John, you are an inCREDible player. You don’t need stellar endorsers, NO one sounds better than you when you shred. You’re too self-deprecating. I agree, your embouchure looks effortless. Man, I can only get to the third partial! Scary to think that you’re also as good a tech and a nice guy!

You did great I like you. I hv 9 months playing the sax and I'm loving the journey.

Dude you are so charismatic, and such a comedian, too. I cracked up when you said "now it's turning into a psychology sesson"

I initially learned overtones from Bob Reynolds. He in turn learned them from a book by Sigurd M. Rascher titled Top-Tones for the Saxophone. Even though I have been playing professionally off and on for over 50 years, playing the overtones starting at low Bb, B, C, C#, and D as long tones for 10 minutes every practice session, has improved my tone, embrouchure and altissimo. I practice 6 days a week for at least 2 hours sometimes more. If you want to sound good and be able to navigate the horn, you have to love your sound and be willing to put the work into it. Its worth it. Good info bro. Appreciate your video.

If you live or visit NYC, this should be your go to sax shop. I have personal experience working with John, and even early in his career as a tech, he has been conscientious and meticulous in his work. He now has the best place in NYC to buy a sax, new or vintage, sax accessories, and of course, have repairs and overhauls done. He is also a real player, so when he is working on your horn, or selling you a horn, it is from the perspective of someone who can play the instrument and knows what it should sound like and what it should feel like to play.

i wish i had a place to play this without getting beaten by the neighborhood

Been playing guitar violin and bass for years. Picked up alto a few years ago just to open my eyes. This video is definitely an eye opener. Never knew this was possible.

That was Great. I have to wait until Everyone leaves the house ,

You've changed my playing forever, thank you so much

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Wow…🙏🙏🙏 such a high compliment… thank you for following our stuff! 🙌

@jkr1373

Жыл бұрын

​@@jlwoodwinds6394

@owogogaadadu6667

10 ай бұрын

Like wise bro.. 🤩

i like to warm up playing the star spangled banner using only overtones. my embouchure strengthened quickly when i started doing ot exercises. they really help throughout the entire range of the horn and to align yourself with the instrument.

Impressive that you get those top tones so clean....I can get maybe 4 and then it's over. Back to the practice room.....

It’s just a coincidence that I saw this video today. You are from JL woodwinds repair from Manhattan. Only four five days back I think on 27 th my son has been to the JL woodwind shop in Newyork and bought packet of reeds ( French made) from your shop. I play tenor and I have got new reeds in strength 3 hope to play them soon. Thanks for the excercise.

Thank you John!

This guy can play sax like a trumpet, awesome!

@games4dayz56

Ай бұрын

Lol

Great insights!! Thank you!!

Such a great tutorial. Thank you.

Fantastico! Gracias

Keep it coming brother 👍

Sounds superb to me brother!

Thank you so much! Could we please have another?❤️

Thanks a lot bro👍

Nice SBA, sounds great!

Amazing and very useful video, brother!!!

Great job John! Thanks for the window into the years of a single man at study!

Amazing. I'll give it a try.

Thanks for taking the time to explain and demonstrate the harmonic series.You are bang on the money.You have a naturally cool way of explaining things and it is clear that you are a serious player.Great work and thank you so much for your enthusiasm.

Honestly, I think you can tell from the number of thumbs up that you didn't embarrass yourself at all. You put yourself out there, and that makes you authenticate no matter what. One thing that I struggle with is that I was told from a younger age that learning clarinet would help me with learning to play my first choice of instrument, which was the saxophone. I'm not sure what 'they' were thinking because the embouchure isn't the same. It's much tighter with the clarinet, and that's presented me with issues of producing proper tone and being able to get lower notes out. I can do the upper register just fine. It's just the lower notes that I struggle with, which I think is a combination of both embouchure and not producing enough air. I picked up an alto first but really wanted to pick up the tenor. I'm going to stop listening to other peoples' opinions of what I should do and in which order to do them.

Thank you!!!

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for checking out my channel! I really appreciate it 🙏

Hey John, sounds great! I've worked a ton on harmonics, too! On that very horn, lol. :) I miss it. I found it easy to get lost in harmonics exercises and had to limit how much time I spent on them, but they're where it's at for getting control of your sound. Glad to see things are going well with the shop.

