Pitches: Your “corners”, jaw, etc should not move...just your tongue:!
!
“eeeeee” to bend up!
“ahhhhh” to bend down!
!
The embouchure stays BIG and ROUND - the TONGUE does all the work of changing the pitch.!
Adjust the Mouthpiece Placement:
!
Once you can bend a pitch, it’s time to work on your own with a tuner to learn the tendencies of your notes
and how to adjust them. Use a tuner and work on getting the following pitches “in tune”. !
!
Step 1: Set your mouthpiece where you can easily play “G” in tune with the CORRECT embouchure.
!
Step 2: Play “low G (check pitch)...then slur to High “G” (adjust pitch while holding it)!
!
!
NOTE: You should ALWAYS be able to let off your octave key and easily drop back down to the low note. If
this doesn’t work, you’ve goofed up your embouchure!!!!
!
Step 4: Also check D (fourth line/octave key) - this is usually a sharp note. Make sure you can lower it
enough to get it in tune.
Your mouthpiece placement is correct when you can play the G’s AND the D in tune.
•
•
•
•
!
!
You will have to adjust your tongue shape for both (but keep the embouchure ROUND!)!
The “G” may have to adjust up.!
The “D” may have to adjust down. !
The correct placement is a “compromise” so you can get both. !
There is no “magic” placement where all of the notes will play in tune. Playing in tune is YOUR JOB. This
just helps you put the mouthpiece in a place where you have a chance! to play all the notes in tune.
Scale Intonation Assignment:
!
• Begin by following the procedures we learned on the previous pages. This will get your embouchure
shape and mouthpiece placement correct. After some practice you’ll be able to go through them really
quickly. !
• Then, play some LONG TONES to warm-up and listen to your TONE. !
• Using your tuner, play and hold out each note of your Bb Concert scale and adjust the pitch (tongue
shape) so that you can get each in tune. !
• Place an arrow in each blank below as to which way you had to adjust to play it in tune. You should
find that this is consistent from day to day!!
!
!
Concert Bb: ______!
(Alto G/Tenor C)
Concert A: ______!
(Alto F#/Tenor B)
Concert G: ______!
(Alto E/Tenor A)
Concert F: ______!
(Alto D/Tenor G)
Concert Eb: ______!
(Alto C/Tenor F)
Concert D: ______!
(Alto B/Tenor E)
Concert C: ______!
(Alto A/Tenor D)
Concert Bb: ______!
(Alto Low G/Tenor Middle C)
A NOTE ABOUT PLAYING IN TUNE: Working with a tuner does not mean you will always play in
tune. It is just a start to help you learn to change pitch and become familiar with the your
tendencies. When you play with an ensemble YOU MUST USE YOUR EAR to adjust. A tuner only
works one person at a time, not in a group setting!!!
Saxophone Scales “Performance”
If you choose to play in middle school (I hope you do!) your middle school band director will expect you to
know some scales entering 6th grade. After you have completed this assignment, when he or she asks “Do
you know any scales on your saxophone?” you will be able to say “Yes! Indeed I do. I know and can play 5
scales. C Major, G Major, D Major, F Major, and a Chromatic.” You’ll be off to a great start and make a good
impression. Here’s now it works:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
You will perform your scales for an “audience” (your class!). !
You must perform ALL of the scales in the same performance to get this checked off.!
You must be able to tell your audience what notes are in the scale without guessing (see below). !
You must play all the way up and down in one breath without stopping or fixing fingerings. !
You do not have to play fast but you DO have to play with a smooth steady tempo.!
You may have up to 3 attempts to play a scale before you have to move on to the next one. !
You may attempt this performance at as many classes as necessary to get it completed. The best thing to do
is to start SOON so you can have more than one opportunity.
You must fill in the blanks (speaking from memory) the following sentences before playing each of the major
scales: !
!
The next scale I will play is _____ Major. It has _____ flats (or sharps). They are (or “it is”) _____ . !
The notes in this scale are……….
Here are the scales you’ll be expected to perform:
C Major (Alto Eb Concert/Tenor Bb Concert): 2 Octaves - yeah!
G Major (Alto Bb Concert/Tenor F Concert):
D Major (Alto F Concert/Tenor C Concert):
F Major (Alto Ab Concert/Tenor Eb Concert):
C Chromatic:
Ascending (going up) Chromatic Scale:
same note
as“Eb”
same note
as“Bb”
B not Bb!
Remember, the saxophone doesn’t know what it is doing. It can only reproduce what is in your
head. If you can’t “sing and finger” then YOU don’t know what you are doing (just mindlessly
guessing) and the clarinet itself has no chance!
Descending (going down) Chromatic Scale:
same note
as“G#”
same note
as“F#”
same note
as“C#”
Have you noticed that some “fingerings” can have two different note names? !
These are called enharmonic spellings.
!
•
•
•
•
Examples are:
“A#” is the same as “Bb”
“G# is the same as “Ab”
“F# is the same as “Gb”
“Eb” is the same as “D#”
!
Can you think of one more?
!
(Hint: there are no keys pressed!)