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

Developing Better Hand Position for Efficient Playing

Developing Better Hand Position for Efficient Playing

A recent enquiry set my mind off thinking of the many times I have tried to either help myself, my pupils or colleagues to improve one aspect or other of their hand position and finger motion - the goal usually being to reduce strain on the hand, thumb, wrist or fingers or to increase playing speed in a technically challenging passage. Over many years of observation, and benefiting from welcome guidance of numerous fine teachers, several strategies have 'won out' and remain part of my repertoire to this day. I would like to share some thoughts and suggestions.

• Relaxation is vital

We all have different hand and finger shapes and finding the most relaxed, comfortable position for operation of the keys or valves is vital. Every instrument has its own requirements that need to be studied and acknowledged. If you take time to observe fine performers whom you respect you are likely to see good habits manifested. Look at yourself and your posture / fingering in the mirror while playing. How do you compare with those whose technique you admire?

Bad habits often start by not paying attention to what for each of us is most natural and relaxed. Even with the best of intentions forcing a finger to stretch or move a certain way that is not comfortable rarely leads to efficient or sustainable technique. Remember, though it may seem obvious, it is a good idea to try to adapt to the requirements of your instrument and not expect it to adapt to you.

• Repetition with a purpose

Practising a passage over and over again without examining what your fingers are actually doing can become very frustrating and even cause damage to the delicate tissues, muscles and tendons of the hand or arm. Practice slowly in a controlled manner in order to learn new habits or reinforce better finger function. Better finger coordination, relaxation and accuracy should be the goal.

Allow speed to be the end result of a careful and considered, slow study of exactly how your fingers are required to move in order to perform the passage. Speed should never be the first consideration. 

Remember: 'Do not run before you can walk.'

• Understanding the issue

If one considers the requirements of the many and varied actions required to change notes, perform trills and execute leaps on wind instruments over a sustained period of time there is a huge range of motions and co-ordinations to be executed, with micro-second precision and often involving quite complex and 'unnatural' (in most any other context) motions. 

Think about the following for example:

Am I attempting to close a key or depress a valve? In which case the note that I wish to create has a tube length which will only be fully realised at the finish of the action. 

Am I opening a key or releasing a valve? In this case the note I have been on will begin to be 'lost' the instant I move from its closed position and the new tube length / note will begin as soon as the motion starts but not fully achieved until the action of the release is completed.

Am I opening some keys / valves while closing others (or visa versa)? Which tube lengths will begin to sound or stop sounding first? How must the action of my fingers therefore compensate for the requirements of this action on my instrument?

Are some of my fingers 'weaker' than others? Do I have to be more aware of these fingers in order to perform a passage smoothly? Do some fingers seem to 'charge ahead' and would they perhaps benefit from being 'held back' in order to balance with the rest? Learning how to 'weight' a note or set of notes is a very valuable skill and one frequently called upon to even out playing both physically and musically.

• Tension, present but never in excess

Whilst some degree of  'tension' is required to hold the hand and fingers in the most appropriate 'ready' position in order to operate keys or valves but such tension should be kept to a minimum. When operating keys or valves it is a good idea to distribute the muscle actions required up your forearms engaging these longer muscles rather than relying solely on the fingers or wrist to create movement. This use of the forearm muscles is very natural and this is how our bodies are meant to work but the familiar introduction of excess and unnecessary tension continually circumvents these very natural motions resulting in a 'locked' hand and 'seized-up' or 'tight' fingers. 

Try always to allow the fingers to find their own gently curved positions, ready to engage with key work or valves with a minimum of effort and travel distance and look to the muscles of the forearms to be the source of the action for lifting and closing.

• Acceptance of limits

 If you have observed, considered, practised and as a result, managed to improve your finger technique, you will begin over time to approach your own personal maximum for speed and accuracy. As long as you are able to remain relaxed while you work to develop your most efficient finger technique you can expect that increased speed and accuracy will result. However, not everyone can achieve the same finger speeds or degree of smoothness. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.  

In summary:

Some techniques or passages may take a great deal to time to master but if you are able to acknowledge and accept your limitations while learning (or relearning) the best possible approaches to all aspects of your instrumental finger technique then you are not only more likely to enjoy the physical act of playing but also find it easier to produce more rewarding and satisfying performances.

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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

Tips on Switching Between Clarinet and Saxophone

Tips on Switching Between Clarinet and Saxophone

from The Single Reed Doctor Column, CASS Article December 2016

In response to a question posed by a member of the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain I the reply below. I hope it might also be of interest and helpful for Wind Player Advice readers.

Question:

I play both clarinet and saxophone but find it difficult to move between the two. The sax feels very open, requiring a lot of air, while the clarinet feels tight and pressured. I have recently started playing in shows and need to improve my quick changes between the two. Is there anything I could do to my set-up that would make this easier?

