Does your saxophone embouchure need a booster?
This exercise uses overtones on sax, which are awesome for strengthening your embouchure and boosting your tone.
This is phase 3 of this series of saxophone warm ups, which are all about getting back in shape after a break. Stick around and I’ll give you the links to phase 1 and phase 2.
Tone Ladders with Overtones
Phase 3 of getting my embouchure back in shape is something I call “Tone Ladders with Overtones”.
Let me show you what I mean.
Get 14 Day FREE Trial of Sax School PRO
B Flat Fingering
So in this exercise I’m using the tone ladder like before. But this time I’m using overtones on sax.
But every time I go up to a note I’m then swapping back to the low b flat fingering to get the overtone pitch.
The most important thing here though is that when I go to the overtone, I try to keep the intonation spot on.
Are you fingers feeling rusty? Grab our free fingering chart here.
Tuning Tip
It’s a great idea to use a tuner app so you check your tuning for every note. I love the Tonal Energy App but you can use your favourite tuner.
Get 14 Day FREE Trial of Sax School PRO
Keep Your Cool
Now if you’re new to overtones, this can be frustrating. So take your time with it and just focus on the first couple of steps of the ladder.
But when you’re ready I’ll catch you with phase 4!
Missed a Step? Find the rest of this series
Find Phase #1 of this series here
Next Steps:
- Do you want to find out more about how you can use overtones on sax to get a better sound? Check out this free lesson.
- Learn more about how to use a tuner in your sax practice here
If you’re serious about making progress on your saxophone, we have everything you need in Sax School. World class lessons, tutor support and a worldwide community of sax players to hang out with – find out more here.