Man I have a lot of problems lol, where does one begin? Im self taught and been at it for roughly 8 months now and Im constantly bouncing back in forth on things I feel need improvements. If I had to pick though, I focus tone as best I can. Its tough. I have some audio on my channel if you are interested in providing me with feedback, I would appreciate it but not needed. Thank you for all the info andgreat music you have shared.
Hey, good choice working on your tone the most. That will make the biggest difference compared to anything else. If you have any ideas for videos, I might be able to help with questions that you have.
@@AllenMusicTalk Currently I find myself stuck at trying to figure out a proper mouthpiece position. At times I like the sound with less MP, then others more MP. I dont know what the benefits are of either, how/why they affect tone, air flow/resistance etc. It seems to be preference if I had to guess but I can definitely tell it massively changes my tone. I just want to arrive to a decision and that way I can grow a bit more.
It is a preference thing, but taking in more mouthpiece helps with letting the reed resonate and also with intonation. Less mouthpiece is easier to keep under control and dampens the reed more.
Totally agree with you on your favorite soprano saxophone players. Another one that has a great tone to immulate is Walter Beasley. It took me a long time to stumble on to him and he sings great too.
My biggest challenge is finding the time to practice. Music isn't my day job and I'd probably be pretty broke if I tried (I'm okay, not great at it). I need to work on building the habit of practicing regularly, even when life gets in the way. After that my current biggest issue is air support, I can easily hit low Bb on my soprano, but I struggle with anything below low E on my alto because I'm just not moving enough air. The tips in this video are all very helpful though, and your sound is definitely an influence for me.
Cool video. I haven't quite figured out my soprano setup yet - I have V16 mp and metal mp - brass and had a couple of the Ricos and the standard plastic. Reeds are mostly Vandoren - Java Red, Green, ZZ, V16, Traditional and Rico - Hemke otw. Finally got alto figured out hand-finished rubber jazz mp. Vandoren - Java Red filed. I sound pretty amazing. No ligatures work anymore. None of them fit any MPC. They're all too big or too small for both all of my sop mpcs and my alto mpcs. I've never had this happen before. I haven't invested real money though- I'm poor. I just buy a bunch of cheap ones and return what doesn't work.
Thanks gor all the Tips Bro. I love Brandford Manselis sound ,also I do love the late G Washington. I have a Keilwerth shadow sx 90. I'm still not sure about what to settle on as a MP yet. Got any recommendations for a cool kinda smooth jazz MP ? Keep up the great work . I like your sound too .
@@AllenMusicTalk I'll give it a go once my Sop arrives later this year :) It's something I found out through research. Branford Marsalis apparently does this and said that that was instrumental in helping him achieve the tone he desired which is towards the darker, more classical end of the spectrum.
I always brush my teeth before I play and have a glass of water to hand. Just don't understand what is causing this waterlogged sound, so horrible! I practice standing up, and work hard on posture and using my diaphragm, holding the saxophone right out in front of me and not aiming the bell at the floor! I'm trying hard to do all the right things. My soprano is a straight one, and I play using a neck strap. I'm doing everything carefully, so where am I going wrong? Is it my embouchure I wonder?
Yooo dude where did you get your bag 💼 from the beginning of the video where are part you show of a bunch of reeds? could you tell me where did you get that nice bag from 😅😁
My biggest challenge which is becoming a problem is dealing with a soggy sound! Too much saliva!! No matter what strength of reed I use, the sound keeps going soggy, the reed goes soggy, so I have to stop playing which is absolutely infuriating! What can I do to stop this? It starts off sounding fine and then keeps going soggy, really so frustrating!! I use Vandoren 3 reeds or Hemker 3 reeds. I have been playing with 1.5, 2, 2.5 and now strength 3 reeds. Could this be a problem with my embouchure? I've only been learning since Christmas, so I know it is early days. Any help you can give would be appreciated as I've been trying to teach myself. I've been playing alto sax too, started that in 1982, also play piano, church organ and flute. Very best wishes, Carolyn
This happens to me too from time to time, it’s just condensation building up in the mouthpiece. In a pinch you can just suck the saliva out, but you can also try taking your reed off and putting it back on to see if changing the position helps. The saliva problem shouldn’t happen every day, so just keep trying!
Hey Jack, if you’re playing and you feel like there isn’t enough stability coming from the reed, you should probably increase the strength. Is something specific making you question the reed strength that you use now?
7 Ways to improve your Soprano Saxophone sound: 1) Switch to Alto Sax 2) Switch to Tenor Sax 3) Switch to Baritone Sax 4) Switch to a Bass Sax 5) Turn off your Hearing Aid 6) Play a recording of an actual Saxophone (see List above) 7) Play a Clarinet, like you wanted to in the first place! (I'm joking, Soprano Sax players are people too...I think...yeah, they are)
What’s your biggest challenge today when playing saxophone?
Man I have a lot of problems lol, where does one begin? Im self taught and been at it for roughly 8 months now and Im constantly bouncing back in forth on things I feel need improvements. If I had to pick though, I focus tone as best I can. Its tough. I have some audio on my channel if you are interested in providing me with feedback, I would appreciate it but not needed. Thank you for all the info andgreat music you have shared.
Hey, good choice working on your tone the most. That will make the biggest difference compared to anything else.
If you have any ideas for videos, I might be able to help with questions that you have.
