How to Improve Your Saxophone Embouchure Quickly
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มิ.ย. 2024
- I am often asked by students about the best exercise to quickly improve embouchure strength and form! This video is about my favorite embouchure training exercise.
Music: "Revolution: I. Groove Canon" by Marc Mellits, recorded by the Chiaro Trio.
Saxo Gear:
- Selmer Claude Delangle mouthpiece
- Legèré Signature 3 1/4 synthetic reed
- Air Music Super Series silver plated ligature
- Selmer Paris SA80 Series III alto saxophone
- Breathtaking Lithe
A/V Gear
- Olympus E-M1 Mark II
- Blue Yeti Pro
- Recorded into and processed in Logic Pro X
#musiclesson #sax #saxotips #saxophoneplayer #saxophone #saxophoneplayers #saxophonist #saxo #saxofon #saxofonista #saxofone #music #musician #musicianlife #lesson #musiclessons #band #bandkids #bandnerd #concertband #marchingband #marchingbandmemes #bandmemes #legere #selmer #connselmer #selmerparis #selmersaxophone #embouchure - เพลง
Did you know I teach at Oklahoma City University's Wanda L. Bass School of Music? Learn more about the OCU Saxophone Studio:
- IG: instagram.com/ocusax/
- FB: facebook.com/ocusax
- More: www.okcu.edu/music/admissions/auditions
Dude this is unreal. I've started working on this exercise at the advice of a lesson teacher because I'm having a lot of fatigue problems. Your flexibility is insane!
Thanks for watching, hope this helps! Love your stuff btw.
frankie???
yooo it's sir frank
I haven't played the saxophone in a year , I'm trying to get my embochure back to where it was, I'm thankful for this
Same but 3 years for me 😬
Same but 6 years for me :|
Props for making an instructional video funny lol
I live to serve!
?
the "end my suffering" edit caught me off guard lmao
I’m glad somebody noticed!
I gave a snort my wife heard from the other end of the house.
Right, like Joe Allard exercise...thanks
Thanks, Joshua! I started on alto 30 years ago, then stopped after a year or so. I always ended with a sorely bitten lower lip. My embouchure was far from pleasant or consistent. Tried several different reeds, even a more expensive mouthpiece than the one Yamaha put in case. No-one ever pointed out that my lower lip should be outside my teeth. I was about to get my lower incisors rounded off by the dentist, when I decided to check on TH-cam. I found one other teacher who helped me out of the dream and now your video which made me smile instead of banging my head on my saxophone case. I’m going straight to practise!
Embouchre strength from the sides is absolutely essential like you say at 0:21. For about a month, I lost all strength on the right right side of my mouth due to Bell's Palsy (a facial paralysis) It left me unable to play a single note on a saxophone without air just leaking out the side. Then, until strength came back completely, I couldn't play loud or high. I'm fully recovered now and I've learned to keep the sides of my embouchre firm (and not to just bite the reed in the middle).
I found this really helpful! Normally when I practice, my embouchure tends to get sore after like an hour, but it only 10 minutes of this to make me feel like its getting stronger. Ive been very on and off and the current pandemic isn’t fun, but what a great vid to re-obtain my ombrechure.
Glad this video could be useful!
I had to watch this video for a band class assignment and I was expecting a really cringy or boring video but this one made me laugh and didn’t drag on.
Too cool! Which band program is showing my video for class?
@@heaneymusic For obvious reasons I don’t want to give out my high school, but it was for our concert band
I played tenor sax around 8 years as a teen and now 10 years later got hit by a real sax fever, playing has never felt so good and right. Bought my first pro alto sax, used black selmer sa2, playing everyday feels so easy when people like you make such terrific content. Thanks so much for this one, noticed that my embrouchure wasnt nearly as good as i thought (:
Never will be. As you improve, you want more. This means you are human. Just play man and record some of it.
Great exercise. Just tried it for the first time on my baritone and got down to the Low A - but I felt it all way down! Will carry on as part of my practise routine.
I’m glad it works for you!!
Love this exercise, Josh! I'm going to start incorporating it into my teaching.
Can't wait to try this! Great!
Thanks
Excellent!! Love your tone.
Great.Loved the tutorial. Thank you.
Thanks for your advise! Six weeks ago i started to learn Sax and good to listen to experts like you to improve. Greetings from Germany!
So clever and cute advice!❤
Thanks for this Joshua. I've just realised how much I bite my mouthpiece and this is a great method for moving away from my bad habit!
Amazing exercise. Every saxophone student should do this
Thanks!
Thanks brother!
This is great! I was taught this years ago by saxophonist Mark Vinci and it made a huge difference (along with the Sigurd Rascher Top Tones book). It was great to see a short, clear video of this. I just shared it with someone.
Great Sir, simpaly amazing, unbelievable clear sounding....
