How to tune your saxophone

[HOW TO TUNE YOUR SAXOPHONE] In this video, you will discover 3 mistakes most saxophone players (and teachers) make when tuning a saxophone, and you will discover a new approach to making your intonation more consistent.
FREE Masterclass: How to Improvise With Confidence In Any Style of Music, Without Relying on Licks and Tricks.
Discover the 3 Secrets the world's best saxophone players who improvise follow to create melodic solos in any genre, and much more.
Thousands have already attended this Free On-Demand Masterclass.
Click here to get Instant Access before we take it down:
donnaschwartzmusic.com/free-m...
Gear:
Selmer Mark VI Alto Saxophone
JodyJazz DV7 Alto Sax mouthpiece
Rovner Versa X ligature
Legere Reeds - Signature Series 2.5
Jazzlab SaxHolder

Пікірлер: 37

  • @jamesschrader74
    @jamesschrader744 жыл бұрын

    Great Donna. Thanks for the information.

  • @davidsmusic
    @davidsmusic4 жыл бұрын

    A nice video, thanks so much👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙏🏻

  • @sleepy-beagle
    @sleepy-beagle4 жыл бұрын

    Thankyou for this study on tuning. It’s the best approach to tuning I’ve heard to date.

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Glad you enjoy it!

  • @ChrisZemdegs
    @ChrisZemdegs29 күн бұрын

    Thanks very much this was really useful - new subscriber!

  • @capre7
    @capre74 жыл бұрын

    Another GREAT video, Donna. Through trial and error, I'd discovered that reed and mouthpiece make a huge difference on intonation. I have good horns (Yamaha and Yanagisawa) but was having difficulty with the exact things you mentioned. Thanks for the good advice on mouthpieces and tuning from the neck (first time I ever heard of that... Brilliant! )

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Great to hear :)

  • @jamescampoccio1152
    @jamescampoccio11522 жыл бұрын

    Neck-tuning, Thanks. Never knew it!

  • @whodoeswhatnow
    @whodoeswhatnow Жыл бұрын

    THANK YOU QUEEN 🙏

  • @vncstudio
    @vncstudio4 ай бұрын

    Thanks for this video. I was having trouble with a pricey mouthpiece that was a perfect match for my vintage Buescher Aristocrat but was playing a semitone flat. By following your advice and changing the reed strength a bit and pushing the mouthpiece further, I got it in tune.

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 ай бұрын

    Great to hear!

  • @brentsterner2073
    @brentsterner20734 жыл бұрын

    An observation from a trumpet guy who doesn't play sax. I know you play both... On trumpet the biggest tuning issue I see with newish/beginner players is tuning the note instead of the horn. If you play a tuning note while looking at the tuner, you *will* unconsciously make it play in tune. If the main slide is not right, you will usually drift the note to compensate. That is not only really hard work to maintain, but tone quality suffers as well. But if you close your eyes and find the sweetest centre-of-pitch sound you can get (which I refer to as "the sound"), and *then* check the tuner, you get a true sense of where the horn's tuning lies. Then when you tune normally with the main slide, you are tuning the whole horn. I expected to see this mentioned in the video. otoh I know nothing about saxophones. :-) Thanks.

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Totally agree with you - I tune by ear and have my students do that as well for all instruments.

  • @djhues
    @djhues4 жыл бұрын

    I was literally searching for this yesterday, lol.

  • @pedroaugusto3422
    @pedroaugusto34224 жыл бұрын

    Excellent video, very enlightening which note should be used to tune a soprano sax tudel?

  • @alexwillats
    @alexwillats4 жыл бұрын

    Great video, thanks Donna! I love your Saxophone too! 🤤

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much!

  • @jamesmagana315
    @jamesmagana3152 жыл бұрын

    Wow ur so informative 👏

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    2 жыл бұрын

    So nice of you

  • @keithcampbell6806
    @keithcampbell6806 Жыл бұрын

    Good afternoon Donna l have been watch your videos a few years now. I thought you should've explained that you must warm up the instrument before tuning .I have been playing over thirty five years and l never had an issue with tuning using this method. Greetings from Georgetown Guyana South America.

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    Жыл бұрын

    As a Brass player who has played many a parade in freezing temps, I always tell my students that - thanks for the reminder

  • @glennhere
    @glennhere Жыл бұрын

    Be interesting to see what Donna thinks of synthetic reeds ? 😀

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    Жыл бұрын

    I play Legere Signature and American Cut - no difference regarding this video lesson

  • @jakoboutzen9543
    @jakoboutzen95434 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, really look forward to trying this out (tuning from the neck) ... but what about the other factors, like temperature, humidity, personal embouchure. In my experience - Im an intermediate beginner :-) - I need a minute or two to warm up before I can produce stable pitch - could you offer some insights on how to take these factors into account when tuning from the neck (and/or tuning with the whole instrument)?

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Warm-up the way you need, then do this. You don't need to tune from the neck all the time. It's important to do this with a new horn, new mpc, and if your pitch is all over the place

  • @MillicentStephensonSaxophonist
    @MillicentStephensonSaxophonist4 жыл бұрын

    Great video as always. Just to clarify, when the neck is on mpc (after tuning) are you tuning C A F Low C harmonically or with a Tuner?

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Either a really good tuner or using a drone in Conc Ab for Alto, Conc E for tenor

  • @timcason3479
    @timcason34794 жыл бұрын

    Good stuff! Isn't the Bari with the mouthpiece and neck an E? Just curious.

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 жыл бұрын

    Thanks - it's conc D

  • @timcason3479

    @timcason3479

    4 жыл бұрын

    Donna Schwartz thank you. I will practice that instead. It easier and more natural the other way. Have a great day!

  • @javierquesada798
    @javierquesada7984 жыл бұрын

    master the reeds are according to the opening of the reeds yes or no?

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    4 жыл бұрын

    You mean strength of reeds, yes?

  • @christoffelariel3916
    @christoffelariel3916 Жыл бұрын

    Isnt it A? Why you tune it in Ab?

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    Жыл бұрын

    Nope - alto neck is Ab

  • @johnanderson5978
    @johnanderson5978 Жыл бұрын

    I don't like cane they are to inconsistent for me and I got tired of playing a lot then walking away then coming back then the reed is basically dead because it dried out I don't mess with cane reeds anymore me and cane reeds have broken up I'm not going back

  • @ahhhhh1234
    @ahhhhh12342 жыл бұрын

    Ok I know this seems rude but I mean it in a matter a fact way. First off when you play saxophone you shouldn't have your cheeks blown up. I know this seems like a small thing but as a alto player this makes me very mad (I don't do it otherwise I wouldn't of said anything)

  • @DonnaSchwartz

    @DonnaSchwartz

    2 жыл бұрын

    What are you talking about??? I don't have my cheeks blown out.... And there are plenty of amazing players who do puff out their cheeks or have a looser embouchure