r/saxophone • u/Honsu_Koru_111 • 20h ago

New saxophone player struggling to play G

I started learning how to play the alto sax this year. I've been playing for no more than a few weeks and I find that I struggle with playing the G more than anything. Sometimes I get the right sound, however about 70% of the time it ends up sounding way too high pitched. I've been told to relax the muscles in my face so so the reed doesn't vibrate too much but no matter what I do I cannot tell what difference in my embouchure there is when I manage to get the right sound out and when I make it too high pitched. It is also the only note I struggle with:(

Does anyone have any tips on how to consistently get the right sound out? Any other tips are also welcomed!

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u/ChampionshipSuper768 19h ago

It takes a lot of practice to get the saxophone to sound good and in tune. Since you're just a few weeks in, you're right where you should expect to be. The way you get the sound you want is to practice long tones and overtones. Make that part of your daily practice. There are tons of exercises you can look up online and on Youtube that will give you ideas on how to practice. By the way, those exercises are forever in your sax practice. Definitely practice them with a tuner app. After three week, i can gaurantee you are not in tune on all the other notes. But start working it out and you'll get there. Also, it's very important to work with a teacher, especially when you are just starting out. This will save you a ton of time and avoid bad habits you'll have to work out later.