@GetYourSaxTogether Hi Jamie, Im using this embouchure but what's supposed to be happening with the bottom teeth ? The inside of my bottom lip seems to creep over my bottom teeth as I go higher even though I start with your exercise "fish lips" Should this be happening or is the bottom teeth resting or just close to the reed? thus illuminating any bite marks on the inside of my bottom lip or mouth?
Hello. my problem is the following. I played clarinet and switched to sax for a few years. I have a problem with sax embouchure. regarding this kind of embouchure what do I have to do with the lower teeth? I tend to collect. do you need teeth on the bottom or just lip hold? I have problems with tuning in the upper octave. I'm a little confused. i use selmer c* mouthpiece and reeds vandoren java 2 green! thanks
Great advice, Jamie. Another thing that helped me was to tilt my head down slightly in relation to the mouthpiece. (See Steve Grossman, Jerry Bergonzi and Dexter Gordon in your examples.) This caused me to lessen the "bite" of my upper teeth and lower pressure on my bottom lip. The more relaxed position improved my tone and caused the lower notes to pop out with ease. I still have control, but the tension is gone.
This does work and it shocked me! I picked this up from a different one of your videos, being a clarinetist (majored on it in college) this was intuitively very wrong but it's so right, less lip pain for sure, don't think it changed my sound much but it sure is easier to play in tune on my horn. Really shocked I can get in the altissimo with this and it actually helped with that.
Thank you for this! I just started playing 6 weeks ago, and couldn't figure out why I sounded spitty (maybe hissy) and wasn't getting clear enough sounds. This worked instantly!!
I'd reinforce the role that the corners of the mouth are playing. What I've come to realize since switching to this approach is that clamping the muscles at the corners is your support, allowing you to keep the parts in contact with the reed soft.
Jamie, Thank you!, Thank you!, Thank you! I remembered this from a while back in one of your lessons and always kept the goldfish pucker lips in my embouchure. It absolutely works. It helped me tremendously in preventing the air from escaping on the sides. It takes a while to properly attain it but the results are worth the practice and the end result is like you said "A killer sax tone"🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷🤓
I am most certainly no sort of expert on saxophone matters. There are probably as many different embouchures as there are saxophonists. Some experts state that there is no such thing as a wrong embouchure others state that their embouchure is the right one. Regardless of all this contradictory information there is one super proficient saxophonist considered by all, a master, who advocates his own version of that he refers to as the No Embouchure embouchure . Jerry Bergonzi however has not offered even a glimmer of enlightenment of his No Embouchure. Do you have any sort of explanation of the situation or could you offer me a link or links dealing with the Bergonzi No Embouchure embouchure? I hope you do and thanking you for any help in my quest/
Sorry, haven’t studied with Bergonzi so can’t help you. I can only imagine that he means do as little as possible with your embouchure, high probably means keep it pretty loose!
When I hit top notes (B-A-G) and then hold that embouchure for the next note in lower register (F-E-D), I get squeaks. Should I be changing embouchure that much to go to the lower tones?
Good question. You might have to change embouchure a little, but more than that you have to change “voicing”, which is the shape of your mouth and throat. Big topic!
Wasn't Coltrane using double lip embouchure? Maybe cause he started with a clarinet. What are your thoughts on the upper lip on the mouthpiece instead of teeth? In general I find that embouchure in reality is all about breath control. With a proper breath control the lips and mouth form naturally to the way you describe cause that gives the best sound. All other tensions I see as compensations for a weak breath control. With a double lip I found more flexibility to shape the sound.
I wish I saw this fifty years ago. I started on classical clarinet and never changed much unless I was smashed. And after a few years it’s not sustainable.
And advice to get better at playing low notes D and below specifically whenever I try those notes it starts out high then fixes but I want to be able to get it right of the bat I can hit all the low notes down to b flat but it takes a couple tries to get it to sound right
For one thing you use your throat not your embouchure to adjust tuning. Try play your middle E with your low Bb key down as well. That will flatten it.
After playing for three years, my tone wasn’t improving so I’m now goldfish bound. All of a sudden, I’m driving a powerful Ferrari that’s hard to control. Yes, I can hear the improved tone but it’s so demanding. My embouchure is so weak and it requires more air. Get that lower lip lower on that reed man … it’s a race to the bottom. Now -to develop the strength and air control to master it - I’m now feeling hopeful! Thanks Jaime - how does one go about getting you that cup of coffee?
