what can i do to to produce a good tone on the alto saxophone?

Question

plz tell me

Answer 1

I don't play saxophone, but I do play clarinet, and the approach is similar.

First of all, make sure your reed strength is not too high or too low for your playing level. The higher the strength number, the stiffer the reed and the stronger your jaw muscles will need to be to compensate. On the other hand, if you're using too *low* a reed strength, you might end up squeaking some notes unintentionally. While I generally use V-1 to V-2½ reeds, I've got a box of V-4s that I once experimented with and found too stiff for me--especially considering my primary instrument is keyboards and I only pull out my clarinet once in a blue moon these days.

A good embouchure is important, and while it's not something a music teacher can *give* you, it is something he can help you discover within yourself. A good embouchure involves developing your jaw muscles over time so that you eventually learn how to produce a good tone. One little caveat for the long term: if you learn a good embouchure, then stop playing regularly for several years and then suddenly start up again, you'll remember how to do the correct embouchure, but you'll find your jaw muscles have atrophied.

Make sure your reed is good and moist. If it's too dry, it won't be as elastic as it otherwise would be, and it'll make it more difficult to get a good embouchure.

Make sure the cork where you attach the mouthpiece is in good condition. This of course means you should use good cork grease. Over time, though, the cork compresses, and you don't get a good air seal. This can affect the tone because a small quantity of air can leak out.

Good health can help too. For example, I once attended a music workshop given by a saxophone player who said that even on the same saxophone, you can notice a subtle difference in tone between two different players, simply because they have subtle differences between their windpipes. I also play in a band whose sax player smokes, and I can't help but think that this habit of his may well affect his career in the long term--the more "tar" builds up in a person's lungs, the less lung capacity he has as a result.

Above all, consider the emotion that the music you're playing is trying to convey. When you play music, in a way you're an actor on stage bringing an emotion to an audience. If the tone of the music suggests a romantic setting, for example, you have to find some way to "feel" those romantic emotions within yourself, as an actor would. This will come through in the tone of your playing.

Answer 2

A quality saxophone, a quality mouthpiece with a fresh reed, good technique and lots of practice.

Answer 3

you need to practice the embouchure - how you hold your mouth - have a look at the sites below for more discussion about this

I'm assuming you can get a sound out of it.

The basic exercises are:

scales - or parts of scales for fingering

long notes - blow a mezzo-piano or mezzo-forte note and hold it for a long long long time - to develop diaphragm

dynamics - blow a soft note then get louder and louder till you are REALLY loud (fortissimo) then get softer and softer

Answer 4

Practice.
Make sure you are using proper mouthpiece technique. Your instructor or a fellow sax player should be able to help you there.