- 1). Warm up. Before attempting to adjust anything else, play some scales or riffs for a few minutes. As your saxophone becomes warmer, it will sound more sharp and will sometimes be all you need to be right in tune.
- 2). Adjust your embouchure -- the way you position your lips on the mouthpiece. Your embouchure is key to achieving and maintaining proper pitch. If you hear your saxophone is flat, tighten your embouchure to make the notes sharper. Experiment with various embouchure tension to find a position that works for you and gets you the desired tuning. Too much tension in the embouchure will make it very difficult to play and will affect the quality of your tone.
- 3). Push in your mouthpiece to sharpen your pitch. Shortening the length of your instrument even by a little will alter your pitch and make it higher. Be careful not to push your mouthpiece in too much, as this can make it very difficult to take the mouthpiece off without damaging your instrument.
- 4). Change your reed. Playing on a reed that is too soft may make you sound flat and leave you constantly compensating to adjust your pitch. Choose a harder reed to make your saxophone sound sharper. Defective reeds that are warped or uneven can also affect your tuning and make it harder for you to adjust your tuning, so make sure your reed is in good condition before playing.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -