I started practicing on the sax 18 months ago and have watched innumerable videos on embouchure and this is the best one I''ve seen by far. Thanks to you I finally understand why being a goldfish is the way to go. I'm thinking about signing up for your classes Jamie. You are really good.
You, Sir, just blew my mind! Just switched to this for my practice session and oh ... my ... god. It all came so naturally, sound was amazing, intonation spot on and zero pain in the lower lip. I could only do it for 30 minutes in a controlled way, but I'm sure that it will improve with practice. Thank you so much for this holy grail of saxophone playing. I'm watching your master class with a good cup of coffee on the weekend. Bravo!
My wife gave me a saxophone for my 74 birthday in February 2021. I’ve been practicing an hour a day pretty much ever since. For the past 2 months I have been trying to learn what I call the Joe Allard embouchure. You acknowledged Dave Liebman for helping you with your embouchure. Well, I watched the Leibman seminar videos several times months ago and could not quite understand how to get his embouchure and sound. I found several Allard videos on UA-cam and watched them repeatedly too. Better sound, but not the big, rich tone I was striving for. You clarified the placement of the lower lip and to not use the bottom teeth for pressure (unlike Allard teaches). BANG, I was hitting low B flat with all the richness I’d been hoping to get. So, thank you very much. Of course, I went flat as you cautioned. The strange thing is that with my mouthpiece as far up the cork as I can push it, I am in tune on low B flat, but NOT sharp on the high register. In fact, I’m flat at the high end. The opposite of what you predict in your video. What’s going on? How do I correct it? For the record I’m playing a Selmer AS500 which I had put into proper playing condition when I purchased it. I have a Jody Jazz HR* mouthpiece with C* tip, and Silverstein Alta synthetic reed, strength 2. (Incidentally, I love the reed. I’ve had it for about 3 months, and it just keeps on going. Silverstein guarantees it for 6 months and says it should go a year even for someone like you who plays much more than I. Do you want a used Reed Geek?) Can you give me a tip or two on how and why I go flat as I go up the register? Many thanks in advance.
I was blown away, like so many others, by the instant improvement on my alto sax sound. Thank you for this great tip none of my teachers told me so far. I find that this also makes the tonguing easier because the lip isn't that close to the tip of the reed anymore. I am about to start playing with others and this new sound makes me so much more confident.
3rd day of learning the sax, lip-over teeth-embouchure, bad lip pain and worst of all, horrible, squeaky and inconsistent sound… if any. Today I saw this video and I can tell, it just saved me years. Bright, proud and confident sound without any pain. Can’t play a note for as long as I used to with the old embouchure, but I’ll get there. Thank you man :)
I'm so glad I've just found this video. This IS how I was playing after watching one of your beginner videos. I had my first ever sax lesson two days ago and my tutor was telling me that I was producing a very jazzy and raw sound, he was encouraging me to move my mouth towards the tip of the mouthpiece and curl my bottom lip over my teeth so the notes would be more refined and melodic, it felt awful and was much harder for me to play consistent notes. I sounded like a pubescent teenager who's voice was breaking. Relaxing my lower lip and moving further onto the mouthpiece again makes it so much easier for me to play consistent notes and it just feels more natural so I'll be sticking with this from now on.
My jaw dropped when I realized the difference between how I was doing my embouchure and how you taught me! It sounds so much clearer and is so much easier than what I was doing! You're an absolute miracle of a person! Thank you soooo much for this video!
Thank you. My primary instrument is clarinet and I found my self using my clarinet embourche on my tenor sax and was getting very high cold sound on the lower octave, but once I did what you said; the lower octave finally got a warm-deep sound. Thank you
I have been using this embrochure for about a year or so now from listening to lessons from Dave Liebman and Harvey Pattel etc.What a difference it has made! My new teacher from Royal Northern College of Music who is kindly teaching a beginner like me told me this week that my strength is my “warm, rich, resonant sound” as well as tuning! I am made up by that comment! I think it has been down to this embrochure, starting on overtones and playing on the mouthpiece only. I am playing both classical and jazz and it contributes to both! Don’t hesitate to change to this you will hear the difference and thanks for the great tip Jamie!
Dusted off my tenor and got back to practice after a 5 years hiatus thanks to this YT channel. I´ve never been more than an intermediate student, tho... but now I found newer techniques to develop my tone. No more honk trombone-like lower range nor thin oboeish highs... thanks, Jamie!
Hi Jamie Just like to say this is the best advice I’ve been given in my 5 years of learning, I’ve been doing this gold fish embouchure for a week and my tone has improved so much and now my mouthpiece is pushed on a lot father down the cork. Thank you 🙏 🎷👍
Thats where I was going wrong trying to make my first 'sound' I was getting squeeks and tones but no 'proper' sax sound. I was putting my lip OVER my teeth (great for tones on the Bb key ) but not a decent sound. Great video
as always you are the most helpful out of all the other teachers out there, you teach stuff that really works and helps and you take the time to share and explain it in depth. THANK YOU!!!!!!
Hi Jamie, Spot on, mate. I was taught sax by my clarinet teacher, so when I started playing sax he taught the same way - exactly the problem you mention. It 25 years before the penny dropped for me, and my sound opened up immediately. One thing I notice with the "goldfish" embouchure, is that it takes much more muscle stamina in the lower lip, than the clarinet embouchure. So practise, practise, practise to exercise those muscles. The major disadvantage, apart from sound, with the clarinet style is that you can cut your lower lip. This is bad news - done often enough can result in permanent damage.
Wow!!!!! One video, and i finally can get that full big baritone sax sound! Also fixed my thin out of tune high notes on my alto and up. Can't thank you enough!
This is your best lesson ever Maestro! I switched to sax from clarinet and play with lip over teeth. Have tried playing like a guppy this morning and my sound is so much better.
