Your first sound: fitting the reed and holding the mouthpiece

How to make your first saxophone sound: wetting and fitting the reed, the ligature, embouchure, and fixing squeaks and airy tone.

For the first week, the goal is not a song but one long note without a squeak.

Fitting the reed

1. Hold the tip of the reed in your mouth for about 30 seconds to wet it. A dry reed does not vibrate well.
2. Lay the flat side of the reed on the mouthpiece and line up the reed tip with the mouthpiece tip. Seeing a hair's width of mouthpiece above the reed is just right.
3. Fix it with the ligature. Do not overtighten: just enough that the reed does not move.

Mouth shape (embouchure)

• Rest your top teeth lightly on top of the mouthpiece.
• Roll your lower lip slightly over your bottom teeth as a cushion and rest the reed on it.
• Take in only 1–1.5 cm of the mouthpiece. Too deep and the sound cracks; too shallow and nothing comes out.
• Gather the corners of your mouth as if around a straw so no air escapes.

Common problems

• It squeaks → your lower lip is pressing the reed too hard. Relax a little.
• Only air comes out → you are too shallow on the mouthpiece or the reed is not wet enough.
• Start with a reed strength of 2–2.5. Higher numbers are harder and make it tougher to get a sound.

Playing a digital sax?

A digital saxophone such as a YDS has no reed, so you can skip this step and focus right away on fingers and breath.