You are an excellent player!! You got those high overtones out so beautifully. No more negative statements sbout yourself!☺️

Dude you sound great!!! Thank you

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Too kind! Haha thanks so much for listening 🎶

You have a very nice delivery

I have given up trying to produce a good sound. I have been very fortunate and uniquely placed in having some of the best instruments and mouthpieces at my disposal including, Zephr, Yamaha, Buescher, Conn , Selmer , Keilwerth , Courton etc etc and all that I have been able to produce is the Bombay Taxi Horn sound. So I have decided to concentrate exclusively on subtone playing. I have mastered the classical subtone with double lip embouchure as well as with the single lip embouchure on tenor and alto. I now intensely desire to be able to play jszz subtone on tenor and alto. Please do help me find suitable instructions or tutorials or pdfs or videos etc etc. Thanking you,

Super,👍

I'm just getting back to playing the saxophone after a break of more than 10 years and I lost some of my overtones and altissimo. Thanks for this lesson I'm going to do it every day.

You’re freaking amazing! Thank you for this video! This is a game changer and love the ‘loose-y goose-y’

Wonderfool overtones 👏👏👏

Very good lesson! I startet with Sax six weeks ago but feel convinced that it is very helpful. Tried the same with different Brass Instruments like trumpet and it was helpful. Greetings from Germany!

Thanks for this! I've been trying to loosen my neck muscles, lower the chin, etc. which I'm making pretty good progress with but the position of the mouth on the mouthpiece just beyond the fulcrum was huge! Thank you very much!

I haven’t done overtones in a long time… proceeds to execute partials up to high E above palm key E from fundamental Bb. Don’t worry brother, I totally believe that you practiced overtones for hours in college.

zu ende gesehen und gehört... Thank you very much

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching my videos and following along!

Good job 😂😂😂

Love your videos. This is like Sigurd Racshers book Top Tones. God bless. I hope one day to visit your shop in NY.

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Yes I have practiced out of that book before! I admit I didn't fully follow everything he taught in it but it inspired to get started on overtones. And it reallyyyyyy helps

Thanks, Man for this Information, Greetings from Egypt. Hope To Can Visit NY Again & Pass By your Workshop once again. Peace

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your support! 🙏❤️🎷

I just started 'toying' around with a similar exercise. I enjoyed the video. Some very helpful tips. lol..Btw, thanks for the 'Peanuts' Christmas' selection ;)

Ben Wendel has a new book on harmonics that's very good.

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

This is true! I haven’t checked it out, but I would recommend everyone do so!

I've been trying this. And it works. I can't get the range you have! But even shifting up one octave on low C, B, Bb makes a difference. Quality tip 👌

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Great Nick! It’s all about control… learn to control them and you will have strong command of the instrument

Your sound is incredible.............I know you´ve been asked this many many times, but please....could you please share what model of morgan mouthpiece you use on your tenor and alto?.......thanks!

I play mostly alto, would like to see and hear this on alto, tanx John, saludos desde las islas galàpagos😉

Me encanta esa Excalibur, like Degibri hehe, o quizás es una Meyer... XD

Bro if I close my eyes you sound exactly like Greg from Succession lmao

That was good you achieved a lot of notes on low bflat. What's your technique I cant get higher than 3 notes and my throat hurts . Maybe you can give me some pointers. Thanks man.

Young man, I’ve had to come back and watch this again. I do everything wrong. Too much jaw pressure and I get exhausted in just a few minutes. It has to be said I’m in stage 4 kidney failure and am not what I used to be. Anyway I need to relearn my embouchure for comfort and stamina. How do I do this? I’m 63 and have been playing for 50 years.

Thx, this was amazing!! I assume you would do it the same way for alto?

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Correct… same is true for all saxophones

I have been doing pitch isolation on the low Bb for about a month now and can comfortably go up to the second octave and play the overtones below in any order. How would you suggest I learn to play overtones as high as you show in the video. By the way, you have a beautiful tone! Perfect meaty brightness.

Very nice video! thank you so much for this but I would love to know what model of Morgan mouthpiece do you use, New York? Indiana? Florida? and what opening. Thanks!!!!!

I totally understand why overtones help develop a saxophone sound - however, I've never had any success with more than the 1st (octave) and 2nd (octave and a fifth) overtones. Any ideas where I can learn to play higher overtones with any success? Would this be related to why I struggle with G and G# altissimo?

Wow...finger position stays the same right ? Low B flat. Impressive ... harder reed ? 3 ?

I have no idea how to get way up there 😭

You did all of those different sounds with only your mouth?

How many hours per day did you practised in that 3 months?