Thanks for this tip Jamie. I watched this lesson in the morning and made a determined effort to keep this embouchure for my gig in the afternoon. A real difference especially to the higher notes which I had a habit of choking off with by having my embouchure too tight. Thanks again and enjoy the coffees.
I watched the embouchure tip video whilst awaiting the Tenor Altissimo Chart pdf download some days ago, tried it immediately and I was amazed with the results! But I wanted more. Then, you had made this the day after or so! What great coincidence.
Jamie I tried this today ! Omg … what a difference ! I started on clarinet so always had the embouchure with lip over teeth . The high notes were so much better with the goldfish technique . Fantastic advice
Jamie, thank you for all your enthusiasm and instruction. I love your sound. I just started playing maybe 2 months ago and am still trying to find my natural lip position. Some days I play great or can hit lows and highs with no problem then I ever so slightly reposition and baam its gone and I sound like a wounded duck.
This was a great video for me. I really appreciated your explanation about the reasons why the "pout" works so well. Thanks Jamie. Not too many Scottish accents on the tube. I'm an exile from Kirkintilloch, living in Kent so always good to hear.
When I was thirteen, I studied sax with a man who had played with Zousa's band. He taught me this technique. I do not put my teeth on the mouthpiece as taught in most videos on embouchure. It works for me. I have a good tone. Marlys Feder
yet another insightfull video from you Jamie, I play alt and tenor since 21-07-'20 and due to experimenting these rolled over and lipout technique, makes your sound indeed much richer
As a clarinetist turned saxophonist I found this video very enlightening! I have been working on my sax embouchure, can make a reasonable sound on tenor but find the alto very tiring; stories of Charlie Parker practising for 14 hours a day are very discouraging for someone who can only play a few minutes before fatigue and stiffness set in and the embouchure and intonation go to pot! However I am finding paying attention to the corners of my mouth is helping me to build up stamina.
As a classical saxophonist, that being tought by clarinet and flute teachers, I have to say that finally I started to sound like I always wanted. The issue that I have is that I get tired quickly and loosing control of high notes, but I'm sure that practice will make me better. Thanks for everything.
Brill. Looking forward to trying this. But a section on the problems that might occur. Going from years and years of lip on teeth etc to a very different arrangement and how to manage the different pressures on mouth piece when playing bottom notes and top notes as jaw and teeth do a lot of work (rightly or wrongly) in the lip on teeth way.
I changed embrochure from rolled lip over to the ooh shape and didn’t really experience any particular problems at top or bottom of instrument. At first my embrochure got more tired but that was the only slight issue and didn’t last long. The positive …an amazing tone!
I think the key here is not necessarily lip in vs lip out but the softness of the lip itself. There are many great players in jazz and classical music who play lip rolled in. The key is not pulling your chin flat like a clarinetist would or taking in too much lip. That makes a rolled in lip a much harder surface for the reed to vibrate while also encouraging biting due to the angle at which the saxophone is played. Focusing on the corners of your mouth coming in and forward slightly, like Jamie says, is beneficial to the sound and will soften up the lip dramatically. What’s important to note is that you can soften the lower lip regardless of its in or out position, just don’t take in a ridiculous amount of lower lip. I draw this distinction because most beginners I teach do not have the strength to play lip out. If you are playing lip in and getting pain in your lower lip you are biting, plain and simple. That is a problem of jaw pressure not lip placement or position. Keep your lower lip soft but still slightly rolled in and use plenty of air. Use a mirror to watch your jaw. Lip out is a great option for an advancing jazz player but it needs a foundation that is best developed by a well formed (not a clarinet copy/paste) rolled in embouchure. Most beginners are primarily playing in a concert band setting anyway so mastering the more traditional embouchure is usually the best place to start.
Hey Jamie! Love this video. I’ve heard you talk about embochure a few times now, glad you did a full video on it! I have bad muscle memory habits I’m currently changing! I learned in 4th grade (over 20 years ago) and I played too many years using more of a clarinet set up for my mouth and using my bottom lip too much! Excited to work through all of your exercises practicing my new embochure. I feel my lips slip back into habit, but it’s getting better and better! Thanks so much for all the variety of videos to progress as a saxophonist. Keep up the amazing work!!
That's great! New player and I'd been struggling with trying to develop an open embouchure. All my notes were flat unless I squeezed up on the reed. Didn't make the connection that an open embouchure makes the horn sound flat until you pointed that out, Jamie. Shoved the mouthpiece just about all the way onto the cork and, voila, all notes became closer to pitch without the squeezing.
Lip out not over your teeth. When I first started I was taught lip over my teeth and used to chew my mouthpiece away and my sound was like a strangled cat. It was only when I dumped my teacher and went solo I discovered lip out which is very much more relaxed I found my sound improved. That’s why the sound on the high notes can sound thin because it’s a tendency to tighten and even bite in order to produce the highest notes, in fact you can with practice still play these high notes with a relatively similar embouchure. Practicing overtones helps and is the key to a quality high high tone.. I’ve been playing soprano predominantly for just over 2 years now in order to improve my tone and sound production as it’s the hardest Sax to keep in tune and sound good on. The slightest change to embouchure can have a massive change in tone on a Soprano, you need to experiment with things to see what produces a good tone.
@@GetYourSaxTogether 👍 it’s always a bit of a problem if you like using multiple mouthpieces on one Sax, other than having more than one neck (expensive) I usually bore out the smallest to the biggest size and re-cork the neck.
That may be the most valuable thing I have learned about playing the sax. I'm an ex-clarinet player and I have been rolling my lower lip. No one ever told me before.
Well, Jamie, yesterday you asked for two questions about tone and I asked two and today you answered both. Not bad! However. with the goldfish lips my endurance is about 3 minutes and 45 seconds before my face muscles collapse and the air escapes around the mouth piece. But it sounds great while it lasts! I guess it will be 4 minute practice sessions, 30 times a day until I get into goldfish condition.
