Saxophones Can Play in Tune

There's a widely accepted myth that saxophone players play with poor intonation. It's expected so there's no reason to try to fix it. Some older horns were designed in such a way that fourth line D was not as well in tune as other notes. The reality is that minor adjustments made those horns play in tune without sacrificing their rich tone. Horns, mouthpieces, reeds and ligatures designed and manufactured over the past five years help even beginners play in tune.

So, why do saxophone players play out of tune?

Poor focus and attention to pitch accuracy.

Developing a Proper Embouchure

Let's look at the causes for poor intonation and some ways to fix it. The first step to good intonation is refining the embouchure and setup.

I'll start with the embouchure first. Some players, and unfortunately, some teachers think the embouchure should be changed as you move up and down the horn. This assumption is incorrect. If your embouchure is set, you can play the complete range of the horn including up to the altissimo in tune.

During my clinics, I'll place a chromatic tuner in front of me so that participants can see pitch consistency. I have some watch my embouchure while others watch the tuner. As I go up and down chromatically they notice that my embouchure doesn't shift and the pitch remains consistent. Sometimes I'll use my setup on one of their instruments to demonstrate that it's not the horn.

Choosing a Proper Setup

Because the setup is such an important part of the process, it's important to understand the importance of using the proper setup.

Since I'm a Vandoren Artist, I'm most familiar with Vandoren products but I give general information that applies to all reeds, ligatures and mouthpieces. An ill-placed ligature, an incorrect strength reed and a mouthpiece with the wrong size tip or chamber can lead to poor sound quality and poor intonation. Each of these items must be in place correctly in order for you to get the most out of your embouchure.

The Vandoren reed and mouthpiece guide helps you match your preferred reed and the best tip opening and chamber size. There's too much to be explained here so I'll give the general information that applies.

As you're playing you shouldn't feel resistance or back up air. This is one of the reasons players "pinch" the reed closed or shift the embouchure in order to get notes out.

The tip should be open enough to allow the reed to vibrate and create a full sound. You should see the tip of the reed match the tip of the mouthpiece when you lightly press it. Too much over or under the tip will lead to poor sound and poor intonation.

A reed strength too soft will usually lead to playing flat and too strong will produce a scratchy sound that usually goes sharp.

Setup & Embouchure Tips

• Experiment and play until you hear the sound most pleasing to you. Once you hear that sound, play a scale with long tones and check each note against a tuner.
• Take enough mouthpiece into your mouth to allow the reed to vibrate freely. Generally, you don't want your embouchure pressing the tip or taking so much in your mouth that the tip touches the center of your tongue.
• The way the mouth is shaped means that in order for your teeth to be even, you must push your bottom jaw forward. This gives you the basis to form your proper embouchure.

Importance of a Tuner & Final Thoughts

With the number of tuning apps and digital tuners available, there's no reason not to be able to develop good intonation. Part of your daily warmup should be playing with a tuner. This will help you develop your pitch and tonal center. Once you discover it, you can mark your cork with a pen or marker and that will be the place for you to put your mouthpiece. If you change mouthpieces you may have to start the process of tuning and marking again but the embouchure should be set and the range of the horn should still be consistently in tune. The biggest reason for going through each of these steps is to make sure that you don't shift your embouchure. That's where the problem of poor intonation begins.

About the Author

Ron Kearns is a performer, conductor, composer/arranger, record producer and educator who has performed with Ernie Andrews, Stanley Turrentine, Rick Henderson and Kenny Reed. He has played at the world renowned Blues Alley Jazz Supper Club, London's 100 Club and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As a producer, Kearns has produced albums for Candid Records, LTD, London, England, FOXHAVEN RECORDS, Jazz Karma Records and Tiffany Records. He has written liner notes for several recordings and has published articles on jazz production and performance. Learn more about Ron Kearns.