My own personal opinion, so let the criticism fly:
After playing saxophone for almost 50 years, there is one thing I can recommend:
PLAY LOOSE!
I started on clarinet (a good idea) but the transition to sax was very slow for me. I tried stiff reeds like on clarinet, and got nowhere as far as sound. Technique, OK, but no dynamic range and I couldn't sound like Ben Webster, Gene Ammons, and Sal Nistico (Who can?)
It took me more than 10 years to back off on reed strength and use air pressure, not lip pressure, to create the "stuff" from which saxophone sound is shaped.
I didn't take many sax lessons, but later I talked to great players who studied with the best teachers. Here's what I heard:
1. Take a big bite and let the reed fly, or else take a shorter bite and play with incredibly loose chops and tons of air.
A. The first approach produces a huge, edgy sound, and very few problems with low notes. However, control requires enormous powerful chops.
B. The second approach allows the player to exert more influence on the thin part of the reed near the tip while still letting the reed vibrate. A lot of air is necessary.
2. Many of the great New York teachers recommended softer reeds with the second "loose" approach. I've heard a lot of stories and forgotten the source. Either Bill Scheiner (Stan Getz' teacher) or Merle Johnston (Of Johnston-Selmer mouthpiece fame) would hit his students with a hammer if they played with a tight embouchre. I met Bill Scheiner and repaired his tenor once. I can't imagine him doing this, but I know he was a tough teacher.
One day a guy called my repair shop looking for a sax teacher for his son. He told me he was accustomed to the best, as he had studied with Bill Scheiner. I told him to contact Mr. Scheiner, because he had recently moved to our area.
He replied, "Oh, I couldn't do that to my son!"
Neither approach is easy. Muscle development takes time, like lifting weights, and endurance requires a completely different training schedule, like trying to win the Tour de France. a combination of both is best.
I think most sax players use a reed that is too hard, and not enough air. Long tones, however boring, achieve the best results. Another approach, not often used, is to play as loud as possible, with a big bite and an almost uncontrolled "blatty" sound, and then tone it down with a little more lip pressure. Playing into a closet while developing tone with this approach will endear you to your family.
Try turning your lower lip out the wrong way, so that the jaw muscles have absolutely no pressure on the lower lip because the lower lip is not touching the teeth. Don't PLAY that way, but see if you can get control of the reed. If you can't, your reed might be too hard. You should be using the sophisticated muscles in the lips to control the reed, not the massive muscles in the jaw.
More than anything else, take the biggest breath possible. It will make you use more air to play, whether you think about it or not. If you forget anything in this post remember the big breath part.
After playing saxophone for almost 50 years, there is one thing I can recommend:
PLAY LOOSE!
I started on clarinet (a good idea) but the transition to sax was very slow for me. I tried stiff reeds like on clarinet, and got nowhere as far as sound. Technique, OK, but no dynamic range and I couldn't sound like Ben Webster, Gene Ammons, and Sal Nistico (Who can?)
It took me more than 10 years to back off on reed strength and use air pressure, not lip pressure, to create the "stuff" from which saxophone sound is shaped.
I didn't take many sax lessons, but later I talked to great players who studied with the best teachers. Here's what I heard:
1. Take a big bite and let the reed fly, or else take a shorter bite and play with incredibly loose chops and tons of air.
A. The first approach produces a huge, edgy sound, and very few problems with low notes. However, control requires enormous powerful chops.
B. The second approach allows the player to exert more influence on the thin part of the reed near the tip while still letting the reed vibrate. A lot of air is necessary.
2. Many of the great New York teachers recommended softer reeds with the second "loose" approach. I've heard a lot of stories and forgotten the source. Either Bill Scheiner (Stan Getz' teacher) or Merle Johnston (Of Johnston-Selmer mouthpiece fame) would hit his students with a hammer if they played with a tight embouchre. I met Bill Scheiner and repaired his tenor once. I can't imagine him doing this, but I know he was a tough teacher.
One day a guy called my repair shop looking for a sax teacher for his son. He told me he was accustomed to the best, as he had studied with Bill Scheiner. I told him to contact Mr. Scheiner, because he had recently moved to our area.
He replied, "Oh, I couldn't do that to my son!"
Neither approach is easy. Muscle development takes time, like lifting weights, and endurance requires a completely different training schedule, like trying to win the Tour de France. a combination of both is best.
I think most sax players use a reed that is too hard, and not enough air. Long tones, however boring, achieve the best results. Another approach, not often used, is to play as loud as possible, with a big bite and an almost uncontrolled "blatty" sound, and then tone it down with a little more lip pressure. Playing into a closet while developing tone with this approach will endear you to your family.
Try turning your lower lip out the wrong way, so that the jaw muscles have absolutely no pressure on the lower lip because the lower lip is not touching the teeth. Don't PLAY that way, but see if you can get control of the reed. If you can't, your reed might be too hard. You should be using the sophisticated muscles in the lips to control the reed, not the massive muscles in the jaw.
More than anything else, take the biggest breath possible. It will make you use more air to play, whether you think about it or not. If you forget anything in this post remember the big breath part.