Just picked up the sax, thanks man I will work on this!
This funny exercise has helped me a lot, thank you!
Thank you for the info.
Excellent advice for improving sound. Like learning how to do power lifting.
Thank for this good tip!
Great tip
WOW! This really helped!
Thanks Joshua I shall have a go at this , I’m a complete newby at 57 so I’m sucking up as much advice as possible and this made a lot of sense to me . I shall give it my best shot 👍
Def'n new to me. Makes sense. Thanks!
Such a great help, thanks a lot!
Wow, this is challenging!! Thanks for the advice.
Have fun!
thanks a lot!!!
VERY helpful, Joshua. I'm a clarinetist that hasn't played in over 20 years. I had only picked up the tenor just before I stopped playing altogether. Recently, I've just started to roll my lower lip out more than what I had already been doing, I was searching for exercises that focused more on the upper lip (or its use as a light seal.) Your exercises should keep me busy for the next 6 months. Thanks so much.
Thank you my ,aim is clarinet and this helped me so much getting the lower notes
Good advise I will try that.
Good luck!
I will try this. Haven’t played in a while and need to get my chops back
Excellent pedagogical content. This is a fantastic way to get students an opportunity to become aware of the fundamentals of embouchure.
Thank you, I appreciate your kind words and your viewership!
Wow so helpful
Thanks alot really helpfull!
Thanks I learnt something new from you
Joshua...........you're a good teacher..........thanx for these exercises to improve my Embouchure
great video helped alot!
Beauuuutiful information
This is so useful thank you
thanks so much. I am biting down and my endurance has been a problem. I am working this and I am hoping it solves my endurance problem and improves my tone as well. I am seeing some improvement so I am hopeful ! I appreciate your video and help.
Even without the mouthpiece to hand it's quite a work out for the embouchure! 👍
Super helpful! I have something to work on for sure
Good luck!
Helped more then my band director
muito bom parabéns!
Bro.... you just helped me have a major breakthrough in my intonation. I was basically rolling the bottom lip in so much it made the space in my mouth smaller making middle d and e very sharp. Rolling out, it fixed it and i learned that there is a spot om the cork where the whole horn plays pretty well in tune now as long as I maintain lip rolled out and steady air stream
educational AND funny :D just bought myself the Nuovo Jsax
Thank you
Thanks for watching!
Really nice man, sounding great like that. I'm a clarinet player and we did that at academy. Haven' tried that on saxophone yet... 👍👏
Good. I hope it's functional. Thanks
This seems great. I'll try it next time I practice. At some point in high school I randomly started biting to the point that my bottom lip would have a wound. Sadly, I was never able to unlearn that habit, so I eventually stopped playing... I'm doing my best to avoid doing that again.
Hi thanks for sharing, I heard this exercise in a flute symposium known as the “ the rabbit” 🐰 🎶 I used this exercises to warm up and make my upper lip more aware and active relaxed bit form at the same time!
Glad to see it has roots in other winds, too!
this method forces us to use the side muscles. if not using this method, then practice regularly by focusing not to bite and relax the lower tip will also gradually improve the embouchure. Also, pull up your neck strap a bit don't let the reed sit too tight on the lower lip.
I've only started playing sax a couple of weeks back, and couldn't bend a single note. Thanks to this vid, I can bend all I like and my tone has improved in a matter of 10 minutes.
Thank you very much, Joshua!
Glad this helped!
Wonderful thank you, I've just started on tenor and soprano and I immediately got what you meant. You're a great teacher and I'll check back in frequently.
So glad you found this helpful!
I play flute and piccolo and I want to learn sax for jazz band. I really have been struggling (due to having only “one” embouchure).
This is amazing it actually worked. 👍
I tried but not working, thinking my untidy teeth leaks all the air with my weak lip muscle until I saw your second Video about Sucking Thumb.
I know the shape of the lips matters but never think of a whistling-like shape.
I thought it is a "tight-lip" flat shape instead of a protruding round shape. Now, I am much less strained with no bites on my lower lip.
Thanks a lottttttttttttttttttt
Everyone has a technique ☮️🎶🎵🎷
Hi Josh,,ive been playing for 3 years now,i feel i have a pretty good sound on my Tenor but im gonna try your method and see if i can improve,,i can only do altisimo G,,your altisimo sounds amazing! thanks for the tip!
Thank you! I hope this video helps you develop your tone and altissimo.
Looks absolutely ridiculous and can't wait to try it!
That’s the spirit!
Whenever I do this exercise, I have way too much air leaking out of my mouth. I can get a sound out pretty well, but I get really light headed playing this way. Is there any way to fix this? Also, awesome video! With the short time I've been using this exercise, I can already notice a difference in my playing. I have played sax for 7 years now, but I'm trying to work more on fundamentals.
7 years ???? .... air leaking out of my mouth ??? but how is this possible ???
