Having a great sound is one of the most important assets of a good sax player.

The best way to start developing ones sound is by practising long notes.

When doing this you should be aiming for a clear, consistent tone that doesn’t fluctuate in pitch, wobble or crack and can be played at both the quietest and loudest of dynamics. Doing this with every note on the sax has many benefits.

Most importantly it develops embouchure strength (the facial muscles used to hold the mouthpiece in your mouth as you play). Having a strong embouchure improves sound quality and allows you to play low and high notes with greater ease as well as keeping you in tune when you play. Having a weak embouchure can result in notes going flat, squeaking or the dreaded ‘honking’.

All in all taking the time to produce good quality tones throughout the range of the sax will form the basis of your unique sound.

Other tips:

· It is important to really listen to every long note you play: is the note your producing as stable and clear as possible? Or can it be smoothed out and made even better?

· Sometimes it helps to record yourself playing long notes so you can listen back and see if your tones are really as strong as you think they are.

· Listening to the great saxophone players of past and present helps give you a style and sound to work towards. If you love the sound of Cannonball Adderley then try matching his sound by learning some of his tunes and playing along with the recordings.

· Overly practising long notes can be damaging. If your embouchure becomes painful when you are practising then it’s probably a good idea to give it a rest for a while.