Your videos are very helpful, thank you. I have watched multiple lessons on mouth positioning, so this was quite different as your know. Sooo, watched another of your lessons, you were using the tight mouth, “no guppie” mouthpiece grip. What gives teach?? Which one do I use?
@@GetYourSaxTogether thanks for getting back to me. Let’s make it easier for me anyway. When do I go guppie and not to. I have seen your videos where you go lip over teeth.
Wow, thank you for this! Being a doubler, this goes against everything I was taught on clarinet and oboe. I recently switched to single cushion for sax and love the projection, but I'm hearing and feeling a choke on the higher notes. This may be the solution.
Thanks a lot Jamie for answering one of the questions I asked so quickely after the survey ! I did improve my tone and sound etc by doing the "goldfish" position naturally by playing Tenor Saxophone and then coming back on alto saxophone ! High notes are still less reliable though :/
HI Jamie, big thanks for your goldfish embouchure suggestion. I wonder if I still need to bite on the TOP of the mouthpiece (with my upper teeth)on the goldfish embouchure? I have tried, either way works. Do let me know, thanks.
thank you for another great tutorial! If i follow correctly the goldfish mouth is made while blowing air out in the sax. My question is how to refill the tank while playing? I see some pros are quickly inhaling from the corners of the mouth, while holding embouchure set. Can you please explain the inhalation step? Love your videos:funny memorable and to the point👍
IMHO, the main key is finding the breakpoint where the reed no longer touches the mouthpiece and having the smallest amount of flesh or lip there. I still support my lower lip a slight bit with my teeth, whether that's right or wrong. I totally agree, it's all about maximizing the reed vibration. For what it is worth, I was taught by two clarinetists, one a principal clarinetist of an orchestra. They taught me another embouchure but did open my sound. I also read and studied stuff saxophonists did, especially the Rascher stuff. I got to altissimo by my second year of college (without the help of my teacher) and widened and enriched my sound just relaxing, focusing my breath, and using a bit softer reed (2.5 or mediums). Nothing beats warming up with just the mouthpiece and mouthpiece/neck to get more control of all those facial and internal mouth/throat muscles. There's so much gold in the first few pages of Rascher's Top Tone's book and even in his 3-part UA-cam video with his daughter. Jamie, I really enjoyed playing along with your Greatest Pop Sax Solos Ever Part 3 - The 1980's yesterday. You're the real deal saxman!
Fantastic comment Bob, thanks so much. I revisited Rascher recently when researching Total Tone Mastery, and while nobody can deny his insane ability on the instrument and his impact on sax education I find the information all kinda dry and impenetrable for your average joe sax enthusiast.
@@GetYourSaxTogether totally agree how "dry and impenetrable" it is to read Rascher. FYI - You're doing a great job making it accessible and you're playing also gets a bit "insane" (in a good way). Curious how much credence you give to mouthpiece pitches in developing a proper embouchure: Concert C for Soprano; Concert A for Alto; Concert G for Tenor; and Concert D for Baritone?
@@GetYourSaxTogether Exactly, although without a reference, finding the ballpark can be a long journey. I can actually play tunes with just the mouthpiece and I find the idea of just one pitch strange. Wonder if anyone hooked up the mouthpiece to a device like a blower or bellows (like an organ pipe), and varied the tension against the reed and airstream going into the mouthpiece to see what pitch(s) resulted. Now, that would make an interesting experiment. Caught your Podcast #388 with Bobby Owsinski. Great stuff you shared. KISS - epic advice that I learned way back and keep passing forward.
Amazing video ! So cool, so nice, so clear, so fun! However what happens when you play high notes ? In my case I feel obliged to make a vertical pressure with my jaw, and if I play for a while my lip hurts... is it normal doctor Anderson ? Thanks again !!!!
Speaking of embouchure, I'm switching to single lip. I should have done it years ago, but being an oboe major, it didn't seem to be that big a deal. I love the sound though.
Just to find out it seems that I'm struggling to keep a note and I have a 2.5 of a beginner Green from the beginning I think I need a 1.5 just to keep a note and get stronger that's what I would ask
Actually I have another "one" question. Hope it's permitted. Going progressively sharper at the top end. Particularly the palm keys. Any typical causes and fixes? PS very good video!
Hi. I have a dumb question. When I do the goldfish face, my top teeth are not on the mouthpiece. My embouchure is relaxed & corners are in. Should my teeth be on the mouthpiece?
I want a tour of the new studio, I'm assuming you just got it done? Can you stand up now? Thank you for another awesome session, you would think it would be repetitive discussing embouchre and going "Full Guppy" (love that KeefieT) but each time it reinforces the message. I played and was taught classical clarinet and its a hard habit to break but with your guidance its happening. Cheers! Subtoning....
Hi, I have improved my ability to get the high register notes out by using your techniques in a video you released (e, f and f sharp), but have my lip over my teeth and a bit more mouthpiece. Using this goldfish lip position, what is the technique for getting the high notes out? Thanks Steve
"Lip-out embouchure" was a real game changer for me. Even if it did nothing for my tone, you just don't get nearly as tired playing--and thus can practice WAY longer. SirValorSax has good advice on his channel about reducing reed and tip opening when you switch. This is embarrassing but I'd ask you about growling, bc I honestly think there is something physiologically limiting how much grit I can add to my sound lol. I've seen every tutorial and can do all the things they recommend (growl and whistle, hum a half step down, roll R's--I can even growl on a recorder/slide whistle) but I suck at it on sax. I don't even consider myself a beginner player at this point, I can play up to double altissimo G# (thanks Jamie) and have "really good tone" (according to one of my sax heroes Wenzl McGowen) but god do I suck at this one particular thing. It's a big reason I only play with a really edgy mouthpiece bc it's easier for me to take the "grit" away. PS: Hope that alto mouthpiece served you well on your DJ/club gig(s)!
