Saxophone!!!?

Question:I can play Low C#
I can play softly

How do I do both at the same time?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I can play Low C#
I can play softly

How do I do both at the same time?

Actually you need to play the note with good air support. Too much air can cause you to honk the note (like a goose) or make the tone very very airy. What they mean by with lots of air actually means to setting your posture and embouchure as if you were going to play really really loud but then you release the air lightly. A good exercise would be to play long tones in that register loud with the proper air support posture and then gradually decrease loudness of sound to where you can barely hear the note. You may need to learn how to increase your lung capacity to be able handle the back pressure coming from playing soft with good support. Good luck!
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Wow! I have never been demanded to "edit" my answer before. First, realize that you cannot just increase you lung capacity over night. This requires a few weeks minimum of doing breathing excersizes. The point of breathing excersizes are to learn how to control the flow of air both coming into your body and blowing out of your body. Yoga excersizes are great for these. One of my trumpet professor gave me a yoga excersize that have helped me achieve this. take a big breath slowly in, then hold the breath for as long as you can, and then breath out just as slow as you breathed in. Repeat after a few seconds of rest in between. Pay attention to the way you store the breath. The breath needs to be started, held and exhaled from the gut. Do this a few times before you play and you can instantly hear a difference with your playing.

Another like excersize that I did during marching season was to breathe in for 16 counts and breathe out for 16 counts (at 120 bpm). Remember to breathe using the gut (much like how sensei's teach their students to yell kiya from their gut). Also, getting in excersize will help: go swimming, running, cycling for two days of the week. Do the excersize enought so that you are required to regulate you breath.

Some of this may seem like outdated ancient kung fu methods; I can understand that you may not think any of this will directly improve your playing ability. BUT remember that strong air support is the number one way to improve your instrumental ability, no matter what you play. . . . minus percussion or piano of course. If you don't believe me, ask any instructor about breath support and control. Good Luck.

Oopsies I gave you 3 stars

*gives thumbs up to make up for it*

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by Kate

Member since:: January 03, 2008
Total points:: 253 (Level 2)

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Since low C# is such a low note yu should use lots of air and make sure your reed is the right size and is new. Once you practice enough, you will be able to play the note better and more confidently.

Playing the saxophone is all about control with your breath and your embouchure. Practice long notes on low E and D and work your way down to the C#. It takes a lot of control to play the low notes without honking them. Be patient and work up the strength in your embouchure and you'll be fine.

yea that really hard but wat u have to do is practice going down the scale and just try playing it softly. it also helps to have a good read that you have been using for a couple of days so it is not brand new or not to old. also sinse you need a lot of air to play the low c# just trying to use less air until you find a point were you can hear the note but it isn't loud :0 hope this helps woot! go saxophone ppl :)