After listening to this clip, imo it's just in your head. I haven't played in several years (getting my sax back from the shop next week to start again), but I played all through middle, high school, and college, played in every ensemble you could think of and on all four main saxophone types. Listen to a lot of jazz. I like your tone and vocab. Don't be so hard on yourself.
I don't know the piece but maybe tongue a little more? Your tone does kind of blend from note to note, it does not by any means sound bad but if you think of your tone on an EQ scale you are mostly sitting in the mid to high range, you could brighten it up by tongueing more. Also try different mouth pieces and reed strengths.
Overall you sound really good and the phone probably makes you sound worse. Try listening to yourself by playing directly facing a wall, your ear will catch more of the reflection than it coming from across the room.
You sound fine, pretty jazzy. meanwhile I try and try and I just can't get close to what I want. When I listen the tone of the great alto players I just can't comprehend how they got there, it's almost like it's a different instrument
Been playing for 5 years, but gotten serious about a year ago. When I play and practice, by myself or with others, I feel like my playing is nice! Not amazing, but not bad, and I enjoy playing and I enjoy the sound I get from my alto saxophone.
But when I record myself - I always feel like my playing is shit. Like, really terrible garbage, I can't make myself feel another way. It really discourages me sometimes, because I love the saxophone... I play everyday, I love to play and practice, I want to play this instrument until I day and make a living out of it, and here I'm sitting, thinking I sound like a dead goose.
I'm sorry for the dramatic post, but I would like some help, since I really don't know hot to improve my sound and articulation. I play my overtones easily, feel very relaxed when I play and feel like my embouchure is solid and comfy. I love playing so much, but when I listen to myself it's always a big let down.
Does someone have advice for me? Has someone been in this position before and can provide an outside perspective? Is it all in my head? Should I switch a mouthpiece(vandoren v16)?
Any help much appreciated and thanks for reading my rant.
How many of your favourite artists have you listened to in a video format like this? I’m guessing most of them have backing tracks and some sort of audio production effects added. Try adding a little reverb and some instrument layers and you might find you sound more like you’d expect. Alternatively if there is somewhere you can perform with really nice acoustics that you could record then that helps a lot as well!
I think you are basically taking a film photo, looking at the tiny negative and comparing it to other peoples developed photos and getting frustrated.
For context I also find recordings of myself to be hard to listen to. I perform on street corners and have a mic setup with some reverb. I often ask stangers to share their videos but don’t often post them. If the camera is right in front of me then it mostly picks up the dry sax sound and I find it very “honky”, however if the camera is a little closer to the speaker which has the effected sax sound then I actually enjoy watching the video. This can go too far, if the camera is right in front of the speaker then I mostly just hear the reverb and the sax sounds muddy.
I can assure you that it's not just in your head. Literally more like the opposite so to speak as it's probably more about how you record yourself - more specifically what mic you use and where you positioned it. Have you ever played into a room corner? Or facing a hard surface (like a mirror)? Try it - it drastically changes how your horn sounds to you. Think about what shapes the sound you hear: Sound waves resonate inside the horn and escape through every hole in all directions. Most of the sound, however, is projected forward, away from you. Since your ears are on the side of your head and also behind the sound source, most of what you *perceive* are the sound waves travelling through your skull and those that already bounced off the walls and objects around you multiple times. Different materials *swallow and reflect* different frequencies and especially the highs lose energy pretty quickly. Even more so when you're in a room with carpet or furniture. The lower frequencies on the other hand can even be heard outside, several hundred meters away. Now think about the device you use for recording: First of all you're directly facing the mic which gives you a very "direct" sound with lots of upper frequencies and projection. In addition to that, some mics are built to only pick up the sound they're directly facing (directional, cardioid), some pick up much more reverberation and "early reflections" sound from ALL sides (omni), some pick up sound from the front and from behind but not so much from the sides (eight)... These are what you call mic characteristics and a handheld dynamic *cardioid* mic sounds very different from an *omni* ribbon mic or a clip-on sax mic pointing into the bell. There's also the proximity effect, and being too close to the mic can lead to clipping (which btw actually creates additional harmonics due to distortion). Hope that helps a bit.
In terms of solutions...
Recordings will **always** sound different from what you hear while playing live.
Most important thing is (imho) that you enjoy your live sound and that it inspires you **while** you are playing.
Trying out new stuff (whether it's a V16 or just a different reed) can be fun and inspiring too, but it can be a rabbit hole if you don't know what exact sound you're shooting for. At the end of the day, you will always sound like "you", and a closely recorded take will always sound like a closely recorded take - no matter the gear you use.