I don't get it, what are doing besides playing long tones?

which horn and mouthpiece do you play? it sounds very good

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for listening I play on a Ralph Morgan Excalibur 7M available at my sax shop, and I also play out on gigs a custom tenor that I designed and assemble myself which is also available

Hi can I ask what tip opening you have on your Ralph Morgan Excalibur? Also is it the "Max" or Florida Model? Love that exercise by the way. Also practiced a similar exercise when in college, way back when! Cheers

@jlwoodwinds6394

5 ай бұрын

Hi there it is a 7 Medium chamber 🥹🤘🎷❤️

@thebrassmonkeysweddingband7446

5 ай бұрын

@@jlwoodwinds6394 Thanks a million for your reply. Can I ask, have you always played a tip opening as small as a 7? I only ask, as I know it was a common tip size back in the day but modern players have often used much larger, including myself. What’s the benefit of a smaller tip opening? Cheers

If the pressure is not on the bottom lip then where is it? On the sides? I am trying to stop being a biter

What's up John. My son plays alto sax in middle school a Yamaha Yas -26. I read one of your comments today "Reed strength you use will depend on your mouthpiece tip opening " He's using 1.5 on the standard mouthpiece is this correct ? thanks

@Osnosis

7 ай бұрын

Ben Wendel now plays on 1.5. Matching reed strength to mouthpiece is important for the sound type you want, but any strength reed can achieve overtones.

Ooph, I went from Alto to Tenor, I seriously have to practice those low tones on the Tenor as they currently sound quite unstable. 😖

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Sometimes it can be a combination of issues. Sometimes the instrument is leaking

@toomuchtoofast4533

2 жыл бұрын

Haha my friend in my band plays alto like a champ and tried my tenor - he sounded like a student again lol takes more power and getting used to

@user-zt3dv5cl4b

2 жыл бұрын

@@toomuchtoofast4533 Yeah! That's the honest truth!

I made it to the second overtone and everyone's dog barking throughout the neighborhood...hmmm

I find hitting low B and lower the hardest. It always sounds like a shaky train horn instead of a note

@hincapiej4

Жыл бұрын

Long tones

What strength reed do you use? ... 2.5, 3, 3.5? Thanks!

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

Reed strength you use will depend on your mouthpiece tip opening also. I use a 3.5

@MrGuto

2 жыл бұрын

9:22

were you playing the one note all the time and changing it or you were playing different notes

@jlwoodwinds6394

3 жыл бұрын

I was playing one fingering... low Bb. And I was was playing pitches that are all hidden within that note called over tones. All of those notes exist within the note.low Bb. When you blow into the instrument differently it brings out the other notes.

@mysurfcorner594

3 жыл бұрын

@@jlwoodwinds6394 thanks so much. I'm struggling to play that note coz of my small finger doesn't reach the Bb note in middle range

What is the point of overtones I don’t understand them.

@MrGuto

3 жыл бұрын

What part of the video did you not understand? I though he just explained it very well. It's about you controlling your sound rather than the your finders dictating what sound comes out of your sax. Anyone can blow into a sax and make a particular fingering note sound come out, even without any prior experience. But to make it sound the fullest you need to shape the embouchure to put all the energy on that precise note with intent. Practicing overtones teach to do that because they are harmonics of that original fingering. They won't come out unless you have this control.

Most youtuber will start stuffs like this with, "like and subscribe blablabla".. Moment I heard your tone, I found what I was looking for...

I mean overtones

Yeah, but why does it work? What about practicing your overtones improves your sound?

There are meny different ways to practice OVERTONES OBVIOUSLY...THIS IS JUST ONE WAY

Lol. Called long notes. Yes the best way to improve your tone. And get a bigger sound.

"I've done too much talking" So he goes back to talking. Too much.

So much talking

Too much talk.

Much love friend. I wanted to tell you that The Father in Heaven’s Name is not “the LORD” it is YAHUAH (YA-WHO-AH) The Son’s Name is NOT “jesus” it is YAHUSHA (YA-WHO-SHA). We must repent of our sins (sin is transgression of The Law Of YAHUAH The Father in Heaven. The Law YAHUAH The Father Gave through Moses). We must repent of our sins and Have Belief On YAHUSHA The Messiah. HE Died and Rose three days later so that we can be forgiven of our sins! Let’s all run to HIM today while we still can. Much love to you friend.

A good book for daily practice is "Top tones for the saxophone" by S. Rascher. It can be downloaded from pws.npru.ac.th/silapachai/data/files/Book%20Etudes/Top%20Tones%20for%20the%20Saxophone.pdf