Great comment, thanks! Somewhere in there you said about humming a semitone lower but I don’t think that’s a “thing” really for me. I just hum any old thing. Worth a try?
Hi Jamie a question. How long does it takes to build those massive corner muscles?Because expecially when I play in the upper second octave in a few minutes I become more like a monkfish...Thanks
You're a bloody legend Jamie! My question is this: I have a few different mouthpieces that I flick between depending on if I want big and bright or mellow and smooth, but the actual opening that goes on to the neck piece is completely different sized on each of my mp's. The cork is too loose on one and too tight for the other so I've had to resort to using electrical tape (not a good solution I know!) Just wondering if you have any tips for adjusting cork thickness to adapt to different mp's?
experiment with the mpc that is the most versatile, and work on the technique required for the sound you like, and offcourse that fit tight around the cork on your saxophone neck
You can get the mouthpieces altered so the bore is the same size on all of them, I’ve done a few of mine and it’s useful if you like to use multiple mouthpieces and swap them regularly. If you have one main one and the others aren’t used so often and are bigger then use gas PTFE tape, it’s thicker than plumbing PTPE.
![How Do I Sound Good On Saxophone? [avoid these 3 awful mistakes]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fcnPznz8jKQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey, instantly improve your practice, sound and improvising with this FREE Masterclass! www.getyoursaxtogether.com/masterclass
Hello I love your videos. They have helped me alot
@@jessebonilla9578 🙏🏻
I started practicing on the sax 18 months ago and have watched innumerable videos on embouchure and this is the best one I''ve seen by far. Thanks to you I finally understand why being a goldfish is the way to go. I'm thinking about signing up for your classes Jamie. You are really good.
Awesome. Thanks! Total Tone Mastery is available on my website www.getyoursaxtogether.com/HOME
You, Sir, just blew my mind! Just switched to this for my practice session and oh ... my ... god. It all came so naturally, sound was amazing, intonation spot on and zero pain in the lower lip. I could only do it for 30 minutes in a controlled way, but I'm sure that it will improve with practice. Thank you so much for this holy grail of saxophone playing. I'm watching your master class with a good cup of coffee on the weekend. Bravo!
This comment makes me happy. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, put down the coffee and practice! 😆
@@GetYourSaxTogether Haha, yes Sir! :)
My wife gave me a saxophone for my 74 birthday in February 2021. I’ve been practicing an hour a day pretty much ever since. For the past 2 months I have been trying to learn what I call the Joe Allard embouchure.
You acknowledged Dave Liebman for helping you with your embouchure. Well, I watched the Leibman seminar videos several times months ago and could not quite understand how to get his embouchure and sound. I found several Allard videos on UA-cam and watched them repeatedly too. Better sound, but not the big, rich tone I was striving for.
You clarified the placement of the lower lip and to not use the bottom teeth for pressure (unlike Allard teaches). BANG, I was hitting low B flat with all the richness I’d been hoping to get. So, thank you very much.
Of course, I went flat as you cautioned. The strange thing is that with my mouthpiece as far up the cork as I can push it, I am in tune on low B flat, but NOT sharp on the high register. In fact, I’m flat at the high end. The opposite of what you predict in your video. What’s going on? How do I correct it?
For the record I’m playing a Selmer AS500 which I had put into proper playing condition when I purchased it. I have a Jody Jazz HR* mouthpiece with C* tip, and Silverstein Alta synthetic reed, strength 2. (Incidentally, I love the reed. I’ve had it for about 3 months, and it just keeps on going. Silverstein guarantees it for 6 months and says it should go a year even for someone like you who plays much more than I. Do you want a used Reed Geek?)
Can you give me a tip or two on how and why I go flat as I go up the register?
Many thanks in advance.
So glad everything is working out for you. Maybe it’s a larynx thing. But as the first non-sharp sax player I wouldn’t moan! 🤣
You are a genius !! And Excellent Teacher !! 😊
Thank you! 😃
Thanks Brother, not just for teaching, but for WANTING students to learn.
You’re so welcome 🙏🏻
I was blown away, like so many others, by the instant improvement on my alto sax sound. Thank you for this great tip none of my teachers told me so far. I find that this also makes the tonguing easier because the lip isn't that close to the tip of the reed anymore. I am about to start playing with others and this new sound makes me so much more confident.
Great to hear! 👌🏻
Thank you so much for this lesson. it has really helped me!!
You're very welcome!
This is quite a big thing man. I have been 100% educated to roll my lip over my lower teeth for many year.
True.
First day playing sax coming from stringed instruments, wow is all I can say, amazing advice so much easier to make the low notes sound
Happy to help!
3rd day of learning the sax, lip-over teeth-embouchure, bad lip pain and worst of all, horrible, squeaky and inconsistent sound… if any.
Today I saw this video and I can tell, it just saved me years.
Bright, proud and confident sound without any pain. Can’t play a note for as long as I used to with the old embouchure, but I’ll get there.
Thank you man :)
Great! Glad it helped 👍
I'm so glad I've just found this video. This IS how I was playing after watching one of your beginner videos. I had my first ever sax lesson two days ago and my tutor was telling me that I was producing a very jazzy and raw sound, he was encouraging me to move my mouth towards the tip of the mouthpiece and curl my bottom lip over my teeth so the notes would be more refined and melodic, it felt awful and was much harder for me to play consistent notes. I sounded like a pubescent teenager who's voice was breaking. Relaxing my lower lip and moving further onto the mouthpiece again makes it so much easier for me to play consistent notes and it just feels more natural so I'll be sticking with this from now on.
Awesome!