My 'Single Reed Doctory' reply:

This is a very good and multifaceted question and one that I am afraid does not have a quick or straight forward answer. Some players never seem to need help with this. They just ‘get it’ and manage to double sax and clarinet seemingly without much effort. Most players need to examine this question in greater detail and the process of examination should prove useful for anyone wishing to play their best.

You will find examples of equipment intended to make switching between clarinet and saxophone easier but in my opinion this route does not help in the long run as it can obscure the issue. It is fair to say that moderate tip openings and standard chamber mouthpieces are likely to make for easier control of both instruments possible - therefore you may wish to avoid extremes - however, leaving equipment aside - a thorough understanding of the requirements for good playing on each instrument is the best way to develop your control and to achieve a rewarding, characteristic tone on both clarinet and saxophone(s).

The clarinet has a cylindrical bore and all saxophones have conical bores. This central difference contributes to not only how each instrument overblows but how it responds. The reason the sax feels so ‘open’, something quite disorienting to many clarinettists, is that the amount of air required to fill the tube is highly variable depending upon the length of tube in use and the register. The clarinet bore, to many saxophonists, feels quite ‘stuffy’ and resistant - or pressured as you suggest. This is largely due to the more consistent taper dimension of the bore (varying significantly only at the bell) and the requirement of a uniformly higher pressure throughout the entire range of the instrument regardless of the fingered length of the tube.

In my teaching I have used the concept of the Two Q’s when trying to explain this and perhaps you might find this helpful.

• The Quality of the air pressure must remain the same for both instruments, at all times and at all dynamics.

• The Quantity of the air used varies depending upon the range, register, dynamics and resistance of the instruments. This is much more obvious on the sax than the clarinet. Understanding and applying these concepts can transform a players experience.

The mouthpiece used must allow a player to be comfortable whilst utilising the best air support they can provide without requiring an excess of embouchure pressure. The appropriate resistance to a well supported air column is not just to be found at the embouchure surrounding the mouthpiece and reed but the airstream is also focused and shaped in the oral cavity via the position of the tongue. In my experience the tongue is uniformly arched higher at the back of the oral cavity on the clarinet and the progressively positioned slightly further forward in the cavity as one moves to saxophones and larger clarinets.

Time spent learning how the ‘flick the switch’ and instantly apply the appropriate blowing techniques to each instrument will mean that a player can more quickly and consistently achieve a more satisfying and convincing performance even when switching in a show environment.

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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

Clarinet and Saxophone Playing Position, Mouthpiece Angle and Embouchure

Playing Position - Introduction

We are all different shapes and sizes and very importantly have different teeth structures and lip shapes. The holding position that works well for some may not work well at all for others. Some players are fortunate enough to be able to just 'get on with it' and never give any thought to how they address their instrument, mouthpiece and blowing angle. For many it is not a consideration - though it should be - as how the instrument is held can be a large factor in the success one experiences in obtaining the control and sound desired. Here are a couple of tips worth bearing in mind. I encourage you to try them for yourselves.

Clarinet -

Given a typical teeth structure the best results are often found if the clarinet is held at an angle of 30 degrees from the body (off the vertical) in standing position - an angle desirable to maintain when seated as well. Do avoid resting the instrument upon a knee(s) as this leads to bad habits - there are other ways to help relieve right hand tension and aches (see previous blog on the Claritie - 02/10/15).

You can demonstrate the effect that the holding angle has by sustaining a single tone and moving the instrument through an arc from very close to the body to 90 degrees perpendicular. The effect upon the sound can be dramatic. The tone is often very strangled when the instrument is held too close and becoming completely uncontrolled when too far out - with the best sound and control to be found in between - usually around the 30 degree position.

Saxophone - 

The saxophone family relies upon a sling as part of the correct playing position as well as a correct holding position from the hands and the teeth. When standing the instrument should be comfortably straight in front of the player often with the D#/Eb keyguard (in the case of the alto) gently resting on the body at the abdomen or with the sax gently pushed forward by the right hand - whichever is more comfortable. The left hand thumb first joint must exert a pressure on the thumb rest while allowing the tip freedom to engage the octave key. The mouthpiece should then enter the mouth at a 'flatter' angle than the clarinet - something approaching 25 - 45 degrees off the horizontal. With a firm contact downward from upper teeth to mouthpiece (use of a mouthpiece patch is advised) a triangulation is achieved between the teeth, the left hand thumb and the sling. In this position the sax is secure, the embouchure is able to control the reed and mouthpiece properly and the fingers are able to move with complete freedom as required.