If you ask me:
\- Stick with your current setup - aside from recording you appear to be quite happy with it. No need to change a running system.
\- Get yourself a clip-on mic and see recording / playing amplified on stage it as a different domain with their own perks and quirks.
\- Get a multi-FX thingie to add back some air / early reflections / reverb and use EQ to get a frequency response that kinda resembles what you hear yourself.
\- Aim for a sound that fits the purpose. A sound that is reproducible (!) no matter whether you're on stage or in your rehearsal room.
When you hear a recording of yourself, it always sounds very different to when you're producing the sound. There's a whole pile of stuff going on inside your head and body - not just the thinking but also reverberation - that just isn't present when you're listening to a recording. You'll get a similar difference when recording yourself speaking.
For what it's worth I think your tone and technique are fine and I think I'd enjoy listening to you doing a performance piece.
Stop. Recording. Yourself.
Problem solved.
But seriously, you sound fine. Stop over-analyzing everything.
No recording yourself for 4 months. Or 3. Or 6. Whatever. Long enough to give yourself some actual perspective.
Keep playing. Keep practicing. Step out of your comfort zone- go find a didgeridoo player to jam with or something. Take up knitting. Give yourself another outlet and something to think about other than "your sound in a practice room".
Everyone gets frustrated with how they think they sound or how they're playing at some point. At your skill level, it's not about anything physical you can change to fix whatever you perceive is an issue. You need to reset your perspective on things.
First of all, thanks!
In reply to the "stop recording yourself", wanted to add that I think the problem came from recording myself. In the improvisation class/ensemble at our conservatory, the teacher recorded us playing a solo, and I was really taken aback by the difference of how I sounded in my head(good) and how the recording sounded to me(bad).
I want to improve this, as now I feel "delusional" when I practice and feel nice
i have the same feeling man. whenever i play i find few inaccuracies tune wise but overall i feel that i sound good but when i record and listen to myself i just wanna throw the phone and dont want to listen. But that makes me wanna practice so i welcome it i guess. Maybe its just impostor syndrome
I'm going to say the opposite to others. Record yourself lots. Get to know the sound out front. Radical self honesty
Understand what sounding like you want out front sounds like from where you are.
The jazzlab deflector, or playing to a wall can help that. Play with a reflected sound, then without, focussing on maintaining the same feeling.
Accept yourself, and if you want to change your sound, you can.
What sound do you like? Name a player or 2 whose sound you like. That's the first step...
I strongly disagree with this. Recording oneself is the number one way to improve or change one’s sound. That’s the only way to get honest feedback about oneself. If anything, record yourself MORE, and ask yourself, if you heard this from a student, what would you say are the issues and how would you tell that student to work on them?
I had this same mindset a few years ago. I listened to myself and say “I hate how I sound, I sound terrible, I’ll never be good” etc. Then, I started reflecting.
As a music teacher, I would never say these things to my students. Instead, I’d be specific about what they need to work on and what they are already successful at. Then, I’d come up with a plan to help them improve on the specific aspects that they need help with.
This is what I started doing with myself. I began being objectively-specific about my recordings. For example, “Sounds like in measure X I was speeding up, let me practice that very slowly until it feels good” or “my tone sounds very thin playing x note, let me work on that by doing overtone exercises and playing with a drone”.
I improved dramatically. This is what you need to do. Acknowledge that you don’t like how you sound, but be specific. You can’t fix “I suck” but you can fix “I suck at playing this triplet figure in measure 47”.
Good luck!
What are you recording on? 10 out of 10 times when you record on just a cell phone microphone it doesn’t sound like it would in person. I’ve actually placed lower in auditions before for things like all state groups because I used a phone mic and other individuals used professional setups. If you REALLY want to record yourself, find a good mic so it can pick up everything. Aside from that, maybe try recording in different areas. For example, I have an unfinished basement that if I put my phone on one end of the basement and play from the other end, it sounds great! But if I put it close to me, or even in the middle of the room it sounds odd and isn’t representative of my actual sound. If this is what you sound like on a recording, there’s no doubt you sound great in person :)
you have a great tonal concept. the biggest thing in this recording is technical proficiency and air.
your fingers tend to get away from your tongue, which contributes to a bit of roughness around the edges. you don’t have bad technique or anything, but I’d keep working on scales and articulation exercises to get there.
your air support is whats really evident in this recording. you have a different sound in different ranges of the horn. it sounds like you’re biting or pinching off in the upper range, so you’re not getting as full of a sound. you may not be taking enough mouthpiece in, or playing on too small of a tip opening. i wouldn’t adjust gear here yet.
the goal is to make the entire range of the horn sound the same. id focus on keeping your embouchure loose and not moving across the range of the horn, and pushing the same column of air through the horn across the range.
for five years, you have a great sound. there are just many subtle refinements to make
There’s nothing *wrong* it with how it sounds, so your skill is good. Different mouthpieces and different reeds can produce different sounds however, so you can experiment with that
"hating" your sound isn't going to help you so do your best to recognise that as an unhealthy thought and put it aside.