Best teacher on UA-cam
Thanks 🙏🏻
My jaw dropped when I realized the difference between how I was doing my embouchure and how you taught me! It sounds so much clearer and is so much easier than what I was doing! You're an absolute miracle of a person! Thank you soooo much for this video!
Glad it helped!
Thank you. My primary instrument is clarinet and I found my self using my clarinet embourche on my tenor sax and was getting very high cold sound on the lower octave, but once I did what you said; the lower octave finally got a warm-deep sound. Thank you
Brilliant 🤩
I have been using this embrochure for about a year or so now from listening to lessons from Dave Liebman and Harvey Pattel etc.What a difference it has made! My new teacher from Royal Northern College of Music who is kindly teaching a beginner like me told me this week that my strength is my “warm, rich, resonant sound” as well as tuning! I am made up by that comment! I think it has been down to this embrochure, starting on overtones and playing on the mouthpiece only. I am playing both classical and jazz and it contributes to both! Don’t hesitate to change to this you will hear the difference and thanks for the great tip Jamie!
That’s awesome Marie!!
Dusted off my tenor and got back to practice after a 5 years hiatus thanks to this YT channel. I´ve never been more than an intermediate student, tho... but now I found newer techniques to develop my tone. No more honk trombone-like lower range nor thin oboeish highs... thanks, Jamie!
Thanks 🙏
Hi Jamie
Just like to say this is the best advice I’ve been given in my 5 years of learning, I’ve been doing this gold fish embouchure for a week and my tone has improved so much and now my mouthpiece is pushed on a lot father down the cork. Thank you 🙏 🎷👍
Awesome!!
Another golden gem of a lesson! Thank u !
You’re very welcome ☺️
Thats where I was going wrong trying to make my first 'sound' I was getting squeeks and tones but no 'proper' sax sound. I was putting my lip OVER my teeth (great for tones on the Bb key ) but not a decent sound. Great video
Brilliant. What a result!
as always you are the most helpful out of all the other teachers out there, you teach stuff that really works and helps and you take the time to share and explain it in depth. THANK YOU!!!!!!
Thanks so much 🙏🏻
Hi Jamie, Spot on, mate. I was taught sax by my clarinet teacher, so when I started playing sax he taught the same way - exactly the problem you mention. It 25 years before the penny dropped for me, and my sound opened up immediately. One thing I notice with the "goldfish" embouchure, is that it takes much more muscle stamina in the lower lip, than the clarinet embouchure. So practise, practise, practise to exercise those muscles. The major disadvantage, apart from sound, with the clarinet style is that you can cut your lower lip. This is bad news - done often enough can result in permanent damage.
Fantastic comment. Thanks so much! 🙏🏻
Very helpful. I'm practicing to change old habits. It's a bit difficult. Thank you very much
You're very welcome!
Wow!!!!! One video, and i finally can get that full big baritone sax sound! Also fixed my thin out of tune high notes on my alto and up. Can't thank you enough!
Excellent! You're welcome
This is the best till ever . You must do this .
Thanks Malcolm 🙏🏻
thank you so much!!! ive been learning for almost 2 years now, and i used to get a really sore bottom gum so this really helped!
You're so welcome!
This is your best lesson ever Maestro! I switched to sax from clarinet and play with lip over teeth. Have tried playing like a guppy this morning and my sound is so much better.
Fantastic, thanks 🙏🏻
Thanks for this technics .It does change in my tone .
Awesome 👏🏻
That's a good way of putting it.
Thanks 😊
Thank you! You are, really, the best!!!! I estudy for a long time, and the teachers do not call me about this, in all my life!!!
Thanks 🙏🏻
Thank you very sir your fine teaching everyday I learn a lot from you. Thanks a lot
Thank you Philip!
Yep. That helped quite a bit. Thank you.
Great. Thanks
Wow! I learned so much today. Was taught by a clarinetist all those years ago.....
Awesome! Imagine what you’d learn in a whole course!
awesome, thanks a lot
Anytime. 😊
Thanks for this tip Jamie. I watched this lesson in the morning and made a determined effort to keep this embouchure for my gig in the afternoon. A real difference especially to the higher notes which I had a habit of choking off with by having my embouchure too tight. Thanks again and enjoy the coffees.
Thanks for the coffee man! 🙏🏻
Thank you ...right on
No probs! 👍🏻
I watched the embouchure tip video whilst awaiting the Tenor Altissimo Chart pdf download some days ago, tried it immediately and I was amazed with the results! But I wanted more. Then, you had made this the day after or so! What great coincidence.
Awesome man! 👌🏻
Jaime your a legend brilliant video learned so much thank you 👍👍👍👍🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷
Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Another excellent video Jamie;always appreciated cheers
Thanks 🙏🏻
Always helpful. Terrific content in all your videos.
Thanks 🙏🏻
Great advice, didn't practice the last few weeks because of holidays, so I am looking forward to starting fresh with this embourche. Thanks a lot.
Cool man 👌🏻
Jamie
I tried this today ! Omg … what a difference ! I started on clarinet so always had the embouchure with lip over teeth . The high notes were so much better with the goldfish technique .
Fantastic advice
That’s awesome! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Wow thank you, I have been struggling with this
Anytime. 👍🏻
Jamie, thank you for all your enthusiasm and instruction. I love your sound. I just started playing maybe 2 months ago and am still trying to find my natural lip position. Some days I play great or can hit lows and highs with no problem then I ever so slightly reposition and baam its gone and I sound like a wounded duck.
Keep at it!
Gracias por este consejo es el mejor consejo de embocadura muchas gracias saludos desde Costa Rica.
Y gracias por poner subtitulos en Español
🙏
This was a great video for me. I really appreciated your explanation about the reasons why the "pout" works so well. Thanks Jamie.
Not too many Scottish accents on the tube. I'm an exile from Kirkintilloch, living in Kent so always good to hear.
