Breathing: breathe low and play long notes
Breathing for saxophone: belly breathing, how to practice long tones, and planning where to breathe in a song.
On the saxophone, your breath makes the sound more than your fingers. If the tone wobbles or you run out of air quickly, it is usually your breathing.
Breathe into your belly
- Sit or stand up straight and relax your shoulders.
- When you breathe in, let your belly and sides expand, not your shoulders. A hand on your stomach helps you feel it.
- Breathe out slowly and evenly with a "sss" sound. Aim for 10 seconds at first, then 20.
Long-tone practice
- Pick an easy note (G or A) and play it for four beats at the same volume. A metronome at 60 helps.
- Listen: does the sound stay steady from start to finish?
- Rest, repeat the same note five times, then move to the next note.
Long tones are dull, but three minutes a day will change your sound within a month. Players do them their whole lives.
Plan where to breathe
Before you play a song, mark the rests and the ends of long notes as breathing places. You will run out of air mid-phrase far less. The FingerNola player tells you "Breathe and get ready" whenever a rest comes.