Upper Register Performance Soprano Sax - A Question

A question was posed to me last week and as there are many elements of my reply that might be of interest to others I offer the following on this topic.

Question:

I struggle with getting high notes on my soprano sax. Should I change my reed (strength) ?

Reply:

Changing your reed strength may be helpful but just playing a harder reed (I have to assume this is what you mean) will not necessarily be the answer. The soprano sax should not be more ‘difficult’ than other saxophones but its small size means that it may be more critical. Little things will make big differences. Every aspect of your playing technique is ‘under the microscope’ in ways larger saxes do not require to the same degree. This is why prior experience in alto or tenor sax is usually recommended before adding the soprano to your saxophone armoury.

There are many factors that will affect the response and stability of the saxophone upper register, especially on soprano, so a review of them may be useful:

• The embouchure must still be ‘round and supportive’ but not too tight. Playing a stable concert C on the soprano mouthpiece setup alone is a good target (concert Ab for alto, concert Gb for tenor).
• The correct amount of mouthpiece in the mouth is very important – too much in the mouth and the sound and upper register response will suffer, too little and the tone will be dead and both high and low registers will be compromised.
• The airstream used should feel significantly faster for the soprano and if the high notes are unstable you may need to ‘focus’ the air into a smaller yet still energetic stream in order to provide what the upper range notes require.
• The quantity of air used for different registers will need to be varied – higher, shorter tube notes require less (they are easy to overpower) whereas lower, longer tube notes will require a proportionally greater volume of air to fill the tube and stabilise their response.
• Inside your oral cavity the tongue must have a more exaggerated ‘arch’ position than what you use on the alto, tenor or baritone and this arch is closer to the rear of the mouth. This is a bit like saying the vowel sound ‘Eeeeee’
• Your mouthpiece must be in a good tuning position on the cork. If pulled off too far the low notes will not speak properly and high notes will be very flat in pitch and unresponsive. If the mouthpiece is pushed on too far on you might think all is okay - until you check your tuning – when you are likely to find the high register to be extremely sharp and the instrument very out of tune with itself.
• If your mouthpiece tip opening is moderate or narrow then a medium to medium strong reed (strength 2.5 to 3.5 in most brands) is likely to be required in order to provide stability throughout the instrumental range, right up to high F# or G.
• If your mouthpiece tip opening is on the larger side a somewhat softer reed may provide a better match. Too strong and you will find yourself fighting the low register and having to ‘bite’ too hard to make your basic sound.
• Higher baffle mouthpieces (including many jazz style mouthpieces) will be generally brighter and in fact may facilitate upper register playing but may also demand more relaxation in the embouchure and ‘favouring’ downward for pitch. Moderate or lower baffle mouthpieces are generally more stable for intonation and are likely be more manageable throughout the entire range.

As a guide I would suggest that you are in search of a reed strength that provides enough resistance to meet the demands of your properly focused and well-regulated airstream without excess embouchure pressure required.

Success with higher register notes should follow.

The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful. 

Thomas Dryer-Beers

High Energy / High Baffle Sax Mouthpieces

High Energy / High Baffle Sax Mouthpieces

A recent question from a pupil revived this subject for me and inspired some further thoughts that I would like to share.

The subject of how a sax player creates a distinctive sound and musical personality is complicated and one of the biggest factors is the mouthpiece and reed 'set-up' they choose. For many players their choice of equipment is an evolution, from whatever was supplied with their starter instrument, to perhaps a mouthpiece recommended by a tutor or colleague, to mouthpieces that they have selected themselves following many comparisons and perhaps finally to one inspired by an influential player whose sound and musical approach seem to represent exactly what one wishes to achieve. It was whilst considering this final stage that my thoughts have recently been engaged.

One of the most attractive qualities associated with contemporary popular sax styles is an 'edgy', vibrant tone, one that is soulful and expressive and that competes, when amplified, with the sounds guitars, keyboards and synthesizers. For example, alto saxophonist David Sanborn established a personal style that was highly influential throughout the 1970's through to the present day and is now widely imitated and admired to this day. He learned how to get the most out of his Dukoff Silverite metal mouthpiece and for many players this set-up became their choice as well. Other brands including Berg Larsen (ebonite and metal), Brilhart 'Level Air' (metal), Beechler (plastic and metal), Claude Lakey (plastic) and Lawton (ebonite and metal) have also been popular (and no doubt other makes as well). The late and greatly missed Michael Brecker had huge influence on tenor saxophone sounds using his Dukoff and later Dave Guardala mouthpieces. Since the late 1980's many other manufactures have also entered the market place manufacturing 'high energy' mouthpieces.

The common factor amongst all of these mouthpieces is the presence of a 'high baffle' the terminology for which can itself cause some confusion. This feature is a reduction of the distance of the gap inside the chamber of a mouthpiece between the flat underside surface of the reed and the mouthpiece baffle itself. The result is a 'squeeze' of the vibrating air column as air passes through the gap. One could almost say that the 'ceiling' of the mouthpiece inside chamber shape has been 'lowered' to achieve this - hence the confusion. The exaggerated 'high' position of the baffle accentuates the higher overtones present in the vibrating column of air, allows for an easier response of the upper altissimo register, can make lower register tones more difficult to attack with subtlety (without playing with a subtone), may alter or accentuate intonation patterns, creates the impression of greater projection and, of course, adds 'edge'.

When many saxophonists first try such mouthpieces they can be shocked by the sounds they make. These may vary from surprisingly attractive, to promising but challenging to control, to positively ugly or sqeaky. What I believe lies behind these reactions and helps to explain the range of responses by players is something that frequently goes unstated and under appreciated:

How one uses and focuses the air stream is critical to success.

