h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Many beginning students who want to play saxophone are instructed to begin on clarinet, because clarinet was thought a better all-around instument than sax: it was more intellectual (that is, classical) and offered more of a "challenge". The saxophone was originally reserved just for people who couldn't succeed on clarinet (which is more difficult to learn the fingerings for). Today, children are still dissuaded from beginning on saxophone; their excuse is the the saxophone is too big for children to get a good grasp on, while the clarinet is a better size.

*would like to mention that playing any instrument *well* offers the same amount of challenge, should it be clarinet, sax, flute, trumpet, percussion, etc.*


On clarinetists changing to saxophone: beware your embouchure!

The clarinet embouchure (face muscles used in producing a nice tone) is very 'set'. It changes very little from low E to high G (or even higher). There is difference there, but not much.

When switching from clarinet to saxophone (any saxophone--soprano, alto, tenor, baritone... etc etc, because I am undoubtedly missing some), this set embouchure makes a difference. Saxophone embouchures are much more loose and changeable... It is impossible to get low notes out immediately coming from a clarinet background, because the embouchure is too tight. High notes usually go very sharp... In fact, most of the notes are sharp right off the bat. It takes time and practice to relearn an embouchure.

The fingerings are easy enough to transfer, because the middle register clarinet fingers are exceedingingly similar to the entire saxophone fingerings (and in turn, saxophone and flute fingerings are nearly interchangeable).

Saxophones have an octave key that breaks the fingerings into octaves... Playing just the index finger is a B. When the octave key is pressed, that B sounds an octave higher. Clarinets, on the other hand, have a register key that breaks the range into registers. On clarinet, playing first finger and thumb is a first-line E. When the register key is pressed, that same fingering sounds a B, above the staff. To get a second register E, the register key, the entire left hand, and the first two fingers of the right hand need to cover their respective holes. The clarinet fingering system is more complicated.


Peace, love, and music.
~Shee

I did exactly that my junior year in high school. I never could perfect my embochure on the clarinet. Although I didn't have a problem with speed or accuracy, my tone just sucked. So I began to play saxophone instead, and picked it up pretty quickly. The upper register on a clarinet is the lower register on a saxophone, which makes it easier to transpose the notes mentally. (I picked up the sax because I was bored with the clarinet - plus they wouldn't let me in the jazz band with a clarinet - even though I mentioned klesmer music to them, they weren't interested.)

The embochure on the sax is dependent upon the lower jaw. When learning to perfect your tone, concentrate on the tightness and angle of the lower jaw. You can actually change the tone by raising and lowering the jaw to produce a vibrato. Different notes require different angles, because like all wind instruments, not every note will be in tune at the same time. Certain notes are consistently sharp when the sax is in tune, so the player knows to drop their jaw. When trying to hit those lowest notes, relax the jaw as much as possible - the reed has to vibrate at a slower frequency, and if the jaw's too tight, it'll choke the sound and stop the vibration.

And if you've learned the saxophone and the clarinet, there's no reason why you shouldn't also learn to play the bass clarinet. It's a bit less agile than the sax or clarinet, but it has a beautiful tone, and is remarkably easy to learn.

The bass clarinet only has beautiful tone if the clarinet is made decently... Bass clarinets (like bassoons) can be *very* badly made, and the tone is affected. (Same thing with all other instruments, but not necessarily to that extent. This is the student vs professional model difference.)

In finding concert pitches on an Eb alto saxophone when coming from clarinet, it is easier for me to transpose to the Bb clarinet key first (ie, concert Bb is a C on clarinet), and then from there to change to the Eb key by "popping" the register key in my imaginary clarinet. (The lower fingering for C with the register key is a G, therefore G is the pitch on an Eb instrument for a concert Bb pitch.)

That is very difficult, and doubtless it will be easier for many people just to count the half-steps... And it probably means nothing to almost everyone else , but I figured I'd include it in the conversation.


Shee

Our school had a Selmer bass clarinet - really a nice instrument. It had a special neck - different from the usual bass clarinet neck - that angled the mouthpiece up at a more comfortable angle.

When I was in regional, there was a guy that played the contrabass clarinet. That thing rattled and blatted and pooted so much that it was hard to hear whether there was actually a tune being played. Probably a poorly made instrument.

i think the reason people say c first the s is because the s is so damned heavy!

I still have trouble with the weight of my alto sax and when i had to give up when i went to uni i was really quite glad. as soon as i am finished my second lot of uni in a few years i intend to take it up again, but i might have to start ging to the gym first!

FABT

Hey now, that's the whole point of the neckstrap!


*feels the need to write up more information*
Neck straps are used for all saxophones (except perhaps soprano... actually, the more I think about it, soprano is not generally played with a neck strap. But neither is clarinet, although I've seen people use clarinet neck straps.)