Great video teacher, I saw that you use a selmer series 3, in your opinion the series 3 is superior to the S80 2? If you can answer I would be grateful...Brazilian here.
been playing for 12 years, and i definitely bite… yeah i cannot make a sound at all. it is so hard. i will keep practicing.
HAHAHA thank you!
i get dizzy doing this. how to solve it?
there's some straight up Eric Wareheim moments in this vid!
so.. im trying this and it's impossible, lol. how do you keep a loose bottom lip doing this?
Not impossible, but perhaps tricky to do when new! Sounds like you may be using a too hard reed if you find yourself biting. Don’t give up. :)
Thank you so much! It is helping me a lot.... also i have a question, when i do the excersise at the beggining it doesnt make a sound and there was only air blowing between my mouth and mouthpeace, but now I can make a little sound but still the air escaping.... This is the way to do it until there is only sound and no air escaping? Or am i doing it wrong? Thank you for your help!!!
You’re supposed to have air escape through your lifted top lift / teeth however are not supposed to have air escape through the corners of the embouchure.
@@heaneymusic perfect! Thanks!!
@@heaneymusic What do you mean by corners? (Anatomical terms work)
Hey, I can make a sound, but air escapes all the same from the corner. Do you have any tips ? Ty !
Try playing a softer reed!
Gah! I have self-taught myself tenor saxophone to a successful Grade 5 exam... I can't make any sound with this exercise... clearly a sign of terrible technique on my part. Bad times! Any tips on how to build to it or just keep trying?!
Hi Joshua, I just can't get a sound out of my saxophone while doing this exercise. Do you have any tips? :(
🤓🎉
i just tried it and no sound.. does that mean poor embouchure already or I need to try some more times this exercise?
Thanks for posting. This is the craziest video on embouchure I've seen. Hope it works.
This means you are playing with an embouchure that is too tight and relies too much upon jaw pressure. Keep trying the exercise.
@@heaneymusic thank you, I'll keep trying. It is amazing how you can play so clearly with the lifted upper lip. Do you use a bigger grasp of air than with normal embouchure, to compensate for the air loss?
@@sbooontheroad Yes, I generally take a very full initial breath.
i have a gap between my two front teeth how do i improve with that?
How do I switch from this normal embrochure to a jazz embrochure and is there an exercise for that? Ive been playing on and off for 12 years, and have a great classical tone.... but I cant sound like a jazz saxophonist for anything.
That may be a better question for a jazz-oriented teacher! I too am more classically oriented.
Where will be the tongue? under the reed
Did you do those scales in one breath?
Generally!
ahh i can't stop laughing when i make the face 😆 but i need help! i literally make no sound when i try to do it and i've been doing it for the past ten minutes or so. is it supposed to happen after a few minutes or some days of practice? thanks!
oh, nevermind i JUST got sound from it
Seems like you got it, but yes, it takes time to figure it out. Have fun!
@@heaneymusic thank you! the video was great by the way
I have diastema in my incisors will this exercise work for me? Moreso, I'm always forced to play having my mouthpiece between my upper lips and lower lips. What should I do?
I believe so.
I`m getting no sound and nearly passed out with dizziness lol
Your horn actually sounds similar to a clarinet @3:34.
I used to play for few years at a high level then took a break for several years, now i can't play.. can't make a sound without squeaking. i've tried everything embrocher wise, reed wise, breathing wise. any tips? could it be possible that it's the sax and not me? 😭 i'm lost and so frustrated
Could be many things. Bad reeds, mouthpiece might be defective, or you could be biting.
What witchery is this...
(I'm definitely going to try this)
Have fun!
but like i bite on my bottom lip a lot and it swells after playing a while and i feel my teeth marks with my tounge on my inner lip 😭
I started playing the saxophone yesterday so I didn't expect to be able to do this exercise well, but I can't even make a sound at all. Way too much air leaking when I lift my top lip. Do I just need more practice?
I think this exercise is aimed at players with a little more experience than absolute beginners. Focus on making a consistent sound then come back to this maybe a month or two from now.
Can this be modified for clarinet?
Yep, it works in the same manner!
Does it work on clarinet aswell?
Yep!
What if I have a separated front teeth
it's my first day with a saxophone and it's so discouraging not being able to make a sound with this exercise 😭 😵
This is not exactly an exercise I would recommend for literal day 1. Give yourself some time to learn the basics, then return to this later!
@@heaneymusic thank you. I will revisit after some time. 😄 Won't be hard to remember with a thumbnail like that hehe
I have always had a problem sounding too “spitty”-don’t know what else to call it, especially when articulating. Any advice for me? 🤓
How can you get a well rounded sound when your mouth was open and your teeth showing?
Years of practice, a fast airstream, good embouchure, and reliable mouthpiece+reed.