@@AllenMusicTalk Currently I find myself stuck at trying to figure out a proper mouthpiece position. At times I like the sound with less MP, then others more MP. I dont know what the benefits are of either, how/why they affect tone, air flow/resistance etc. It seems to be preference if I had to guess but I can definitely tell it massively changes my tone. I just want to arrive to a decision and that way I can grow a bit more.
It is a preference thing, but taking in more mouthpiece helps with letting the reed resonate and also with intonation. Less mouthpiece is easier to keep under control and dampens the reed more.
Adjusting my embouchure to stay in tune.
Totally agree with you on your favorite soprano saxophone players. Another one that has a great tone to immulate is Walter Beasley. It took me a long time to stumble on to him and he sings great too.
Think I just found my new favorite channel.
Excellent advice! I bought a soprano during COVID and practiced on it as my primary instrument for a while … still have it handy at all times.
excellent excellent advise
Yes, please! Do present a video on "singing from your throat".
Hey Alex, great idea!! I’ll work on a video or two like that for sure!
My biggest challenge is finding the time to practice. Music isn't my day job and I'd probably be pretty broke if I tried (I'm okay, not great at it). I need to work on building the habit of practicing regularly, even when life gets in the way. After that my current biggest issue is air support, I can easily hit low Bb on my soprano, but I struggle with anything below low E on my alto because I'm just not moving enough air. The tips in this video are all very helpful though, and your sound is definitely an influence for me.
Thanks John, I wrote down those challenges that you mentioned and I’m planning some new videos that can help!
I'm An Alto Saxophone Player And I Really Like the Sounds Of soprano saxophone
Cool video. I haven't quite figured out my soprano setup yet - I have V16 mp and metal mp - brass and had a couple of the Ricos and the standard plastic. Reeds are mostly Vandoren - Java Red, Green, ZZ, V16, Traditional and Rico - Hemke otw.
Finally got alto figured out hand-finished rubber jazz mp. Vandoren - Java Red filed. I sound pretty amazing.
No ligatures work anymore. None of them fit any MPC. They're all too big or too small for both all of my sop mpcs and my alto mpcs. I've never had this happen before. I haven't invested real money though- I'm poor. I just buy a bunch of cheap ones and return what doesn't work.
Thanks gor all the Tips Bro. I love Brandford Manselis sound ,also I do love the late G Washington. I have a Keilwerth shadow sx 90. I'm still not sure about what to settle on as a MP yet. Got any recommendations for a cool kinda smooth jazz MP ? Keep up the great work . I like your sound too .
Thank you, it’s hard to go wrong with JodyJazz. I think you might like the Custom Dark model mouthpiece
Have your ever tried using a clarinet reed on your sop setup instead?
Never tried it, I wonder how it would sound though. Have you tried it yourself?
@@AllenMusicTalk I'll give it a go once my Sop arrives later this year :) It's something I found out through research. Branford Marsalis apparently does this and said that that was instrumental in helping him achieve the tone he desired which is towards the darker, more classical end of the spectrum.
That’s interesting! It’s worth a try then
Whats a bright classical mp??
I always brush my teeth before I play and have a glass of water to hand. Just don't understand what is causing this waterlogged sound, so horrible! I practice standing up, and work hard on posture and using my diaphragm, holding the saxophone right out in front of me and not aiming the bell at the floor! I'm trying hard to do all the right things. My soprano is a straight one, and I play using a neck strap. I'm doing everything carefully, so where am I going wrong? Is it my embouchure I wonder?
Yooo dude where did you get your bag 💼 from the beginning of the video where are part you show of a bunch of reeds? could you tell me where did you get that nice bag from 😅😁
The case in the video is a Crossrock case. The closest thing that I found to it online are the soft cases made by Protec: wwbw.pxf.io/yRa4my
@@AllenMusicTalkThanks man!
My biggest challenge which is becoming a problem is dealing with a soggy sound! Too much saliva!! No matter what strength of reed I use, the sound keeps going soggy, the reed goes soggy, so I have to stop playing which is absolutely infuriating! What can I do to stop this? It starts off sounding fine and then keeps going soggy, really so frustrating!! I use Vandoren 3 reeds or Hemker 3 reeds. I have been playing with 1.5, 2, 2.5 and now strength 3 reeds. Could this be a problem with my embouchure? I've only been learning since Christmas, so I know it is early days. Any help you can give would be appreciated as I've been trying to teach myself. I've been playing alto sax too, started that in 1982, also play piano, church organ and flute. Very best wishes, Carolyn
This happens to me too from time to time, it’s just condensation building up in the mouthpiece. In a pinch you can just suck the saliva out, but you can also try taking your reed off and putting it back on to see if changing the position helps.
The saliva problem shouldn’t happen every day, so just keep trying!
Get a mouthpiece and neck (if your soprano neck is removal) swab.
I think of a great soprano saxophine sound is abit like a flute
How do you know when u should go up in reed strength
Hey Jack, if you’re playing and you feel like there isn’t enough stability coming from the reed, you should probably increase the strength.
Is something specific making you question the reed strength that you use now?
@@AllenMusicTalk flat sound even if using new reed
Okay that could possibly be caused by an embouchure that is too loose, or by the mouthpiece needing to push in further.
7 Ways to improve your Soprano Saxophone sound:
1) Switch to Alto Sax
2) Switch to Tenor Sax
3) Switch to Baritone Sax
4) Switch to a Bass Sax
5) Turn off your Hearing Aid
6) Play a recording of an actual Saxophone (see List above)
7) Play a Clarinet, like you wanted to in the first place!
(I'm joking, Soprano Sax players are people too...I think...yeah, they are)
In italiano
My problem is soeed and embellishment.