Let's discuss the Saxophone embouchure. Embouchure is a French word
meaning "opening into." The embouchure is your lips and
facial muscles used in playing wind instruments. First you should place
your two front teeth on the top of the mouthpiece about a half inch from the
tip. Rest the weight of your head, or most of it, on the top of the
mouthpiece. You want the mouthpiece to be anchored in the same place in
your embouchure so the air stream is directed at the same place at all times. Tuck your lower lip over your lower teeth. Not too much,
not too little. Don't let your bottom teeth come in contact with the reed unless
you want all the dogs in the neighborhood to start howling! You should
always breathe through your mouth, keeping your top teeth on the mouthpiece. Drop
your lower jaw and open your mouth and inhale quickly. By breathing
this way, you can get a full breath of air in a very short period of time.
The proper articulation for the Saxophone is to start the notes with the
syllable "tah." This is critical to establish as soon as possible.
You don't actually say the word "tah," you make that motion with your tongue. Make
sure you can hear a slight "t" sound at the start of each note.
Keep your tongue relaxed and in the bottom of your mouth. Try to envision
what your tongue looks like as it hits the reed. Strive for the cleanest
articulation you can get, no extraneous noise.
A word or two about the air stream. Breath from your diaphragm; it is the
second strongest muscle in your body, so don't be afraid to use it. ;-)
One of
my former teachers once had me lay on my back on the floor and he placed a large
dictionary on my stomach and then sat on it. I could still breathe!
I had no idea the diaphragm was that powerful. To
spare you a long winded explanation (pun intended), fill up your stomach with
air and focus on the tip of the reed. Imagine a bulls-eye on the tip of the reed
and aim the air stream right there. A good analogy is to think of your
diaphragm as if it were a rubber band. If you hold a rubber band in both
hands and let it go, it just drops to the floor. If you stretch it out and
let it go, it flies away, right? Your diaphragm, like the rubber band,
doesn't start working until you stretch it. Another concept to give some
thought to is to think of the air stream as a string
or ribbon that is constantly coming out of your mouth. Another good
analogy is to think of your body as an aerosol spray can. You have
the compressed air coming out of a small opening, projecting far beyond the
opening. You must blow the air stream all the way
through the horn. This is a very important aspect of wind instrument tone
production. All the way through, out into the cosmos. For a great
book that covers this subject and many other aspects of Saxophone playing, click
on the title for The Art of Saxophone Playing
by Larry Teal.
