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How can I play the Alto Saxophone louder with a good sound?

Something is wrong with my Alto Saxophone?

  • I just got a used Alto Saxophone from my cousin. I started playing it, I was playing it to see what the ranges sound like and if the ranges sound good or not or whether or not the sax plays decent. I was playing the low range, I noticed that the low range sounds almost like the upper octave range, it sometimes switches from low to high and sounds kind of raspy... It's kind of like it just doesn't want to play the low range it's supposed to. What could be wrong with the lower range? Should I take it in? Could it be the reeds or anything else? Please Help, Thank You!

  • Answer:

    I would say that it is probably the way you are playing it or there is a problem with your saxophone, probably a sticking key or maybe a key that doesn't move quickly enough. Depending on the technique you are using, you may be fingering low notes but using technique that is used for playing high notes and as it is possible to play harmonic notes on many instruments and probably saxophone too, you may be playing different notes by accident but that is probably not as likely as there being a problem with the instrument. I would recommend having it looked at but I don't actually play saxophone. I play clarinet and bass clarinet so I apologise if anything I have said is inaccurate or irrelevant but I know how annoying it is to have an instrument that isn't working the way it should so I thought I would try to help.

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I would say that it is probably the way you are playing it or there is a problem with your saxophone, probably a sticking key or maybe a key that doesn't move quickly enough. Depending on the technique you are using, you may be fingering low notes but using technique that is used for playing high notes and as it is possible to play harmonic notes on many instruments and probably saxophone too, you may be playing different notes by accident but that is probably not as likely as there being a problem with the instrument. I would recommend having it looked at but I don't actually play saxophone. I play clarinet and bass clarinet so I apologise if anything I have said is inaccurate or irrelevant but I know how annoying it is to have an instrument that isn't working the way it should so I thought I would try to help.

Silver Rose

Replace your reed, a worn reed will not vibrate uniformly, and will squawk. Switching from a clarinet I found a base clarinet took a lot more wind, hence the raspy sound. The lower the notes, the more wind that is required. I had to use a softer reed on the base clarinet than on a regular clarinet.

Mark M

Shine a very bright light down the neck and then look for light leaks as you shut each valve. You may need valve pads and you may need to have the valve stems slightly adjusted, (bent), so that they sit flat over the hole. Do not do any of this yourself, take it to a good shop.

Don S

Replace your reed, a worn reed will not vibrate uniformly, and will squawk. Switching from a clarinet I found a base clarinet took a lot more wind, hence the raspy sound. The lower the notes, the more wind that is required. I had to use a softer reed on the base clarinet than on a regular clarinet.

Mark M

Shine a very bright light down the neck and then look for light leaks as you shut each valve. You may need valve pads and you may need to have the valve stems slightly adjusted, (bent), so that they sit flat over the hole. Do not do any of this yourself, take it to a good shop.

Don S

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