Do you have any examples of what a "good" alto sound is? This is personal - I love James Spaulding, Cannonball, Kenny Garrett, Greg Osby and Braxton Cook but they all sound quite different! Listen to them a lot and try and play along (to the slower stuff). It's a slow process but with time and focus your face/throat will make the micro adjustments needed to get your actual sound closer to your "sound-concept".
With articulation and feel, might pay to slow down a bunch when thinking about this as at the pace you're going it kinda has to be automatic. Again, if you can slow down and listen to a player you think has great articulation then do that! Most of us get our default jazz tonguing by practicing scales/lines slowly and tounging all the offbeats to get that swing feeling.
Anyway you are just at the start of your journey. Recording yourself is great but if it's leading to these negative thoughts then maybe give it a break for a while. Have fun!
Edit: also phone microphones suck. Mine makes me sound underwater lol
Considering that you appear to have recorded on a phone in what looks like an acoustically godawful space, I think you sound great.
Recordings like that are useful as a practice tool for listening to your rhythm, articulation, and fingering technique, which is why your teacher told you to do them. They're not useful for getting a good sound. ^(If you play them back on phone speakers or crappy headphones, that will only compound the effect.)
In a recording studio, even if it's just a horn booth, a lot of thought and effort and money go into room sizing and acoustic treatment and mic selection and mic placement, because those are all very important for getting a good sound. You've got none of that here - it's no surprise that you don't sound like you're in a studio. Don't sweat it.
Big band trombonist here (who sits right behind the saxes and knows the good, the bad and the fugly). You sound really good. Don't be so hard on yourself.
You sound great! You’re just dealing with what most of us feel when we record ourselves hahaha it’s never good enough for you but it’s good for everyone else!
You didn't mention what it is that you aren't liking. Your tone is very bright, and that's great for jazz. If you want it darker, changes in mothpiece, reed, or even ligature can make a big change. However, since you're playing jazz licks, bright is probably the way to go.
If there is something specific you dislike, let us know.
First of all I your sound and your playing are really nice, so you've got nothing to worry about. If you want a "jazz" sound, maybe try working on having a looser embouchure (for instance, practice bending notes down a half step to get more control) and play long tones in different dynamics (try to make them sound as good as possible) and practice overtones (there, make sure you don't tighten your embouchure for the overtones but slightly change the lip position, the tongue position and the "voicing"). Also, harder reeds and more air support can help, even though your air support seems to be really good judging from that video. If you have a looser embouchure, you might also try a more open mouthpiece.
You can also experiment with how much mouthpiece you take in your mouth (I generally advice to take quite little). And maybe work on articulation (use your tongue for every eight note in a medium swing tempo, does not have to be hard). Try how hard you want the notes to be articulated, record it to hear if that's how you like it.
I think you sound good. I feel similarly with my own primary instrument (tuba) in that there's a discrepancy between what I hear in person and what I hear on a recording in a practice room. But you also have to take into consideration that practice rooms are specially designed to expose the not-as-good overtones of your sound in order for you to really hear them and work on them. This could be a factor. Also, phone microphones aren't necessarily the best microphones to record playing.
Also, I noticed the Hebrew in the back. This is the extent of what a Jewish education has provided me with:
אתה מנגן בסקסופון טוב מאוד :)
For starters, you're playing the wrong sax. Throw that thing in the trash and get you a tenor asap. #tenorsaxistheonlysax
But nahh, these noodles are fire, bro. Not sure what you don't like
Never!!!
(Jk, but I really like alto! I do find that there are more tenor players I like than alto, but i think that's because I like a darker, full sound)
You play… VERY soothingly. I am giving you this advice because I put myself in your shoes as the player and not as the listener. This is cuz I was also a picky critic with myself when I played sax so I know what u feel when hearing yourself.
This is what my sax instructor would say:
1. Your tonging is too fuzzy, it needs to be more crisp. You’re thudding against your reed/mouthpiece tip. It needs to be more of a slight tap to the tip of the reed.
