How to Play the Saxophone--Christian

When people think of the saxophone, many will refer to its origins as an essential
instrument used in many jazz songs. Learning how to play jazz music and learning how to play the saxophone go hand in hand in that you can not learn one and not the other. I began playing music in the 5th grade in the Solorio band program where I began to learn the basic skills of following a cadence and controlling tone on a kazoo. Although this step is not technically necessary, it lays the groundwork for playing on a constant cadence without speeding up or slowing down in order to keep a song’s tempo in rhythm while also maintaining the quality of sound as well. This process works because as you get used to how the kazoo reacts when you play a certain way, you’ll be able to recognize the do’s and dont’s of playing an instrument and will be able to adjust accordingly; for example, when blowing as hard as possible the noise is much louder and audible at the expense of the noise quality while blowing softly might not make a musical note at all. In order to formally begin playing, you must first prep your saxophone of choice with a reed fitting of your skill level with softer reeds being for beginners and harder reeds being for veterans. After you find the reed that is right for you, you will need to make sure your saxophone is in tune by adjusting how far or close your mouthpiece is on to your saxophone; this process will require a tuner or tuner app and the playing of a musical note, if your note is playing too sharp adjust the mouthpiece by pulling it back a little bit until the note is playing regular. Meanwhile, if your note is playing too flat, adjust the mouthpiece by pushing it on the cork further until the note plays without showing a sharp or flat symbol on the tuner app,

if your saxophone is unable to be tuned, it is likely due to an air leak, a bent octave pin, or a deformed bell. After you have set up your saxophone successfully, the first step is to tuck your lower lip under the tip of the mouthpiece while gently keeping your tongue on the reed. This step is important because without the proper lip and tongue placement, not only will the stress on your throat and jaw be severe causing soreness, but the saxophone will produce an airy gag noise which can be heard by a skilled musician which occurs when you push air out using only your throat. The next step is to have proper back posture with your chest puffed out while gently resting the saxophone on the side of your leg and saxophone. Posture is important because the sound will be of much higher quality due to the amount of air and control of air you can exert from a puffed chest position and will allow for more notes to be consecutively played without the need of having to breathe constantly. Before you can begin to play notes, you will need to wet the reed to keep the quality of the notes consistent, and will need to be somewhat damp throughout your process of playing otherwise it will lead to notes playing very flat and out of tune. There are two clefs, one being bass and the other being treble, but all saxophones are played in treble clef thus meaning the music sheet songs you can play must be in treble clef. Treble clef is played in a higher octave when compared to the bass clef and when playing the notes in order, the treble clef is naturally higher than the bass clef. An A note in treble clef does not sound the same as an A note in the bass clef and confusing the two will lead to your music not having any flow; constantly jumping from deep notes to high notes will cause your saxophone to squeak obnoxiously due to the bad transitioning of one note to the next. After you begin to play and your notes begin to flow while remaining in tune, the quality of your music will now depend on only you; after the saxophone is prepped properly and you are sitting properly, the sounds your saxophone makes will depend solely on your ability.