Yea, but then also hear his sound, while he's a monster and I love him, his tone is very peculiar, one of a kind, and not something that necessarily everyone loves. To me it took a while to grow to love him, because of his style, which is also very special.
Instantly level up YOUR sax playing within free masterclass - www.getyoursaxtogether.com/masterclass
I have been playing for years with the incorrect embouchure, shredding my bottom lip. This video changed my life. 😭Thank you🙏
Happy to help!
Saying the word "Who" helps too.
Yeh it does actually.
@GetYourSaxTogether Hi Jamie, Im using this embouchure but what's supposed to be happening with the bottom teeth ? The inside of my bottom lip seems to creep over my bottom teeth as I go higher even though I start with your exercise "fish lips" Should this be happening or is the bottom teeth resting or just close to the reed? thus illuminating any bite marks on the inside of my bottom lip or mouth?
There can be some roll in as you go higher.
Hello. my problem is the following. I played clarinet and switched to sax for a few years. I have a problem with sax embouchure. regarding this kind of embouchure what do I have to do with the lower teeth? I tend to collect. do you need teeth on the bottom or just lip hold? I have problems with tuning in the upper octave. I'm a little confused. i use selmer c* mouthpiece and reeds vandoren java 2 green! thanks
Join my inner circle and I can answer all that stuff. Too complex for TH-cam comments 🤷🏻♂️
HA HAAA! That thumbnail was just perfect! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it!
I've discovered that I love classical sax. You said this might not be the best embouchure for that. What is the difference
Bit of a long story!
Great advice, Jamie. Another thing that helped me was to tilt my head down slightly in relation to the mouthpiece. (See Steve Grossman, Jerry Bergonzi and Dexter Gordon in your examples.) This caused me to lessen the "bite" of my upper teeth and lower pressure on my bottom lip. The more relaxed position improved my tone and caused the lower notes to pop out with ease. I still have control, but the tension is gone.
Yeh, see my nod vs crane video from a few months ago.
What I wonder is... don't you have to have the lower lip over your teeth? I can't see how you're doing this with this technique...
Lower lip still covers teeth!
This does work and it shocked me! I picked this up from a different one of your videos, being a clarinetist (majored on it in college) this was intuitively very wrong but it's so right, less lip pain for sure, don't think it changed my sound much but it sure is easier to play in tune on my horn. Really shocked I can get in the altissimo with this and it actually helped with that.
Fantastic!
Thank you for this! I just started playing 6 weeks ago, and couldn't figure out why I sounded spitty (maybe hissy) and wasn't getting clear enough sounds. This worked instantly!!
Glad I could help!
I'd reinforce the role that the corners of the mouth are playing. What I've come to realize since switching to this approach is that clamping the muscles at the corners is your support, allowing you to keep the parts in contact with the reed soft.
Yup. Support from the side. Totally agree.
Jamie, Thank you!, Thank you!, Thank you! I remembered this from a while back in one of your lessons and always kept the goldfish pucker lips in my embouchure. It absolutely works. It helped me tremendously in preventing the air from escaping on the sides. It takes a while to properly attain it but the results are worth the practice and the end result is like you said "A killer sax tone"🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷🤓
Awesome Carlos!
I am most certainly no sort of expert on saxophone matters. There are probably as many different embouchures as there are saxophonists. Some experts state that there is no such thing as a wrong embouchure others state that their embouchure is the right one. Regardless of all this contradictory information there is one super proficient saxophonist considered by all, a master, who advocates his own version of that he refers to as the No Embouchure embouchure . Jerry Bergonzi however has not offered even a glimmer of enlightenment of his No Embouchure. Do you have any sort of explanation of the situation or could you offer me a link or links dealing with the
Bergonzi No Embouchure embouchure? I hope you do and thanking you for any help in my quest/
Sorry, haven’t studied with Bergonzi so can’t help you. I can only imagine that he means do as little as possible with your embouchure, high probably means keep it pretty loose!
When I hit top notes (B-A-G) and then hold that embouchure for the next note in lower register (F-E-D), I get squeaks. Should I be changing embouchure that much to go to the lower tones?
Good question. You might have to change embouchure a little, but more than that you have to change “voicing”, which is the shape of your mouth and throat. Big topic!
So no teeth under the bottom lip at all? Never ever?
No, your bottom lip does still overlap your bottom teeth.