Glad it was helpful!
I've gone full Guppy lately. My old Sax teacher was a Clarinet player. Great advice.
Full guppy 🤣
What does it mean Full guppy?!?
@@vivaFirenze a guppy is a fish.
@@GetYourSaxTogether sorry to bother you but I am Italian and I got some problem with some terms! Thanks again for your patience!
When I was thirteen, I studied sax with a man who had played with Zousa's band. He taught me this technique. I do not put my teeth on the mouthpiece as taught in most videos on embouchure. It works for me. I have a good tone. Marlys Feder
Yup, some people use double embouchure to great effect. Not least Coltrane.
@@GetYourSaxTogether double embouchure ???
@@tomtresco2952 no teeth on the top.
Great ! Have an happy Sunday 🎾🎷😎
You too! 😎
As always, very clear and very useful.
Thanks Michael!
yet another insightfull video from you Jamie, I play alt and tenor since 21-07-'20 and due to experimenting these rolled over and lipout technique, makes your sound indeed much richer
Awesome 😎
< Wonderfull Analysis, Thank You Jamie ! >
Thanks 🙏🏻
Worth trying bro..thanks
Anytime! 🙏🏻
As a clarinetist turned saxophonist I found this video very enlightening! I have been working on my sax embouchure, can make a reasonable sound on tenor but find the alto very tiring; stories of Charlie Parker practising for 14 hours a day are very discouraging for someone who can only play a few minutes before fatigue and stiffness set in and the embouchure and intonation go to pot! However I am finding paying attention to the corners of my mouth is helping me to build up stamina.
It takes time. Keep at it! 👍
Hi Jamie. Can you do tips on when to and how to breath while playing a song .
👍🏻
As a classical saxophonist, that being tought by clarinet and flute teachers, I have to say that finally I started to sound like I always wanted. The issue that I have is that I get tired quickly and loosing control of high notes, but I'm sure that practice will make me better. Thanks for everything.
Awesome that you are getting what you want! Yeh practice! 🙏
great tip
Glad it was helpful!
Brill. Looking forward to trying this. But a section on the problems that might occur. Going from years and years of lip on teeth etc to a very different arrangement and how to manage the different pressures on mouth piece when playing bottom notes and top notes as jaw and teeth do a lot of work (rightly or wrongly) in the lip on teeth way.
Thanks for the comment! 👍🏻
I changed embrochure from rolled lip over to the ooh shape and didn’t really experience any particular problems at top or bottom of instrument. At first my embrochure got more tired but that was the only slight issue and didn’t last long. The positive …an amazing tone!
I think the key here is not necessarily lip in vs lip out but the softness of the lip itself. There are many great players in jazz and classical music who play lip rolled in. The key is not pulling your chin flat like a clarinetist would or taking in too much lip. That makes a rolled in lip a much harder surface for the reed to vibrate while also encouraging biting due to the angle at which the saxophone is played. Focusing on the corners of your mouth coming in and forward slightly, like Jamie says, is beneficial to the sound and will soften up the lip dramatically. What’s important to note is that you can soften the lower lip regardless of its in or out position, just don’t take in a ridiculous amount of lower lip. I draw this distinction because most beginners I teach do not have the strength to play lip out. If you are playing lip in and getting pain in your lower lip you are biting, plain and simple. That is a problem of jaw pressure not lip placement or position. Keep your lower lip soft but still slightly rolled in and use plenty of air. Use a mirror to watch your jaw. Lip out is a great option for an advancing jazz player but it needs a foundation that is best developed by a well formed (not a clarinet copy/paste) rolled in embouchure. Most beginners are primarily playing in a concert band setting anyway so mastering the more traditional embouchure is usually the best place to start.
Fair, intelligent comment. You kinda have to just plonk for one option on UA-cam vids sadly!
Hey Jamie! Love this video. I’ve heard you talk about embochure a few times now, glad you did a full video on it! I have bad muscle memory habits I’m currently changing! I learned in 4th grade (over 20 years ago) and I played too many years using more of a clarinet set up for my mouth and using my bottom lip too much! Excited to work through all of your exercises practicing my new embochure. I feel my lips slip back into habit, but it’s getting better and better! Thanks so much for all the variety of videos to progress as a saxophonist. Keep up the amazing work!!
You’re so welcome Hannah. Great to see you commenting and I hope you’re following the get your time together Masterclass series? 🤩
That's great! New player and I'd been struggling with trying to develop an open embouchure. All my notes were flat unless I squeezed up on the reed. Didn't make the connection that an open embouchure makes the horn sound flat until you pointed that out, Jamie. Shoved the mouthpiece just about all the way onto the cork and, voila, all notes became closer to pitch without the squeezing.
👍
Lip out not over your teeth. When I first started I was taught lip over my teeth and used to chew my mouthpiece away and my sound was like a strangled cat. It was only when I dumped my teacher and went solo I discovered lip out which is very much more relaxed I found my sound improved. That’s why the sound on the high notes can sound thin because it’s a tendency to tighten and even bite in order to produce the highest notes, in fact you can with practice still play these high notes with a relatively similar embouchure. Practicing overtones helps and is the key to a quality high high tone.. I’ve been playing soprano predominantly for just over 2 years now in order to improve my tone and sound production as it’s the hardest Sax to keep in tune and sound good on. The slightest change to embouchure can have a massive change in tone on a Soprano, you need to experiment with things to see what produces a good tone.
Very true. Hey, if you scan up the comments, someone is asking about different mouthpieces not fitting the cork. Can you answer it? Cheers.
That's kind of a relief to read that kind of comment, I feel less lonely Ian ;)
@@GetYourSaxTogether 👍 it’s always a bit of a problem if you like using multiple mouthpieces on one Sax, other than having more than one neck (expensive) I usually bore out the smallest to the biggest size and re-cork the neck.
