Saxophone Forum


by etb5005
(4 posts)
18 years ago

Bending Notes

I just recently started playing sax and I've been moving along ok, but I hear on many recordings that players will bend a note almost a full half step, but when I try I can only bend slightly, is there something I'm missing?

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  1. by Sax_Shark
    (134 posts)

    18 years ago

    Re: Bending Notes

    If you just started then its because your jaw hasn't gotten there yet. Don't worry, it will come. However, it might be your mouthpiece. What kind do you have? If its something like every beginner should use, then the tip opening isn't large enough to make any difference. The bigger the opening (and depending on the strength of your jaw and reed), the easier it is to make different sounds and essentially bend notes. But its good that you're trying to be like the pros. Usually, if you're trying to be like them, then the other students around you will catch the fever and want to be better. One day you'll look around and everyone will be awesome. I had something like that happen with the tenor sax section I was 1/7th of a few years ago. In my band, that was a HUGE tenor section. Now we have like 4 but all of us can play, blend, and perform very well.

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    1. by etb5005
      (4 posts)

      18 years ago

      Re: Bending Notes

      I have a Selmer LT(what came with the sax), I'm assuming that's not the best one on the market...what one would you recommend?

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      1. by golferguy675
        (600 posts)

        18 years ago

        Re: Bending Notes

        An LT is a legit piece, and as sax shark said, is probably to small on the tip to do much with. But hang onto that mouthpiece, because it is very good for classical music. Buy a mouthpiece for jazz, that's the first step. Just start out on something like an Otto Link Tone Edge, or maybe a Meyer. I would go with the Tone Edge 6*, that's what I started out on in the 7th grade, and it carried me nearly half way through highschool. Now, onto bending... Don't do it yet. Spend a year with the jazz mouthpiece developing your sound before you corrupt yourself. But when you do, do it in moderation. If there's one thing I hate most, it is people who can't stop scooping. It just kills swing and style when you do that. When you do get to it, think about using your throat more than your jaw, so your tone doesn't go down with the pitch. You probably won't notice using your throat muscles much until you play on a jazz piece for a while...one day you'll just have an epiphany and it will dawn on you. Hope that was of someone help, it's late and I'm tired. ; )

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        1. by EL Seano
          (255 posts)

          18 years ago

          Re: Bending Notes

          Hey, its great that you want to try the whole bending/scooping thing, but once you get it, it can become an annoying bad habit that is not good to listen to. My Golden Rule: Too much of anything is bad. I recently mastered a distortion effect in my high register. It was sounding great, then it got predictable, then it got annoying (im talking from a listener's perspective), then it got so repetitve that my teacher came up to me and gave me a huge lecture about how effects can be easily overdone. Good luck with the bending thing, but try not to do it too much! You have been warned.... :-) Sean

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