2. To help with thudding and to also give your sound more depth, you need to try to form more of a vertical oval mouth shape, and wrap/close off any points of air like a drawstring backpack around your mouthpiece.
3. Practice articulation so your notes line up better with your note changes. At times it seems like a note doesn’t transition to the next so easily, what can help with this is slowing down tempo and adding more air behind each note. Think of it as a quick ‘huff’ , with lots of air behind the huff. Huff=breathing out aggressively. That will help with sounds direction and dynamics as you progress through the song. This is especially helpful at the beginning of each notes in new phrases of song.
4. Air control. Doing breathing exercises, such as breathing in for certain beats, then breathing out for certain beats helps a lot with this.
5. What reed size are you using? If your embouchure has the strength for a size 4, u recommend it . It gives sound a finer tune. If not, a 3 or even 2 is also good. Each size produces a different sound depending on what you go for.
6. Add vibrato to extended notes.
Still…. This went hard and I genuinely enjoyed your playing, but also comprehend your frustrations.
Warm regards,
A fellow sax player:))
Your tone is quite good. I think it’s the standard kind of thing where we hear our own voice on the telephone and kind of freak out but others think it’s normal.
A few small things you could do is just tongue more and tongue harder in general. Some intonation issues. I think you need to slow down and sit in front of a tuner and play every note in whatever melody or solo you’re working on like a long tone, just really nailing every pitch.
Yo I don’t hear anything bad about ur sound it actually sounds nice that’s just in ur head. I used to be like that too but after I took time of listening to recordings of me playing i grew to like it
Sounds like you need to work on flexibility exercises to get more control. The reed while not overall too soft, is too soft for you to control currently. I’d work on going up a half strength and gaining some embouchure muscle better contain the reed. Second, pertaining to the flexibility, I’d work on what’s called “Meyer Bends” (after Tom Meyer, ret. Professor at CU Boulder) to understand where your tone is the most spread. And finally and I work towards experimenting with different oral cavity shapes to finds what sort of sounds you can get by changing the way you think of the inside of your throat. Like others have said, the technique is a bit sloppy, so when you play, try to be very intentional with what you play. Improvising is like speaking, and right now I’m getting the vibe of a run-on sentence and not a coherent thought.
Source: halfway through a DMA in jazz studies, MM classical saxophone, professional military saxophonist.
But yeah, you’re heading in the right direction, the next step is refinement!
Our understanding of what makes good tone is dominated by 2 things: amplification and reverb. Get on a good condenser mic, do the most minimal of effects (fruity reverb 2 and compression) and you'll be amazed that you now magically have near professional level tonality. Don't be down on your tone dude. I know my raw tone on a phone mic, and yours sounds awesome for sure.
If you want any help/advice setting up some proper recordings feel free to ask or DM.
Hi! Saxophone player and music educator here. You sound great! Like many others have said, you have really good technique, a great sound, and some of your concerns might be from the recording equipment. I’ve read through most of the comments and have one or two things that no one else has mentioned.
What brand of horn are you playing? Is ask because, based on the lack of branding on the neck, I would guess it is a beginner or intermediate level horn. You mentioned on one of your comments that you are getting pretty serious about playing. If I am right, it might be time to upgrade to a pro level. You’re technique is already very good and upgrading your horn is probably going to be a necessity eventually and will make it easier to move around the instrument. That being said, I would only urge you to do this if you are as serious as you sound about pursuing playing at the level you are speaking of. It would also have a big impact on your sound, second only to the mouthpiece that you are using.
Also, has a teacher asked about why you play out is the side of your mouth? If there is a physical reason why you need to do this, that is fine, but generally it is not best practice.
Keep shedding, you are doing really well!
Thank you very much! It is a cheap no-brand ("omega"?) student saxophone, should probably get a better one.
About the playing on the side, didn't really realize it but you are correct, there's no reason for that
After listening to this clip, imo it's just in your head. I haven't played in several years (getting my sax back from the shop next week to start again), but I played all through middle, high school, and college, played in every ensemble you could think of and on all four main saxophone types. Listen to a lot of jazz. I like your tone and vocab. Don't be so hard on yourself.
Tone sounds great to me
I don't know the piece but maybe tongue a little more? Your tone does kind of blend from note to note, it does not by any means sound bad but if you think of your tone on an EQ scale you are mostly sitting in the mid to high range, you could brighten it up by tongueing more. Also try different mouth pieces and reed strengths. Overall you sound really good and the phone probably makes you sound worse. Try listening to yourself by playing directly facing a wall, your ear will catch more of the reflection than it coming from across the room.
