An Otto Link 8 with 3.5 Java reeds?!?! HOLY HELL!!! Yes, I would say that could be why they have a hard time maintaining pitch! It's a wonder they haven't bursted half the blood vessels in thier faces! Do their eyes bulge as they are playing? Tell them to try a #2 reed. I think they will have a lot better control and sound. Really, an Otto Link 6 is open enough.

Maybe if you dropped the mouthpiece in concret, let it harden and then try playing it you would get better air flow? Just an idea.

That might improve the sound and intonation of a Selmer S80 Radjammin, dropping it in concrete! It sure couldn't hurt it!

or you could take thouse 3.5 reeds and do some repairs on your house. melt down the otto and make a new doornob for your bathroom.

If you're tone is sounding thin and brassy, it's most likely your airstream. Try playing your tenor, and then take the mouthpiece out and play into your hand. Feel the air as it's coming out onto your hand. Is that air warm or cold? It should be warm, a lot players blow quick small airstreams, resulting in cold air. That makes for a thin sound. You want to think more about exhaling than blowing when you play. And when you are pushing air out, instead of playing out of your lungs, try to think about playing from your stomach. You can practice this stuff just doing long tones, so it's easier to concentrate on the task at hand. Give that a try for a few weeks, your tone should fatten up.

I agree with what Mr. Golfer said, and I can add to it. Another major part in a good tone is expanding your throat, If your throat is wider the air is more likely to be warm. As to making your throat wider... pretend your throwing up :-) (well this works for me). Another major part is breathing. Make sure your shoulders don't rise while inhaling, and make sure you can fill up and expand that diaphragm... The human lungs can fill 6 litres of air, most people only use 2. Use those full six litres! Hope this helped. Sean

Well said Sean. To add to the throat thing,(this is the only time I will ever tell someone to do this) look into the mirror while playing the saxophone(bites thumb) and watch your throat. It should open by itself, just relax the muscles and the air should make it expand. The best example of this I've ever seen is Dick Oatts. If you don't know who he is, go jump off a cliff. And then find out. When he plays, I would say his throat expands to 3 times the normal size, and he in my opinion has the best alto sound out there right now. Also a very good point on the breath intake. Just think about breathing up. Start by taking air into the bottom of your diaphragm at your stomach, and fill your diaphragm from the bottom up.

Great responses. There is much wisdom flowing in these posts. It definately sounds like air support is a huge issue here. You mentioned you liked your low notes. Are you sub-toning? Sub-toning is done in the lower register of the horn and allows air to escape through the horn at a slower speed creating an altered sound. This is a great tool to have. It should be done tastefully and is not to be used in all of the time. I love the sound and use it daily but it is not the proper technique of playing. To play the horn you must take a deep breath (as someone already mentioned do not move your shoulders) then flex your abdominal muscle to support (it should feel like you are doing a sit-up). Keep the pressure while you release a steady stream of air through the horn. If it is mechanical here are some things to try. You will hardley ever here me say this but try a softer reed (I am learning that playing on a 2 by 4 is not for everyone). If you are playing on a metal mp try a hard rubber. The chamber might be to large and enabling you to controll it. Finally, your sound is internal. You will sound like what you listen to. If you are not listening on a regular basis (I suggest at least 30 minutes a day of just listening) it is impossible to develope a mature sound on the horn. If you want to sound like Trane, listen to Trane. If you want to sound like Joe Henderson, check out Joe. If you want to sound like Joshua Redman, listen to Josh. This is how you develope your sound, from the inside out. Until you fix technique (breathing and fingers), and develope some roots by listening equipment will do little good. Hope this helps, Tracy