• A 'high baffle' mouthpiece must be allowed to 'do its thing' and the musician must learn how not to interfere and allow the set-up to work freely.

A frequent further contributing factor to potential disappointment is the use of too much lip pressure on the reed. High baffle mouthpieces are highly efficient. They will create their sound with a minimum of embouchure effort as long as sufficient, energised and well-focussed air is present. In fact they will often play best when matched with a slightly stronger reed as a too-soft reed will not provide sufficient resistance to the powerful air stream in use and is likely to lead to a kazoo like sound and an overall loss of control.

When I watch wonderful players deeply involved in blowing their saxes I often note the impression they can give of 'working hard' as they blow, especially as they strive for upper register notes. In fact I am convinced what is actually happening is an intense concentration on proper focus of their air stream and the removal of lip pressure.

The players are seeking the 'sweet spot':

• Where minimal lip pressure, an ideal positioning of the lower lip on reed for best vibration for the register involved and the employment of a perfectly regulated quantity of air combine to achieve the desired results.

Fine players achieve this complex balancing act so effectively that their listeners do not imagine the effort involved and, those who are themselves sax players, tend to credit their musical heroes and heroines wonderful tones and exciting musicianship to the magic of their mouthpiece - overlooking the skills they have gained through learning how to best use their equipment.

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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful. 

Thomas Dryer-Beers

The Clarinet Intonation Learning Curve

The Clarinet Intonation Learning Curve


Perhaps you remember your first sounds on the clarinet? Mine remain fresh in my mind even after many years. They were frankly ugly, unpredictable and unrewarding - but I was determined to get better and of course, with practice, things did improve. Almost everyone who begins playing the clarinet will have some version of my experience and perhaps by sharing some of the usual stages of progression to playing well some benefit can be gained and some frustrations avoided.

Pre-Grade 1 to approximately Grade 2 standard -

When we begin the initial sounds, when they are produced at all, are often very spread in tone and flat in pitch. A combination of a yet to develop embouchure, often too great a quantity of air in use and a thin reed make such results predictable. Manufactures know this is likely to be the case and they design their student instruments to be able to correct for this when assembled completely 'pushed in'.

A helpful tip is to not worry too much (or not at all) about the higher (clarion) register and to concentrate upon making a good and predictable tone in the lower (chalumeau) register. As most beginners seem to be recommended to begin on a soft reed, strength 1.5 usually, this should work well for starting off but by the time one comes to play in the upper register it is probably best to have moved on to a slightly stronger strength. Strength 2 or 2.5 depending upon the brand would be my recommendation.

Whilst still concentrating on the low register it is possible to improve the tone quality by concentrating on using a well-supported, fast moving air stream that is delivered to the instrument in an appropriate quantity for the note(s) being played. It is worth checking that a Concert C can be sounded on the clarinet mouthpiece alone. This is the highest pitch sensibly available on the mouthpiece and the only correct pitch when the embouchure and air are in balance.

A useful concept that I have often shared is:

'The Two Q's': Quantity and Quality.

Players should always be aware of supplying the appropriate Quantity of air for whatever notes are being played, varying with the register, the volume being attempted, the type of attack and the timbre or expression sought.

They must always use the best Quality of air that they can produce - this never varies and is the foundation of all beautiful playing. The degree of success one has in musical performance at all stages of learning is usually a direct indication of how well this principle has been understood and incorporated.

Grade 3 to approximately Grade 6 standard -

So, after beginning to play and everything seem to be pitched flat one is improving, blowing better air, managing with a firmer reed and the embouchure is beginning to develop. The upper register is being attempted and expectations are rising. So often is pitch! It is time to consider pulling out the barrel from the top joint of the student clarinet (up to 3mm is not unusual) and even consider additional 'distributive tuning' at the middle tenon and at the bell if necessary. Often a willingness to play with too great an embouchure pressure has taken over the best practice on the supply of air. If this is the case a symptom may be that newly learned altissimo register notes (D3 above the staff and higher) will likely be thin sounding, unstable and 'brittle' as well as sharp. Keep working at The Two Q's and remember - high notes are not meant to be hard to play - they are just more demanding of accuracy in blowing.

Grade 7 and beyond -

You will hopefully have upgraded to a higher quality instrument and better mouthpiece by now. In addition your altissimo notes (high F, F#, G and above) have become an important focus and regular expectation for your playing, hopefully your overall tuning has begun to stabilise and the characteristics of your instrument, as designed by the manufacturer are beginning to be recognised. You should be aware that your lowest 'bell notes' (low E through low F#) are usually low in pitch so that the corresponding 12th above (middle B, through C#) are not uncomfortably sharp in their tuning. Left hand first first finger and thumb E and thumb F are often intentionally a bit low so that their overblown 12ths, the upper B and C, are not incorrect-ably sharp. Throat A and Bb, notes that once seemed very flat and ugly in tone now are much closer to true pitch and will actually benefit from the addition of combinations of right and left hand fingers, referred to as 'resonance fingerings' that will help to lower pitch and enrich the tone.

It is worth reminding oneself that the clarinet, as with all wind instruments, is an acoustical compromise with inherent challenges to be overcome. Once these known compromises are recognised and understood it is possible, with a well supported and appropriately shaped air stream and flexible embouchure control, to obtain predictable and very functional intonation - ultimately leaving one able to match and blend with other players, difficult performance conditions and ensembles where other players do not play as well 'in tune' as you do!

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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful. 

Thomas Dryer-Beers