Thank you!
You sound fine, pretty jazzy. meanwhile I try and try and I just can't get close to what I want. When I listen the tone of the great alto players I just can't comprehend how they got there, it's almost like it's a different instrument
Been playing for 5 years, but gotten serious about a year ago. When I play and practice, by myself or with others, I feel like my playing is nice! Not amazing, but not bad, and I enjoy playing and I enjoy the sound I get from my alto saxophone. But when I record myself - I always feel like my playing is shit. Like, really terrible garbage, I can't make myself feel another way. It really discourages me sometimes, because I love the saxophone... I play everyday, I love to play and practice, I want to play this instrument until I day and make a living out of it, and here I'm sitting, thinking I sound like a dead goose. I'm sorry for the dramatic post, but I would like some help, since I really don't know hot to improve my sound and articulation. I play my overtones easily, feel very relaxed when I play and feel like my embouchure is solid and comfy. I love playing so much, but when I listen to myself it's always a big let down. Does someone have advice for me? Has someone been in this position before and can provide an outside perspective? Is it all in my head? Should I switch a mouthpiece(vandoren v16)? Any help much appreciated and thanks for reading my rant.
Read “Effortless Mastery” by Kenny Werner. Seriously! It really cleared many things up for me and hopefully for you as well.
Thanks for the recommendation! Will check it out
How many of your favourite artists have you listened to in a video format like this? I’m guessing most of them have backing tracks and some sort of audio production effects added. Try adding a little reverb and some instrument layers and you might find you sound more like you’d expect. Alternatively if there is somewhere you can perform with really nice acoustics that you could record then that helps a lot as well! I think you are basically taking a film photo, looking at the tiny negative and comparing it to other peoples developed photos and getting frustrated.
This makes sense, thanks!
For context I also find recordings of myself to be hard to listen to. I perform on street corners and have a mic setup with some reverb. I often ask stangers to share their videos but don’t often post them. If the camera is right in front of me then it mostly picks up the dry sax sound and I find it very “honky”, however if the camera is a little closer to the speaker which has the effected sax sound then I actually enjoy watching the video. This can go too far, if the camera is right in front of the speaker then I mostly just hear the reverb and the sax sounds muddy.
I can assure you that it's not just in your head. Literally more like the opposite so to speak as it's probably more about how you record yourself - more specifically what mic you use and where you positioned it. Have you ever played into a room corner? Or facing a hard surface (like a mirror)? Try it - it drastically changes how your horn sounds to you. Think about what shapes the sound you hear: Sound waves resonate inside the horn and escape through every hole in all directions. Most of the sound, however, is projected forward, away from you. Since your ears are on the side of your head and also behind the sound source, most of what you *perceive* are the sound waves travelling through your skull and those that already bounced off the walls and objects around you multiple times. Different materials *swallow and reflect* different frequencies and especially the highs lose energy pretty quickly. Even more so when you're in a room with carpet or furniture. The lower frequencies on the other hand can even be heard outside, several hundred meters away. Now think about the device you use for recording: First of all you're directly facing the mic which gives you a very "direct" sound with lots of upper frequencies and projection. In addition to that, some mics are built to only pick up the sound they're directly facing (directional, cardioid), some pick up much more reverberation and "early reflections" sound from ALL sides (omni), some pick up sound from the front and from behind but not so much from the sides (eight)... These are what you call mic characteristics and a handheld dynamic *cardioid* mic sounds very different from an *omni* ribbon mic or a clip-on sax mic pointing into the bell. There's also the proximity effect, and being too close to the mic can lead to clipping (which btw actually creates additional harmonics due to distortion). Hope that helps a bit. In terms of solutions... Recordings will **always** sound different from what you hear while playing live. Most important thing is (imho) that you enjoy your live sound and that it inspires you **while** you are playing. Trying out new stuff (whether it's a V16 or just a different reed) can be fun and inspiring too, but it can be a rabbit hole if you don't know what exact sound you're shooting for. At the end of the day, you will always sound like "you", and a closely recorded take will always sound like a closely recorded take - no matter the gear you use. If you ask me: \- Stick with your current setup - aside from recording you appear to be quite happy with it. No need to change a running system. \- Get yourself a clip-on mic and see recording / playing amplified on stage it as a different domain with their own perks and quirks. \- Get a multi-FX thingie to add back some air / early reflections / reverb and use EQ to get a frequency response that kinda resembles what you hear yourself. \- Aim for a sound that fits the purpose. A sound that is reproducible (!) no matter whether you're on stage or in your rehearsal room.