It should be pulled small enough to put the saxophone's mouthpiece right between the lips. When playing saxophone, pressed the bottom (right) hand outwards. The sax should end up in your mouth, not at your chin or neck or nose. This is a test to see if the strap is properly adjusted. (This is also where the support should come from.)

Straps need to be wide enough to be comfortable--FABT's right; the saxophone is very heavy. The strap should be enough to counter this, however. If the strap is too thin, it will dig into your neck--painful. Many companies sell good neck straps. Steer clear from those that "stretch"--that defeats the purpose of the strap in the first place.

When I first started alto, the muscles in my neck were sore for a while, from keeping my head straight with all that extra weight. It passes--like the clarinet embouchure, the muscles gradually strengthen themselves with use.


Shee

When it comes to changing... is it easy to pick up the grips on sax? Would one need a teacher, or would it be ok to learn it by oneself? (Clarinet background of 11 years)

I really want to pick up the sax and play jazz.. but not only is the sax expensive to buy, if I also would have to pay someone to teach me the grips I would be ruined.

I haven't done it myself, but I gather you should be able to do it easy enough without a teacher. Two things to note: you'll have to loosen your embouchure and you'll have to use different embouchures for different registers. You'll also have to get used to the more limited range of the instrument (basically 2.5 octaves with crazy fingerings to get all the rest).

My neck strap is, I think, too long. to get the mouth peace o my mouth I have to tighten it so much that I and being strangled and feel like I'm going to pass out because of the pressure on them big veins on the side of the neck. I'm ok for a while but after about 20 minutes then I feel like I am going to black out and have to stop.

If I go and buy another one, is there a good brand to look out for? how much do they cost?


oh yeah, and thre wasa comment somewhere about reeds. I like Vandoren over Rico. Rico split, bubble and are generally horrid sounding. Vandoren even taste better!


FABT

Taste better??

I personally use Mitchell Lurie Premium with clarinet and Hemke on alto saxophone... I've only tried the Vandoren on alto; I thought they were awful. No offense intended to anyone who uses them, of course. Rico are pretty bad reeds--definitely for beginners who don't have good tone anyway (it's a sad but true fact: clarinet embouchure takes a lot of time...). Rico Royal are a *bit* better. There's lots of brands out there, though...


Yes, I found sax pretty easy to learn without a "teacher" in the strictest sense. You need to practice a lot though, like anything else. One more tip, to add to what Gnomon said : as a clarinetist, you'll probably be likely to play a saxophone's open C# like a clarinet's open G--that is, without your thumb touching the instrument. Fight that habit! On sax, your thumb shouldn't leave the thumb-rest, ever. To go the next octave, just roll it forward. Never lift it.


As for a good neckstrap... Just look around. There'll be something. Check for a wide strap. You might want to have the strap detachable (and thus washable) as well...

Learning the saxophone isn't really that hard, especially if you do have a strong clarinet background. It requires the same skills and the fingerings aren't that different. If you're looking for books to learn from, the oboe books are in the right key and are good for developing a strong technique. Style, on the other hand, is something you'll have to learn from a teacher, or from recordings of Charlie Parker and the like.

For reeds... I've never found a reed that I really like. Rico Royals are all right. I used them in marching band because they were louder (softer) than other reeds, but this means that they get bad faster. Vandorens are inconsistent in quality. About four out of five reeds in a box of Vandorens will be bad. Mitchell Lurie are more pricey, and average about one crappy one per five reeds.

As for the saxophone weight... I tried, I really did try to practice using only my hand to hold up the instrument. But eventually I got lazy and started resting the bottom of the sax on the seat between my knees. This works pretty well. The professionals in the audience will probably tell you that you should hold the saxophone the right way for better tone, and they're right. But with the factors involved - keeping the mouth steady on the sax so that your tone doesn't quaver, and the sheer weight of all that brass - well, it was just easier.

My neck used to hurt so much! (I had forgotten until somebody mentioned almost blacking out... It's amazing how easily we forget pain.)

I thought that oboes were in C, not Bb or Eb....


And I play alto between my legs, not off to the side--might that perhaps have an effect? I dunno...

I dunno... they probably are. I just know that when I was taking lessons, we used an oboe book for learning songs from. You know how songs written for one instrument don't always translate to another, because what's easy on one instrument might be impossible on another. But the oboe songs worked just fine on the sax.

Okay. I'll accept that.

I switched from bassoon to alto sax - now that really mucks up your embouchure. It also meant learning treble clef - I was used to bass clef. Maybe I should have played clarinet first...

i learned clarinet and sax at the same time and am now grade8