When seated the alto, tenor and baritone must (for all but the tallest of players) move to the side but achieving the same triangulation is desirable. What is most often overlooked is the crucial role played by the left hand thumb in maintaining a constant, reliable pressure on the thumb rest so that, in conjunction with teeth and sling, the player does not resort to tightening the embouchure in order to keep the instrument in position or find that finger tension increases in order to 'hold on' to the instrument. Be sure to appropriately adjust the angle of rotation of both crook and mouthpiece when changing from a standing to a seated position.

 

 

General embouchure comment - 

 The lower lip should make contact with the reed at or near the 'control' or 'friction point'. This is where the reed leaves contact with the mouthpiece and begins vibrating freely. Below this point the reed will vibrate in an uncontrolled manner and too far above this point the lip will effectively 'shut off' the vibration entirely. This 'correct' lower lip position is often determined and discussed by noting how much of the mouthpiece is taken in relative to the top teeth and this does vary bearing in mind the chosen playing angle, an individual's own natural individual overbite and teeth structure, as well as the concept of tone desired. This position is very personal but it is fair to say that it is almost impossible to support well and obtain the best possible performance without finding ones 'optimal' teeth position and returning to this position consistently.

A further note -

A simple way to describe the very real differences between the embouchure shape and firmness between the clarinet and all the saxophones is worth remembering. The clarinet plays best at the 'top' of its available pitch range with no firmer embouchure than is required to produce the entire range accurately. The saxophone family performs best when played well 'down' into its available pitch range using air support to centre the tone and stabilise the pitch. When this is clearly understood and achieved both families sound their best and many other 'problems' of all sort become manageable.

For both instruments it is wise to choose your reed strength to match your degree of air support rather than your willingness to squeeze your lips.

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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

Instrumental Design - Tuning characteristics and positions.

 

In the specialist shop environment I have frequently been asked to comment on the tuning characteristics of instruments, both recent and older vintage models. This is a summary of the knowledge I have gained, published manufacturer information and advice I have received over many years - much of it reinforced by my personal experience. Thomas

Instrumental Design – Emphasis on tuning characteristics and proper tuning positions.

Modern musical instruments, manufactured by responsible firms, have benefited from enormous investments in research and design consultation with artists. The overall standard of wind instrument manufacture has never been higher and the area of greatest improvement is to be found at the student level. While superior materials and expert craftsmanship contribute to making some older models highly desirable in the eyes of knowledgeable players the advent of computer aided design and assembly has brought about vast improvements in performance and pitch consistency for quality modern instruments across the board.

Tuning

Most markets around the world aim for A = 440 (UK, USA, Australia) or at most A = 442 (Europe). Austria is an exception where A = 444 or 445 is still a preference. Instrument manufacturers design their products to these pitches under ideal conditions of approximately 72 degree Fahrenheit / 22 degrees Celsius, (i.e. room temperature). In practice there remains quite a lot for the player to understand and to learn to utilise to help her or himself to accomplish truly playing in tune.

Comfortable, room temperature conditions are rarely found in performance situations but since these are what are utilised when designing the instruments an instrument must be able to be played both above and below the intended ‘ideal’ pitch in order to accommodate adverse conditions.

Flute – the head cork must be in the correct position – check this with cleaning rod line - it must show up in the middle of the embouchure hole. The headjoint itself is usually pulled out from the fully ‘pushed-in’ position approximately 3-5mm (sometimes more) depending upon blowing style, angle of air stream and embouchure. Too far out and the player is must compensate for flat low notes, splitting tones and a dull high register – too far in and the compensation is all downwards with the lip and blowing angle. Overblown octaves, harmonics of 12ths and double octaves should all nominally ‘line-up’ when tested. The player must then handle smaller adjustments for pitch accuracy and tonal colour. The general tendency of the flute is towards sharpness especially in the upper register and when playing loudly. Pitch will sag when playing soft without great care and good air support from the player.

NB – on all other instruments the tendency is for pitch to sharpen when playing more softly.

Clarinet – Instrument manufacturers intend that a clarinet, when pushed all the way in, should play sharp. Student instruments are usually supplied with shorter barrels to allow for tuning to fixed pitch instruments (i.e. a piano or keyboard) when played by inexperienced beginners. Therefore, when played by better players and especially once warmed up, the barrel should be ‘pulled’ usually 1.5- 2.5mm. This will bring most pitches into line but some additional ‘distributive’ tuning may be necessary. This is accomplished by pulling out at the middle joint and or bell in more extreme cases. Sometimes a particular mouthpiece will have a tendency to play sharp or flat and by changing this an otherwise ‘difficult’ instrument will come into line. The Vandoren series 13 range was created with the desire to help players ‘bring down’ pitch to A = 440 where necessary. Professional players with well-developed embouchures and settled playing concepts often use longer barrels in order to create the most stable possible pitch platform throughout the full range of the instrument. Key/pad venting height is a factor in the evenness of both pitch and tone colour and must be sensitively examined for optimal playing. The clarinet’s general tendency, unique among the woodwind family as it over blows at the 12^th rather than the octave, is towards flatness, with the exception of the throat tones which are often sharp and thin and the upper register that is often played with too much lip pressure and can tend towards sharpness. Middle Bb and upper C3 are particular concerns for many players. The addition of fingers of the right hand is often done to help the tuning of and enrich the sound of throat register A and Bb.

