A common problem that occurs on saxophones, especially in the hands of young students, is the octave key on the neck goes out of adjustment. Several things can cause the octave key to go out:. Finger high G just above the staff. The neck octave key should remain closed. Lift the left hand fourth finger to play A and the neck octave key should open.
Please note that the octave system upper and lower on a saxophone is a complex series of mechanisms. The regular range of an alto is about two and a half octaves.
Above top f sharp, you are in altissimo range — built on harmonics. They appear in more advanced music. What are Multiphonics? Multiphonics is where an instrument that is used to play one note at a time single note instrument creates an effect of playing multiple notes at the same time. What does concert pitch mean? Many instruments read music that shows a different pitch than what their instrument sounds. Stewart Wilson has been inspiring our Sax School Community with the great videos he's been sharing.
He's our Need to make music on the go? Touring musician and studio expert Paul Fawcus runs through his ultimate So join below to try out our lessons completely risk free. Get the Saxophone Tool Kit Common Causes Octave key issues are most commonly caused by how the saxophone neck is handled when assembling the instrument.
Pressing your octave key should open your neck octave key mechanism. Similar Posts. Read More. Buying a Beginner Saxophone So you want to learn to play saxophone? Here's what you need to know when buying your Beginner Saxophone — Your First Notes Learn how to put your sax together and find your notes, ready to play some fun tunes. I have never deliberately practised harmonics, and I have not attempted altissimo yet.
Recently, I have asked my teacher whether it is alright to play without using the octave key, and he said that he knows plenty of saxophonists who don't touch it "because it's just another key that needs to be pressed", but he thinks that the notes sound off by about cents when played without the octave key and don't have the same "feel" to them and that's true for his MKVI , so he recommends using the octave key.
I've spent some time with my tuner and found that for my horn this is not the case. The notes sound absolutely the same I've even recorded them, to make sure that it's not an audial illusion , whether I utilise the octave key or not.
In fact, it is much easier for me to play notes that require palm keys that way including F which, with the octave key pressed, I cannot even get out of the instrument, unless I approach it from below, like E. I have not tested it with fork fingerings yet. At this stage, I don't even know anymore whether the octave key does anything at all, or if the sound comes entirely "from me".
My question is the following and I am happy to remove it if it's an opinion-based question : should I start playing without the octave key if it works so well for me, or am I potentially setting myself up for some problems down the track, like with altissimo? Because this technique allows me to do huge jumps 12 or more semitones seamlessly, some of which even my teacher has never been able to perform. I am also curious as to how the overtones are produced, because I have never practised them, and they just came to me naturally.
I have tried to notice if anything changes about my embouchure or throat when I play them but couldn't really find out how I do it. If it works for you, keep on doing it. The only issue you might run into is if you get a new horn or mouthpiece that requires more consistent use of the octave key, you'll need to develop the habit of pressing it.
How easy is it to play low notes on your sax? It's possible that you're easily getting the higher octave out due to a small leak in the upper stack somewhere that's essentially acting as an octave key opening. If low notes are challenging to maintain, check for leaks.
EDIT: As the other answers suggest, you should continue to practice with the octave key also, as there will be times when using it will be a better choice and you don't want to lock yourself into a technique that requires a specific instrument to play. However, if there are passages you can play without using the key and it sounds good to you then there is no reason not to. First of all, I strongly disagree with your teacher about using the key.
The key is there for a reason: to make it much easier to produce the desired pitches. Now, it is certainly true on most if not all wind instruments that you can "overblow" to produce the upper register sans octave key. I had a couple teachers clarinet who recommended this as an exercise to help focus on getting exactly the right embouchure and breath control for each note.
But don't ignore the octave key -- that makes as much sense as ignoring the alternate fingerings for accidentals. I think it is good for practice to not use the octave key for certain passages, you learn how to voice the notes better and makes some transitions smoother in my opinion, this works for me on clarinet and saxophone as well.
Properly using he register key will deliver the best sound and pitch without any doubt, that is how the instrument is designed, there is no way around it. You will perform your best using it, still I think there are advantages in training without using it sometimes. If there is really no difference I would go as far as saying you need to get that horn checked by a technician.
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