This makes a lot of sense, thanks!!
Ever tried listening to your favorite player with headphones while playing? Gives a great idea of where your sound is comparative to there’s.
When you hear a recording of yourself, it always sounds very different to when you're producing the sound. There's a whole pile of stuff going on inside your head and body - not just the thinking but also reverberation - that just isn't present when you're listening to a recording. You'll get a similar difference when recording yourself speaking. For what it's worth I think your tone and technique are fine and I think I'd enjoy listening to you doing a performance piece.
Stop. Recording. Yourself. Problem solved. But seriously, you sound fine. Stop over-analyzing everything. No recording yourself for 4 months. Or 3. Or 6. Whatever. Long enough to give yourself some actual perspective. Keep playing. Keep practicing. Step out of your comfort zone- go find a didgeridoo player to jam with or something. Take up knitting. Give yourself another outlet and something to think about other than "your sound in a practice room". Everyone gets frustrated with how they think they sound or how they're playing at some point. At your skill level, it's not about anything physical you can change to fix whatever you perceive is an issue. You need to reset your perspective on things.
First of all, thanks! In reply to the "stop recording yourself", wanted to add that I think the problem came from recording myself. In the improvisation class/ensemble at our conservatory, the teacher recorded us playing a solo, and I was really taken aback by the difference of how I sounded in my head(good) and how the recording sounded to me(bad). I want to improve this, as now I feel "delusional" when I practice and feel nice
i have the same feeling man. whenever i play i find few inaccuracies tune wise but overall i feel that i sound good but when i record and listen to myself i just wanna throw the phone and dont want to listen. But that makes me wanna practice so i welcome it i guess. Maybe its just impostor syndrome
Feel that a lot
I'm going to say the opposite to others. Record yourself lots. Get to know the sound out front. Radical self honesty Understand what sounding like you want out front sounds like from where you are. The jazzlab deflector, or playing to a wall can help that. Play with a reflected sound, then without, focussing on maintaining the same feeling. Accept yourself, and if you want to change your sound, you can. What sound do you like? Name a player or 2 whose sound you like. That's the first step...
I strongly disagree with this. Recording oneself is the number one way to improve or change one’s sound. That’s the only way to get honest feedback about oneself. If anything, record yourself MORE, and ask yourself, if you heard this from a student, what would you say are the issues and how would you tell that student to work on them?
I had this same mindset a few years ago. I listened to myself and say “I hate how I sound, I sound terrible, I’ll never be good” etc. Then, I started reflecting. As a music teacher, I would never say these things to my students. Instead, I’d be specific about what they need to work on and what they are already successful at. Then, I’d come up with a plan to help them improve on the specific aspects that they need help with. This is what I started doing with myself. I began being objectively-specific about my recordings. For example, “Sounds like in measure X I was speeding up, let me practice that very slowly until it feels good” or “my tone sounds very thin playing x note, let me work on that by doing overtone exercises and playing with a drone”. I improved dramatically. This is what you need to do. Acknowledge that you don’t like how you sound, but be specific. You can’t fix “I suck” but you can fix “I suck at playing this triplet figure in measure 47”. Good luck!
What are you recording on? 10 out of 10 times when you record on just a cell phone microphone it doesn’t sound like it would in person. I’ve actually placed lower in auditions before for things like all state groups because I used a phone mic and other individuals used professional setups. If you REALLY want to record yourself, find a good mic so it can pick up everything. Aside from that, maybe try recording in different areas. For example, I have an unfinished basement that if I put my phone on one end of the basement and play from the other end, it sounds great! But if I put it close to me, or even in the middle of the room it sounds odd and isn’t representative of my actual sound. If this is what you sound like on a recording, there’s no doubt you sound great in person :)
Thank you!!!