Oboe – Most oboists count on their oboe to be as stable as possible so that their tuning is done with the reed, often choosing the staple length and the overall tied length of the reed blades specifically to match their instrument. The oboe is highly flexible and playing fatigue and the condition of the reed will continually affect pitch. In the correctly assembled position the reed should be pushed completely into the receiver socket. This is the optimal playing position. It is best practice to avoid pulling out the reed to try to adjust pitch downwards as this creates other problems by introducing a ‘bulge’ to the bore where the staple has been pulled back out of the socket. The player handles small adjustments for pitch and tonal consistency with the position of the reed on the lip and air support. The natural tendency of the oboe is toward sharpness especially as tiredness sets in. Reeds tend to drop in pitch as they tire or close up. The upper register, due to the difficulties of production, is often quite sharp and care must be taken. Too heavy a reed will lead to sharpness due to the effort of involved in producing a tone – too soft and the sound will be thin and pitch will drift downwards.

Bassoon – The bassoon is such a long instrument that corrections made by pulling the crook out from the receiver socket are virtually pointless. The player usually has a choice of crook lengths provided to them with their instrument and most will use a number 2 (crooks are available from a nominal 0 to 3, the higher number being longer and therefore providing a lower pitch level). Distributive pulling at the joints can help in a severe tuning situation (being sharp but needing to play at a lower pitch) but keywork linking across the joints is a limitation as is the undesirable introduction of a gap in the bore. Like the oboe pitch adjustments are often made at the reed and this can be successful for the shorter tube notes, principally E and F, but notes with a longer sounding tube length will not benefit nearly as much from reed adjustment alone. The tendency of the bassoon is towards sharpness, especially in the low register. This is an acoustic choice for if the instrument were absolutely to pitch in ideal conditions it would be impossible to bring up the pitch of the long tube low notes when cold. Players become used to keeping pitch down by playing with a relaxed embouchure, internal tongue position in the oral cavity and solid air support.

Saxophone – The saxophone has very flexible mouthpiece positioning on the crook and the resulting pitch is highly dependent upon good embouchure and air control from the player. There are known acoustical compromises in the tuning of the sax but as the tendency is towards sharpness the player must be very careful not to start with the mouthpiece position too far on the crook cork as all notes will then be sharp, especially the high register. One should not pull off too far either (a decision often prompted by an attempt to compensate for a poor embouchure understanding and improper air support), as this will distort the shortest notes disproportionately and throw off the balance of the response throughout especially the low register. Players must work to learn to support well and relax the embouchure as much as possible and when this is well understood the instrument settles into a manageable and predictable pattern. Tuning is highly influenced by mouthpiece selection and high baffle jazz mouthpieces in particular often require great skill from a player to be able play well in tune, as they will tend to tune more sharply.

Valved Brass – If an higher range brass instrument (trumpet or cornet) has been properly manufactured it will play it’s intended ‘ideal’ tuning pattern with little mechanical adjustment beyond a pull of the main tuning slide and secondary pulls for specific notes at the 1^st and 3^rd slides. The player must work within the acoustical limitations of the instrument to compensate with the lips for small idiosyncrasies. The larger the instrument the greater some of the known acoustical distortions and for euphonium and tuba especially additional valves, compensating mechanisms and tubing lengths are often added or manipulated to assist in obtaining better tuning in all registers, especially the low register. The french horn, being a very long tubing instrument, is played almost exclusively in the mid to upper range of the available tones and as a result produces quite a stable pitch platform. Never the less it does have some very distinctive tuning requirements. It is fair to say that well made instruments are intended to be able to play in tune with a consistent, minimal distributive pull of the valve tuning slides as long as the player plays with a good embouchure and airstream.

Trombone – Aside from a standard pull of between 1–2cm at the main tuning slide all the rest of the tuning for a well-made trombone is accomplished between the slide positions, the player’s embouchure and solid airstream. Instruments have their own individual acoustical ‘quirks; but of all the brass and woodwind instruments the trombone has the greatest ability to be played ‘in tune’ with few mechanical limitations. The trombone relies more than anything on a player’s hearing and relative tuning recognition for correct pitch placement as well as the ability to consistently supply the instrument with the correct air and embouchure balance.

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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