I can’t wait to get my first sax
Awesome!
Hey Jamie what is most important thing to learn starting off as a complete beginner on sax thank Tom
Keep a relaxed embouchure!
That may be the most valuable thing I have learned about playing the sax. I'm an ex-clarinet player and I have been rolling my lower lip. No one ever told me before.
😎
Well, Jamie, yesterday you asked for two questions about tone and I asked two and today you answered both. Not bad! However. with the goldfish lips my endurance is about 3 minutes and 45 seconds before my face muscles collapse and the air escapes around the mouth piece. But it sounds great while it lasts! I guess it will be 4 minute practice sessions, 30 times a day until I get into goldfish condition.
Cool. Build it up slowly I guess!
Same here , my mouth was caning after 5 minutes
Softer Reed until you build back up.
Buenas más maestro sería un honor el poder servirnos una taza de café, y sobre la pregunta sería sobre la embocadura la expresión.
🙏🏻
Should I build muscles that push the corners of my mouth inside?
Or do I just have to collect them naturally?
Hi Jamie, I'd love to have a pint with you and get tips about the lowest notes and the highest ones regarding tone and intonation
Sounds good!
Your videos are very helpful, thank you. I have watched multiple lessons on mouth positioning, so this was quite different as your know.
Sooo, watched another of your lessons, you were using the tight mouth, “no guppie” mouthpiece grip.
What gives teach??
Which one do I use?
I’d need specifics to know what you’re referring to, but go guppie!
@@GetYourSaxTogether thanks for getting back to me. Let’s make it easier for me anyway. When do I go guppie and not to. I have seen your videos where you go lip over teeth.
@@billjoyce5525 tbh too big a question for YT comment. Join the Inner Circle!
@@GetYourSaxTogether I’ve got better offers from fat chicks at closing time… 🍻
I will join soon
Wow, thank you for this! Being a doubler, this goes against everything I was taught on clarinet and oboe. I recently switched to single cushion for sax and love the projection, but I'm hearing and feeling a choke on the higher notes. This may be the solution.
Perfect!
Hi Jamie , you talk about the Tenor sax in this lesson , i play Alto sax , does this gold fish embouchure apply to the Alto sax also , thankyou , neil
Hey Neil, absolutely!
@@GetYourSaxTogether Thankyou !
Thanks a lot Jamie for answering one of the questions I asked so quickely after the survey ! I did improve my tone and sound etc by doing the "goldfish" position naturally by playing Tenor Saxophone and then coming back on alto saxophone ! High notes are still less reliable though :/
Thanks for the comment! 👍🏻
You need muscle strength to push inwards to make the sides of your mouth circular, right? Or do you gather it lightly without needing any strength?
You need endurance, yes.
HI Jamie, big thanks for your goldfish embouchure suggestion. I wonder if I still need to bite on the TOP of the mouthpiece (with my upper teeth)on the goldfish embouchure? I have tried, either way works. Do let me know, thanks.
Your teeth rest, but you don’t bite.
Hmmm, both Jamie and Ted Lasso say be a goldfish (ok, slightly different perspectives) but I guess there's something to it! Thanks for the great tips!
Take it from Ted! 🤣
thank you for another great tutorial!
If i follow correctly the goldfish mouth is made while blowing air out in the sax. My question is how to refill the tank while playing? I see some pros are quickly inhaling from the corners of the mouth, while holding embouchure set. Can you please explain the inhalation step?
Love your videos:funny memorable and to the point👍
My best advice - don’t think about it! Take a breath and blow again. I think people make too much of how you breath in.
@@GetYourSaxTogether thank you very much, I will try to relax :-)
Hi Jamie, great video definitely going to do this , one question with altissimo notes would you still use the gold fish, cheers 👍
You do, but the mouthpiece rolls in and out across the range. I might cover that later.
I would like to know more about intonation
Try this ua-cam.com/video/dtOClNFvA-Y/v-deo.html
IMHO, the main key is finding the breakpoint where the reed no longer touches the mouthpiece and having the smallest amount of flesh or lip there. I still support my lower lip a slight bit with my teeth, whether that's right or wrong. I totally agree, it's all about maximizing the reed vibration. For what it is worth, I was taught by two clarinetists, one a principal clarinetist of an orchestra. They taught me another embouchure but did open my sound. I also read and studied stuff saxophonists did, especially the Rascher stuff. I got to altissimo by my second year of college (without the help of my teacher) and widened and enriched my sound just relaxing, focusing my breath, and using a bit softer reed (2.5 or mediums). Nothing beats warming up with just the mouthpiece and mouthpiece/neck to get more control of all those facial and internal mouth/throat muscles. There's so much gold in the first few pages of Rascher's Top Tone's book and even in his 3-part UA-cam video with his daughter. Jamie, I really enjoyed playing along with your Greatest Pop Sax Solos Ever Part 3 - The 1980's yesterday. You're the real deal saxman!
Fantastic comment Bob, thanks so much. I revisited Rascher recently when researching Total Tone Mastery, and while nobody can deny his insane ability on the instrument and his impact on sax education I find the information all kinda dry and impenetrable for your average joe sax enthusiast.
@@GetYourSaxTogether totally agree how "dry and impenetrable" it is to read Rascher. FYI - You're doing a great job making it accessible and you're playing also gets a bit "insane" (in a good way). Curious how much credence you give to mouthpiece pitches in developing a proper embouchure: Concert C for Soprano; Concert A for Alto; Concert G for Tenor; and Concert D for Baritone?
@@bobpremecz5429 I think MP pitches give a good ballpark if you like but it’s also a lot to do with larynx position.
