Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Alas! All music jars when the souls out of tune - Miguel de Cervantes
It could be said that playing the saxophone in tuen is what separates the amateur from the professional, or the
novice from the artist. The mechanics of altering the pitch on the Saxophone are closely tied to those of tone,
and through striving for exactitude in pitch the sound will improve greatly. Before going into the pedagogy of
tuning it worth discussing what it means to be in-tune.
Pitch is perception
What we perceive as sound is a creation of our brain. Oscillating pressure waves of air strike out eardrum, and
the resulting vibrations are interpreted by our mind. Sometimes these pressure waves are misinterpreted; to a
person with synesthesia audio is combined with the visual resulting in different colors when sound is heard.
We hear out of tuneness, or dissonance, as beats or waves within two tones. The faster the beats are the more
out of tune we are, and as we close in on pitch, the beats slow. The speed of the beats is simply determined by
the mathematical difference between the tow pitches. Two people playing an A, one at 440 hz and one at
443 hz would produce 3 beats per second.
Equal Temperment
Conceived of in the late 16th century, equal temperament divides the octave into 12 equal parts. This is how
keyboard instruments are tuned, and how a standard tuner works. Each step is divided into 100 parts called
cents, with a total of 1200 cents in an octave. The result is that fixed pitch instruments like the piano can
play in any key without a great deal of dissonance. While this is a great advantage, it comes with a
compromise in that all intervals are slightly out of tune.
Just Intonation
When using just intonation the distance between two notes can be calculated using simple ratios. The interval
of a perfect fifth can be represented by the ratio 3:2 in just intonation, but uses the ratio 27/12 : 1 in equal
temperament. In just intonation the pitch of every interval must be compared to the root. The resulting sound
when using just intonation is, transparent or hollow, compared to the haze that seems to surround equal
temperament. This tuning is used in a Capella vocal groups, such as barbershop quartets, and give them their
unique tone quality. The disadvantage of just intonation is that no two notes are ever the same. A G# in one
key will not be the same note another. It also requires significant ear training on the part of the player. The
following table will help you make the necessary adjustments from ET to JI.
Interval
Ratio
Unison
Cents - JI
Cents - ET
Differnece
1:1
Minor 2nd
16:15
111.73
100
+11.73
Major 2nd
9:8
203.91
200
+3.91
Minor 3rd
6:5
315.64
300
+15.64
Major 3rd
5:4
386.31
400
-13.69
Perfect 4th
4:3
498.04
500
-1.96
45:32
590.22
600
-9.78
Perfect 5th
3:2
701.95
700
+1.95
Minor 6th
8:5
813.69
800
+13.69
Major 6th
5:3
884.36
900
-15.64
Minor 7th
9:5
1017.60
1000
+17.60
Major 7th
15:8
1088.27
1100
-11.73
2:1
1200
1200
Tritone
Octave
Pitch Tendancies
Like any instrument, the saxophone is built upon a series of compromises. These lead to some notes being
more out of tune than others. While it is out goal to learn to play the saxophone in tune, sometimes an extra
key or alternate fingering can get us out of a jam.
Note
Bb-1
Tendancy
Fix
Mute
D-1
Flat
G-1
Flat
Bb-2
Flat-Bis
C#-2
Flat 10 cents+
Use Covered C#
(3+octave key) Doesnt work on Selmer Series III
Vent Tc
Sharp 10 cents+
C#-3
Sharp
F-3 / F#-3
Sharp
D-2
Temperature
Extremes in air temperture can make tuning impossible. As the temperature drops so will your pitch; the metal
in the tube contracts and interior volume increases dropping the overall pitch. While the players breath will
warm the instrument to a certain extent, in larger instruments the majority of the tube will remain at the
ambient temperature. This could create a situation where short tube notes are sharp, and long tube notes flat.
Air v. Face
The source of most tuning issues is a lack of air. We must strive to play with the fastest air stream possible.
This is what will support the tone, and decrease the need for manipulation from the jaw and facial muscles.
Most begginers on the instruemnt will use the musicle of the face to close the distance between the reed and
mouthpiece. This will allow them to produce a sound with the least amount of air possible. The muscle used
most commonly to do this is the mentalis. This muscle is also known as the pouting muscle and pushes
upward on the lower lip. This muscle must remain relaxed, and instead its next door neighbor, the depressor
labii inferioris should be used to pull the lower lip downward.
Flexibility
As discussed earlier, we must be able to play every note on the saxophone at a variety of pitch levels. This
requires a great deal of flexibility on the part of the player. A good starting point to develop this is to play on
the mouthpiece. As a starting point the following pitches should be used:
Mouthpiece Pitch (Concert) Alto Sax - A
Tenor Sax - G
Baritone Sax - D Soprano Sax - B
Once this pitch is strong and consistent, begin to move it up and down. On the Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece a
one octave C scale can be played. It is only when you have achieved this control that tuning will become
easier.