you have a great tonal concept. the biggest thing in this recording is technical proficiency and air. your fingers tend to get away from your tongue, which contributes to a bit of roughness around the edges. you don’t have bad technique or anything, but I’d keep working on scales and articulation exercises to get there. your air support is whats really evident in this recording. you have a different sound in different ranges of the horn. it sounds like you’re biting or pinching off in the upper range, so you’re not getting as full of a sound. you may not be taking enough mouthpiece in, or playing on too small of a tip opening. i wouldn’t adjust gear here yet. the goal is to make the entire range of the horn sound the same. id focus on keeping your embouchure loose and not moving across the range of the horn, and pushing the same column of air through the horn across the range. for five years, you have a great sound. there are just many subtle refinements to make
There’s nothing *wrong* it with how it sounds, so your skill is good. Different mouthpieces and different reeds can produce different sounds however, so you can experiment with that
"hating" your sound isn't going to help you so do your best to recognise that as an unhealthy thought and put it aside. Do you have any examples of what a "good" alto sound is? This is personal - I love James Spaulding, Cannonball, Kenny Garrett, Greg Osby and Braxton Cook but they all sound quite different! Listen to them a lot and try and play along (to the slower stuff). It's a slow process but with time and focus your face/throat will make the micro adjustments needed to get your actual sound closer to your "sound-concept". With articulation and feel, might pay to slow down a bunch when thinking about this as at the pace you're going it kinda has to be automatic. Again, if you can slow down and listen to a player you think has great articulation then do that! Most of us get our default jazz tonguing by practicing scales/lines slowly and tounging all the offbeats to get that swing feeling. Anyway you are just at the start of your journey. Recording yourself is great but if it's leading to these negative thoughts then maybe give it a break for a while. Have fun! Edit: also phone microphones suck. Mine makes me sound underwater lol
Thank you!
Work on articulation. Tone is fine.
Yeah articulation is very hard for me
Then work on it.
Considering that you appear to have recorded on a phone in what looks like an acoustically godawful space, I think you sound great. Recordings like that are useful as a practice tool for listening to your rhythm, articulation, and fingering technique, which is why your teacher told you to do them. They're not useful for getting a good sound. ^(If you play them back on phone speakers or crappy headphones, that will only compound the effect.) In a recording studio, even if it's just a horn booth, a lot of thought and effort and money go into room sizing and acoustic treatment and mic selection and mic placement, because those are all very important for getting a good sound. You've got none of that here - it's no surprise that you don't sound like you're in a studio. Don't sweat it.
Big band trombonist here (who sits right behind the saxes and knows the good, the bad and the fugly). You sound really good. Don't be so hard on yourself.
You sound great! You’re just dealing with what most of us feel when we record ourselves hahaha it’s never good enough for you but it’s good for everyone else!
You didn't mention what it is that you aren't liking. Your tone is very bright, and that's great for jazz. If you want it darker, changes in mothpiece, reed, or even ligature can make a big change. However, since you're playing jazz licks, bright is probably the way to go. If there is something specific you dislike, let us know.
Quite the contrary. You have a lovely tone
First of all I your sound and your playing are really nice, so you've got nothing to worry about. If you want a "jazz" sound, maybe try working on having a looser embouchure (for instance, practice bending notes down a half step to get more control) and play long tones in different dynamics (try to make them sound as good as possible) and practice overtones (there, make sure you don't tighten your embouchure for the overtones but slightly change the lip position, the tongue position and the "voicing"). Also, harder reeds and more air support can help, even though your air support seems to be really good judging from that video. If you have a looser embouchure, you might also try a more open mouthpiece. You can also experiment with how much mouthpiece you take in your mouth (I generally advice to take quite little). And maybe work on articulation (use your tongue for every eight note in a medium swing tempo, does not have to be hard). Try how hard you want the notes to be articulated, record it to hear if that's how you like it.
Not bad. I hear a lot of Bird in your sound. What sound are you aiming for?
Thanks! I think somewhere between bird and Paul Desmond, I dislike a thin sound and would like a fuller sound
Johnny Hodges?
Um somewhere there but not with his style
Sounds great man
mine always sounds bad on recordings too, just stop recording yourself, you sound great
Man sounds like Art Pepper and watch to change 😭😭😭
I think you sound good. I feel similarly with my own primary instrument (tuba) in that there's a discrepancy between what I hear in person and what I hear on a recording in a practice room. But you also have to take into consideration that practice rooms are specially designed to expose the not-as-good overtones of your sound in order for you to really hear them and work on them. This could be a factor. Also, phone microphones aren't necessarily the best microphones to record playing. Also, I noticed the Hebrew in the back. This is the extent of what a Jewish education has provided me with: אתה מנגן בסקסופון טוב מאוד :)
I'll take that into great consideration since I didn't think about that! Toda!!!
