Dude, I don't know how to make a sound on this.
Hello, guys, welcome to another episode of TwoSet Violin.
Today...
We're gonna be TwoSet Saxophone.
That's right.
- I'm so excited. - With...
Eddy: Emma sensei.
As you've seen before, saxophone is not an easy instrument.
I think what was actually happening is,
you're making a mistake that a lot of people make
when they start saxophone.
You were really, really excited,
and you were just clamping down on that mouthpiece,
- not letting any air go through. - Oh.
- Ah, I see. - But we'll fix that today.
So what are we actually learning today?
So I've kind of brought three saxophones for you.
It's kind of like choosing your Pokémon,
- choosing your journey. - Oh, nice. - Okay.
I brought a soprano, an alto, and a tenor sax,
so you can each choose one.
And I'll take whichever saxophone's left over.
And then we're going to tackle
some of the biggest repertoire written for saxophone.
Whoa, you really have trust in us.
I do, I have faith.
I'll go soprano 'cause last time I tried that one.
This one looks easier.
Eddy: Why? 'Cause it's smaller?
- Brett: Yeah. - Saxophone players at home,
leave your opinion on that comment.
- This is the redemption, soprano part two. - Yes. My redemption, yes.
I want tenor.
- Ooh. - Ooh. Yeah. - 'Cause tenor is, like, what Lisa plays in Simpsons, right?
Baritone.
But is that close?
Tenor to baritone?
Yeah, it is.
You've picked the biggest option available to you today.
Nice.
Eddy: Oh, dude, it's massive.
Emma: Yep.
Eddy: Oh, I'm regretting my choice.
So scared. Ahh!
It's like, there's no strap.
- She just put it in my hand. - Alright.
So, we're going to pop this over your head.
There you go.
Pull this up here,
- and so the saxophone in line with your mouth. - Is that it?
That's it.
Now, technically, soprano you can play without a strap,
- Okay. No, I need extra support, yeah. - but if you're feeling like you want that extra support... - It's so heavy.
Dude, how do you...
- I can't even pull the strap up. - Yeah.
- Okay. - There. - Do I do this?
Okay, this is not a strong start.
Having trouble with the neck strap.
You are where the sound comes from.
Your respiratory system, your air, and your embouchure,
which is your muscles of the lips and face,
are what's going to make the sound.
Think of this as like a big amplifying device.
So it also means if something goes wrong,
it's probably because you've done something wrong.
We're going to roll our bottom lip over our bottom teeth
to make a cushion for the reed.
Emma: Yeah.
- Not your tongue. Yeah. - Not your tongue, bro.
You're going to put the mouthpiece in.
I generally say go for about half a thumb
as a rough guide.
Maybe a bit more in your mouth.
Ooh!
More.
- Yeah. - Ooh!
Rest your top teeth down gently.
And then close the lips, make a nice "O" shape, and blow.
Yes! That's already so much better.
Why is mine not making a sound?
Probably because you've done something wrong.
Okay, so maybe just a...
I thought mine's tenor. It's meant to be lower.
- Yes, it is meant to be lower. - Yeah, that's not tenor. That's more soprano than me.
Brett: Whoa!
Okay. Okay, that's powerful.
You've maybe got a smidge too much mouthpiece
in your mouth.
Focus on pushing the corners of your mouth inwards.
Emma: Yeah, you're getting it.
That's it, just get some air through.
Emma: More.
We want to make sure we're creating a really firm seal
with the lips,
rather than clamping with the jaw.
Emma: Yeah, that's already so different.
Emma: Yeah.
Alrighty, so let's add some fingers into the mix.
We're going to go for Hot Cross Buns.
- Oh, yeah. - Okay.
Emma: You see these mother of pearl keys?
- We're actually going to skip that little baby one, - Brett: Okay.
- Emma: and put our three fingers on the three main buttons. - Brett: Yeah.
- Emma: And same thing in the right hand. - Brett: Alright.
There's a thumb rest a little bit lower
that you can put your thumb underneath as well,
- to make it a bit more comfortable. - Oh, nice.
And your thumb has to go on the black thing, right?
Yes.
- Yeah. - Where?
Emma: At the back.
How do you know?
Don't know. Intuition.
Hot Cross Buns.
- Finger one, one and two, one, two, three. - Okay.
B.
That's it, ready...
That's it and now note two...
Emma: A.
Good and then G.
Yeah!
Dude, it's so much effort.
Dude, I'm dizzy.
I think I like ran like a marathon or something already.