Hey, could you do a video using different embouchure techniques showing the effect of that on tone please?
That stuff is kinda scattered through all these type of vids.
Wasn't Coltrane using double lip embouchure? Maybe cause he started with a clarinet.
What are your thoughts on the upper lip on the mouthpiece instead of teeth?
In general I find that embouchure in reality is all about breath control. With a proper breath control the lips and mouth form naturally to the way you describe cause that gives the best sound. All other tensions I see as compensations for a weak breath control.
With a double lip I found more flexibility to shape the sound.
Yeh some great players use double. I don’t teach it but I know it can be really effective.
Practicing with you after my morning class, hopefully my neighbors won't go mad 😂
Have fun!
great lesson! New to thw sax world.. i always assumed you were supposed to be slightly biting the mouthpiece piece?
Lordy, NO! 🤦🏻
You should totally make a sax guide for Michael Brecker’s solo in the song “planet of the New Orleans”
Thanks for the suggestion.
I wish I saw this fifty years ago. I started on classical clarinet and never changed much unless I was smashed. And after a few years it’s not sustainable.
At least you’ve seen it now!
Thank you so much! I'm totally a beginner. And this helps a lot. ❤
You're so welcome!
And advice to get better at playing low notes D and below specifically whenever I try those notes it starts out high then fixes but I want to be able to get it right of the bat I can hit all the low notes down to b flat but it takes a couple tries to get it to sound right
Find my video on low notes?
Meant as a compliment. Hilarious as in fun to watch and to learn from!!! Please carry on....
☺️
Thanks for the awesome content Jamie!
A kind of unrelated (but not really) question: what's the song at 1:01? :D
It’s a track I wrote myself. Unreleased.
@@GetYourSaxTogether Sounds fantastic :)
@@GetYourSaxTogether Could you share it with me please?
I will try it on my Dukoff D9. But tomorrow, because now it's night and I don't want to wake up all the neighbors, hehe!
Go for it!
@@GetYourSaxTogether Ah, what a mad idea! Now I must buy new glasses to my windows 🤣🤣🤣
woah! i’m about two weeks into learning sax, this was a game changer! thanks man!
Happy to help!
Selfie duck or Fish face 😂
😜
What’s the tune/song being played at 1:00?
That’s actually an unreleased track of mine.
Thanks for the video. I would find very useful a focus on embochure adaptation in order to lower middle D and E, that are tipically sharper.
For one thing you use your throat not your embouchure to adjust tuning. Try play your middle E with your low Bb key down as well. That will flatten it.
@@GetYourSaxTogether Great suggestion! I'll work on it!
thanks for the lesson
My pleasure!
Thank you, Mr Anderson, it's works!
You're welcome!
After playing for three years, my tone wasn’t improving so I’m now goldfish bound. All of a sudden, I’m driving a powerful Ferrari that’s hard to control. Yes, I can hear the improved tone but it’s so demanding. My embouchure is so weak and it requires more air. Get that lower lip lower on that reed man … it’s a race to the bottom. Now -to develop the strength and air control to master it - I’m now feeling hopeful! Thanks Jaime - how does one go about getting you that cup of coffee?
Keep at it! Thanks so much for the great comment. Very much appreciated
Buy Me A Coffee (PayPal not accepted)👉www.buymeacoffee.com/GetYourSaxTogether
Thanks very much!
You're welcome
Gracias por hacer estas lecciones yo vivo en Costa Rica. Y cuesta mucho tener lecciones de Sax en Pop y Jazz
🙏🏻
Excellent, I have just started sax after learning clarinet. This has shown me exactly the difference
Great!
I was always told to put my bottom tip over my teeth and tighten the sides of my mouth - but this is super helpful! I’m gonna make doing this a habit🎷
Glad it helps!
3:00 still me after 20 years 🤣
🤣
Cheers for the advice Jamie! It appears that you've had a haircut (or your ears have dropped heh heh) love your sound
🙏
You're hilarious!
Thanks. I think!
Brilliant as usual!
Ta! 🙏🏻
So simple is it ,
?
Nice, see Jan Garbarek
Yea, but then also hear his sound, while he's a monster and I love him, his tone is very peculiar, one of a kind, and not something that necessarily everyone loves. To me it took a while to grow to love him, because of his style, which is also very special.
@@tuxsax agree! End of the day every one represent own soul of sound, this we love saxophone as best instrument! All the best!
😎