For starters, you're playing the wrong sax. Throw that thing in the trash and get you a tenor asap. #tenorsaxistheonlysax But nahh, these noodles are fire, bro. Not sure what you don't like
Never!!! (Jk, but I really like alto! I do find that there are more tenor players I like than alto, but i think that's because I like a darker, full sound)
You play… VERY soothingly. I am giving you this advice because I put myself in your shoes as the player and not as the listener. This is cuz I was also a picky critic with myself when I played sax so I know what u feel when hearing yourself. This is what my sax instructor would say: 1. Your tonging is too fuzzy, it needs to be more crisp. You’re thudding against your reed/mouthpiece tip. It needs to be more of a slight tap to the tip of the reed. 2. To help with thudding and to also give your sound more depth, you need to try to form more of a vertical oval mouth shape, and wrap/close off any points of air like a drawstring backpack around your mouthpiece. 3. Practice articulation so your notes line up better with your note changes. At times it seems like a note doesn’t transition to the next so easily, what can help with this is slowing down tempo and adding more air behind each note. Think of it as a quick ‘huff’ , with lots of air behind the huff. Huff=breathing out aggressively. That will help with sounds direction and dynamics as you progress through the song. This is especially helpful at the beginning of each notes in new phrases of song. 4. Air control. Doing breathing exercises, such as breathing in for certain beats, then breathing out for certain beats helps a lot with this. 5. What reed size are you using? If your embouchure has the strength for a size 4, u recommend it . It gives sound a finer tune. If not, a 3 or even 2 is also good. Each size produces a different sound depending on what you go for. 6. Add vibrato to extended notes. Still…. This went hard and I genuinely enjoyed your playing, but also comprehend your frustrations. Warm regards, A fellow sax player:))
Your tone is quite good. I think it’s the standard kind of thing where we hear our own voice on the telephone and kind of freak out but others think it’s normal. A few small things you could do is just tongue more and tongue harder in general. Some intonation issues. I think you need to slow down and sit in front of a tuner and play every note in whatever melody or solo you’re working on like a long tone, just really nailing every pitch.
I like it
Yo I don’t hear anything bad about ur sound it actually sounds nice that’s just in ur head. I used to be like that too but after I took time of listening to recordings of me playing i grew to like it
Sounds like you need to work on flexibility exercises to get more control. The reed while not overall too soft, is too soft for you to control currently. I’d work on going up a half strength and gaining some embouchure muscle better contain the reed. Second, pertaining to the flexibility, I’d work on what’s called “Meyer Bends” (after Tom Meyer, ret. Professor at CU Boulder) to understand where your tone is the most spread. And finally and I work towards experimenting with different oral cavity shapes to finds what sort of sounds you can get by changing the way you think of the inside of your throat. Like others have said, the technique is a bit sloppy, so when you play, try to be very intentional with what you play. Improvising is like speaking, and right now I’m getting the vibe of a run-on sentence and not a coherent thought.
Thank you!!! This seems very precise
Source: halfway through a DMA in jazz studies, MM classical saxophone, professional military saxophonist. But yeah, you’re heading in the right direction, the next step is refinement!
Long tones and slow down
Try out different mouthpieces… Or buy a different horn, probably a vintage one just to test the waters, but overall you sound hip.
Depends on what you want. If you want to be less jazzy, get a different mouthpiece.
Our understanding of what makes good tone is dominated by 2 things: amplification and reverb. Get on a good condenser mic, do the most minimal of effects (fruity reverb 2 and compression) and you'll be amazed that you now magically have near professional level tonality. Don't be down on your tone dude. I know my raw tone on a phone mic, and yours sounds awesome for sure. If you want any help/advice setting up some proper recordings feel free to ask or DM.
You have a good sound dude! Reminds me of the GA at the college I’m attending
I teach zoom lessons if you’re interested! Shoot me a message :)
Hi! Saxophone player and music educator here. You sound great! Like many others have said, you have really good technique, a great sound, and some of your concerns might be from the recording equipment. I’ve read through most of the comments and have one or two things that no one else has mentioned. What brand of horn are you playing? Is ask because, based on the lack of branding on the neck, I would guess it is a beginner or intermediate level horn. You mentioned on one of your comments that you are getting pretty serious about playing. If I am right, it might be time to upgrade to a pro level. You’re technique is already very good and upgrading your horn is probably going to be a necessity eventually and will make it easier to move around the instrument. That being said, I would only urge you to do this if you are as serious as you sound about pursuing playing at the level you are speaking of. It would also have a big impact on your sound, second only to the mouthpiece that you are using. Also, has a teacher asked about why you play out is the side of your mouth? If there is a physical reason why you need to do this, that is fine, but generally it is not best practice. Keep shedding, you are doing really well!
Thank you very much! It is a cheap no-brand ("omega"?) student saxophone, should probably get a better one. About the playing on the side, didn't really realize it but you are correct, there's no reason for that
You sound great bro. I run the Jody jazz New York series MP with a legere classic cut 3.25