Hopefully, you’ve figured out how to put your saxophone together, and hold it. If not, you can refer to my other guides on how to put your saxophone together and how to hold it. Now comes the great task of making your first sound! When we talk about embouchure, we mean the way in which we form our mouth and lips in order to play a wind instrument. Here’s a step by step guide to forming the proper saxophone embouchure, along with some tips to ensure you are doing it correctly. Even if you’ve been playing for a couple years, this is helpful to check the embouchure you are using is indeed correct.
What to do:
1. Before you play, make sure you soak your reed, either in your mouth, or in a small container of water. Somewhere around 5 minutes should be good. Be careful that the reed does not become waterlogged. Once the reed is ready, place it on the mouthpiece.
2. Cover your bottom teeth with your bottom lip.
3. Place the mouthpiece in your mouth, and make sure your bottom teeth are not touching the reed. They should be covered with the bottom lip.
4. Place your top teeth on the top of the mouthpiece.
5. Firm the muscles around your mouth, and blow! Make sure all of your air goes into the instrument, and not out the sides of your mouth.
Additional pointers:
1. How much mouthpiece to put in your mouth depends on which saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, or bari), you are playing. It may also depend on the mouthpiece. A good trick is to first make sure that your reed is sealing on your mouthpiece. Make sure the reed is wet and soaked enough. Place the reed on the mouthpiece. Cover the open end of the mouthpiece (the end that would normally go onto the neck of the instrument) with your hand. Place the mouthpiece in your mouth and suck all of the air out. Remove from your mouth. Remove your hand. If the reed is sealing properly, then you should hear a pop sound when you remove your hand. If you don’t hear that sound, you can try a new reed or possibly repositioning it. It may not be positioned correctly. If the reed is sealing correctly, then take a normal piece of paper. Stick it in between the reed and mouthpiece. The point at which the paper stops, is the point at which the reed and mouthpiece touch. This is the point that your teeth should be lined up with. That is about how much mouthpiece should be in your mouth.
2. Think of your mouth as a rubberband wrapping around the mouthpiece. There is equal pressure all around the mouthpiece. Think of trying to make your lips into more of an O shape rather than flat.
3. If you have a tuner, or piano (that is tuned), you can use it to see if your embouchure is too tight or loose. If you play just the mouthpiece, an alto mouthpiece should be close to a concert A. A tenor should be close to concert G. Bari saxes should be around a concert Eb. Soprano saxes should be around a concert C.
Common Problems:
1. Too much mouthpiece- If you sound honky, have poor control, or the higher notes drop down an octave, you may be taking too much mouthpiece. Try less. Refer to #1 under additional pointers for further instruction on how much to take.
2. Too little mouthpiece- If your sound is pinched, small, or the lower notes jump up, you may be taking to little mouthpiece. Try a little more. Refer to #1 under additional pointers for further instruction in determining how much to take.
3. Biting- This is a common problem among beginners. The sound may be pinched, respond poorly, or lower notes may be jumping up. In severe cases, you may be choking off the reed entirely resulting in no sound at all. The proper saxophone embouchure does not clamp down on the mouthpiece as if you were chewing. Think of your mouth as a rubberband or drawstring closing in around all sides around the mouthpiece. This will put your mouth in more of an O shape.
4. Teeth on the reed- Make sure you cover your bottom teeth with your bottom lip! Teeth on the reed will result in squeaks. And lots of them!
5. No teeth on the top of the mouthpiece- Remember, the top teeth need to be placed on the top of the mouthpiece. Not doing this will result in a loss of control.
If you are just starting to play, remember that you are exercising new muscles in your face (unless you have played another instrument). It is common to become fatigued after a short time. Build your practice time slowly. In addition, it is also common for the bottom lip to become calloused from playing. When this happens, you will find that it becomes easier to play for longer periods of time without the bottom lip hurting.
Also, this is just a guide to forming the saxophone embouchure. There are still plenty of skills to be learned as you learn to play! The next skill that should be learned is how to tongue.
