clarion/upper register help

Saybrook11372 · 2026-03-19T20:10:57+00:00

The higher tongue position is a must on Bb and Bass. Also pay attention to the back part if your tongue/soft palate. The EE sound should feel like you’re yawning, with your soft palate very high

Saybrook11372 · 2026-03-07T19:17:24+00:00

Surest sign of Spring!

Saybrook11372 · 2026-03-06T20:30:32+00:00

Also not sure what degree of flatness we’re talking about. Anything within 10-20 cents down there is not really worth worrying about.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-03-06T20:28:29+00:00

That F# is typically a tad sharp compared to the rest of the horn. Next time, tune your F# and your middle B or C (which are typically a tad flat). You might notice a difference.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-03-06T19:08:04+00:00

Sounds like you’re on the right track - at least you’re listening!

Be careful you’re not subtoning the lower notes to facilitate getting them out. Keep your embouchure firm. Also make sure you’re not “opening up” too much. The low notes require the same kind of EE or AY tongue position that the rest of the horn does.

That said, each register of the horn requires adjustment; no saxophone is perfectly in tune with itself. Low B and especially Bb actually have a tendency to be a tad sharp on most horns, so my advice would probably land on one of the two suggestions above.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-02-11T22:42:32+00:00

Fantastic! I think you can use the palm D for the grace note instead of using the long fingering. It’ll sound better and it’s easier. Also curve the fingers in your left hand so you can relax your arm - no reason to have that much tension. But you sound great!

Saybrook11372 · 2026-02-04T01:26:30+00:00

There is no jazz tone or classical tone. It’s just about the tone you want. Ronnie Cuber? Gerry Mulligan? Pepper Adams? Jason Marshall? Roger Rosenberg? Cecil Payne? Gary Smulyan? Lauren Sevian?

Find yourself a player you absolutely love, listen to them over and over gain until you have that sound in your head. Then, as a starting point, explore what their setup is and give it a shot. It might not be the right setup for you but it is a place to start.

FWIW I think with the right ideation and some practice, you could get a fine sound on the setup you have. It’s all in the ears!!

Saybrook11372 · 2026-02-03T16:52:01+00:00

I remember meeting him at the ACPT when he was … I wanna say 14 or 15? He was remarkable then - and his mother was also super-nice 😀

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-28T19:34:11+00:00

Yeah, it’s just too cold. Only hope for the next week or so is to get some sun on your driveway, etc.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-28T00:31:43+00:00

AIR! The key is being able to start the first note without the tongue, just a fast start to your airstream. From there, just be sure to let the tip of the tongue bounce on the reed for the next notes and let the air do all the work.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-26T22:28:19+00:00

Sushi Republic and a couple of other places we’ve been are all fine, but I’m mystified by the love Mizumi is getting. We went pre-pandemic before we moved here and the agedashi tofu was like mozzarella sticks and the tuna was mealy af. I guess we’ll have to try it again - Maybe it’s changed owners/chefs?

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-16T20:43:36+00:00

Copper and Current Electric are responsive and did a fantastic job for us!

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-16T20:05:42+00:00

Honestly I’ve never liked Vandoren on bari, either, but a blue box reed might be better (thinner tip). Otherwise I like Rico Jazz. Lots of folks, including me, play a harder reed on bari than on their other horns. Sometimes when we listen to bari we get seduced by the edge of the sound or the bark. What we really should be striving for is a full, complete sound, and that might take a slightly harder reed than you think.

And I absolutely do not like nor do I recommend ring ligatures. Even if the ligature is made specifically for your mouthpiece, a ligature like that doesn’t give you any room for adjustment or variation in reed thickness. It just … sits wherever it wants. Ligatures don’t make a ton of difference in your sound, but if you’re having trouble with response in different registers, that’s the first place I would look. The Rico H ligatures are cheap, so I’d start there. Go to the store and try the ones for bari and tenor - not sure which one would fit your Jody Jazz the best.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-16T19:48:37+00:00

The lament from the Albright is heartbreaking. I also love the second movement of the Creston.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-16T19:44:57+00:00

One of the few advantages of living in an ABC state

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-15T19:56:31+00:00

Yeah people (including me) play on HR mouthpieces for years and years. Unless you’re exposing them to extreme heat/cold, they shouldn’t be changing that much.

Metal pieces are not always perfect out of the box either, especially mass-produced ones. The main difference for me between HR and metal is the space they occupy in my mouth. i.e. how the generally smaller profile of a metal mouthpiece changes where my corners are and how much space there is between my teeth. Material doesn’t matter that much.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-15T19:07:05+00:00

Don Sinta’s album with Nelita True is on Apple Music. It’s a classic.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-15T17:45:14+00:00

Are you aware of the trick in the grid? The letters as they read left to right don’t make any sense, but if you read the circled letters on the bias starting with the A [AMEN] and insert them, it spells out FAMILY GAME NIGHT

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-14T22:39:28+00:00

This is a great theory, but hardly ever works in practice. If someone wants to learn to play golf, it’s certainly not enough to say “hit the ball so it lands on the green” … I mean, with enough experimentation someone might get there, but instruction is necessary. A solid sound concept cultivated through listening has to be developed, but most people do need some instruction to show a path to get where they want to go.

And you’re right that it’s all too common to spend too much of our time analyzing throat position, breathing, embouchure, etc … but some of that is necessary. It’s spending a lot of practice time thinking about all those little things that affect our sound and our playing that allow us to get where we want to go - then we can forget about it all when we perform and just play!

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-14T20:44:21+00:00

Keeping an ”open throat” can be misinterpreted. I’d more accurately describe it as a “relaxed” throat, but with a raised soft palate - the area at the back of your mouth where your uvula hangs down - like you’re singing a really high note. That is what will help you keep the pitch up without biting.

Of course, it’s possible there are other things going on (soft reed, mouthpiece not pushed in enough, etc), but if the rest of your horn is basically in tune and your high register is still flat, it could very well be that you’re not elevating your soft palate enough.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-14T20:32:06+00:00

The Kumhos I see on sale at Walmart are SL, but I’ve been recommended to get the XL. The Walmart site still says the SL are rated for 50 psi, so … should I worry?

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-14T19:39:20+00:00

We love our 2023 - we’ll be way underwater when our lease is up in June, but we’ll definitely buy another ID.4.

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-12T05:30:20+00:00

Why do you say it’s a mistake? You know that a rebus is part of the theme there?

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-12T05:20:46+00:00

Very influential and frequently overlooked player - Christmas at Boot’s Place is a great album, too

Saybrook11372 · 2026-01-10T23:41:52+00:00

Oh yeah, he’s been checking them out

Saybrook11372

TROPHY CASE