@@GetYourSaxTogether Exactly, although without a reference, finding the ballpark can be a long journey. I can actually play tunes with just the mouthpiece and I find the idea of just one pitch strange. Wonder if anyone hooked up the mouthpiece to a device like a blower or bellows (like an organ pipe), and varied the tension against the reed and airstream going into the mouthpiece to see what pitch(s) resulted. Now, that would make an interesting experiment. Caught your Podcast #388 with Bobby Owsinski. Great stuff you shared. KISS - epic advice that I learned way back and keep passing forward.
@@bobpremecz5429 🙏🏻
Amazing video ! So cool, so nice, so clear, so fun! However what happens when you play high notes ? In my case I feel obliged to make a vertical pressure with my jaw, and if I play for a while my lip hurts... is it normal doctor Anderson ?
Thanks again !!!!
If you're playing in the super altissimo range that happens, but for the first part of altissimo, you shouldn't need to bite that much.
@@GetYourSaxTogether Thank you for your answer and for your videos that are so inspiring 🙏🙏🙏
Sir, how do I hit G octave with the loose goldfish embouchure?
Voicing.
Speaking of embouchure, I'm switching to single lip. I should have done it years ago, but being an oboe major, it didn't seem to be that big a deal. I love the sound though.
Cool 👍🏻
Just to find out it seems that I'm struggling to keep a note and I have a 2.5 of a beginner Green from the beginning I think I need a 1.5 just to keep a note and get stronger that's what I would ask
Try 2.
Proper breathing and embouchure
Yup! 👍🏻
Actually I have another "one" question. Hope it's permitted. Going progressively sharper at the top end. Particularly the palm keys. Any typical causes and fixes? PS very good video!
Biting too much. And voicing.
So enjoyed this....would you say your bottom lip softens more or less as you go to higher notes. Or is there no change at all?
For altissimo it curls under more but not really for palm keys too much.
Great tip. Soprano embouchure should imitate clarinet embouchure?
Nope. Same.
Only if you want to sound like a strangled cat.
@@GetYourSaxTogether Thank you.
@@ian_s7481 not true
Hi. I have a dumb question. When I do the goldfish face, my top teeth are not on the mouthpiece. My embouchure is relaxed & corners are in. Should my teeth be on the mouthpiece?
Lightly, yes. Better your way than biting though! 🤣
I want a tour of the new studio, I'm assuming you just got it done? Can you stand up now?
Thank you for another awesome session, you would think it would be repetitive discussing embouchre and going "Full Guppy" (love that KeefieT) but each time it reinforces the message. I played and was taught classical clarinet and its a hard habit to break but with your guidance its happening. Cheers!
Subtoning....
I’ll do a studio tour once I’m set up! I agree you can’t over teach the basics.
Breath control (controlling the air exhaling)
Ok, thanks. 👍🏻
Hi, I have improved my ability to get the high register notes out by using your techniques in a video you released (e, f and f sharp), but have my lip over my teeth and a bit more mouthpiece. Using this goldfish lip position, what is the technique for getting the high notes out? Thanks Steve
Check out my altissimo video.
"Lip-out embouchure" was a real game changer for me. Even if it did nothing for my tone, you just don't get nearly as tired playing--and thus can practice WAY longer. SirValorSax has good advice on his channel about reducing reed and tip opening when you switch. This is embarrassing but I'd ask you about growling, bc I honestly think there is something physiologically limiting how much grit I can add to my sound lol. I've seen every tutorial and can do all the things they recommend (growl and whistle, hum a half step down, roll R's--I can even growl on a recorder/slide whistle) but I suck at it on sax. I don't even consider myself a beginner player at this point, I can play up to double altissimo G# (thanks Jamie) and have "really good tone" (according to one of my sax heroes Wenzl McGowen) but god do I suck at this one particular thing. It's a big reason I only play with a really edgy mouthpiece bc it's easier for me to take the "grit" away. PS: Hope that alto mouthpiece served you well on your DJ/club gig(s)!
Great comment, thanks! Somewhere in there you said about humming a semitone lower but I don’t think that’s a “thing” really for me. I just hum any old thing. Worth a try?
Hi Jamie a question. How long does it takes to build those massive corner muscles?Because expecially when I play in the upper second octave in a few minutes I become more like a monkfish...Thanks
Ha! I dunno won’t take long with some consistent practice.
Hi Jamie! What about the eyes? Should we pull them out as goldfish has? :D
Yes. Vital.
Hey new to the alto sax here! I'm having problems not playing flat. The mouthpiece is pushed all the way up on the cork. Any idea on how to fix it?
Use a little firmer embouchure pressure or try a different mouthpiece?
You're a bloody legend Jamie! My question is this: I have a few different mouthpieces that I flick between depending on if I want big and bright or mellow and smooth, but the actual opening that goes on to the neck piece is completely different sized on each of my mp's. The cork is too loose on one and too tight for the other so I've had to resort to using electrical tape (not a good solution I know!)
Just wondering if you have any tips for adjusting cork thickness to adapt to different mp's?
Got the same problem, using cigarette papers is a possible workaround. Also good rescue if the cork is damaged.
experiment with the mpc that is the most versatile, and work on the technique required for the sound you like, and offcourse that fit tight around the cork on your saxophone neck
You can get the mouthpieces altered so the bore is the same size on all of them, I’ve done a few of mine and it’s useful if you like to use multiple mouthpieces and swap them regularly. If you have one main one and the others aren’t used so often and are bigger then use gas PTFE tape, it’s thicker than plumbing PTPE.
Thanks Ian.
See Ian’s comment. He’s a repairer.
How do you maintain your eveness of tone throughout the entire range of the horn?
Great question.
Great tips ; I used to play the oboe and my mouth is always tight !!
Thanks 🙏🏻
Dirty-arse rock and roll - is it me that has to make the sound or is it the equipment I use? OK, both, could you give us a breakdown on that?
Great question, thanks.