The sound is your air.
You're going to use your tongue to clearly start the note.
So, like the start of a down bow.
- Alright? That clarity to the note. - Okay.
Imagine you're saying...
"Tuh."
Tuh.
Your tip of the tongue is hitting the roof of your mouth, right?
- And then pulling away. - Yeah.
That's the movement you want to do on the tip of the reed.
Maybe like half a centimeter down from the tip.
The tongue touches the tip.
- Yeah, and then it pulls away as you blow... - I mean, touches the reed.
Sorry.
That's... Yeah.
Cool.
So what you want to think about is creating longer sounds.
"Tuh" through the instrument.
Emma: Yeah! Good.
Emma: That's it.
- so I'm going to grab my alto now. - I can't.
And I'm going to show you what it should sound like.
- We can freestyle while she walks away. - Yeah. - Okay. Sweet.
Alright, so.
It sounds so good.
I'm going to demonstrate using the exact same fingers you are
- but of course, the alto's in E flat so the pitch will be different. - Yeah.
- Alright, so my fingers don't lift - Wow.
between the notes.
And I'm blowing the whole time
until I take a breath.
So, think of it as like one bow, right?
Eddy: Oh, my god.
Okay, so your turn.
Good job! That was really good.
I mean you look like you're gonna die but...
So I think we're ready to start tackling
- some famous pieces of music from the saxophone repertoire. - (Both) Oh, yeah.
It's going to be tough, I won't lie to you.
- Why is there like double sharps and sharps. - Yeah, I know, it just escalated.
We went from Hot Cross Buns to semiquavers articulation.
I'm going to teach you the B major scale,
which is going to help you have a little sight read of this, okay?
B.
C sharp.
D sharp, all the fingers.
Good job! Alright...
How's your breath support going?
(Both) So tiring.
Make a circle from the bottom of your nose
around to your chin.
All those muscles, and ligaments,
and everything that's in your face, are working,
and stretching to make sure you can create that really
- It's like kissing someone. - Emma: rounded shape.
Yeah. Good.
- Yeah! You got it. - I got it.
Yeah.
Alright, are we ready for a little break, a little intermission?
- Something simpler? - Yep. - Okay.
Alright.
In order to play this, guys,
I'm going to teach you the C major scale,
- Okay. - which is way easier.
- I threw you in the deep end and now we're going to have... - Okay. Nice, nice.
- Have a little intermission. - Nice.
We start with...
- Alright, so lots of air for the low note - Okay. - Nice.
because the air needs to travel the length of the tube
past your pinky, alright?
- Okay. - Alright. - So especially you, Eddy,
you've got a long way for your air to travel.
Okay.
And C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
A.
Why is it so fast?
Because I don't have much air.
I was running out of air, so I'm like, "I'm just gonna go."
- Cool. - Hey, not bad.
It's pretty good.
- Changed octaves though. - It is...
- Yes. - Yeah, why did it change octaves?
You've actually accessed the overtone,
- so you've overblown it up an octave. - Eddy: Whoa.
Probably what's happening is
- you're just biting down a little bit too much from the top. Yeah. - Oh, okay.
So you can actually access, like, the whole harmonic series.
So a really cool trick I always show my students is,
on any of the low notes...
Wow.
You can actually overblow,
and that's how we access the altissimo register
and get to play stupidly high on a saxophone.
But it's not what we're looking for now.
We want a nice low C so just open up a little bit.
Just...
Yeah.
So, yeah. Bit more mouthpiece in your mouth.
Yeah, that's it.
Yes.
Yes!
Sorry.
It's okay.
Subscribe to TwoSet Violin...
Emma: Yeah!
Yeah!
- Are you okay? - Bro.
Yeah, I got it.
- Woo! - Eddy: You nailed it. - He was so determined.
It was great.
Eddy, take it away.
Uh...
Yeah, great!
What's up?
Hello!
I actually got something.
Yeah, we've got a little trio.
I'm actually... Wow.
If you want, we can set up some more stands.
We can play the song in its entirety.
Do you reckon you're ready?
- Yeah, let's do it. - Let's do it. - Yeah.
We can perform for Phoebe.
- Yeah. - Yes.
We've got an audience now.
I'm running out of breath.
I don't know! This tenor's massive.
He's just taken to it.
You're getting the sound right.
- Tenor suits you. - I'm just a natural. - Oh, my god.
- Cool. That's it. - (Both) Alright.
- Well done. - Thanks so much. - Thanks very much.
You did so good!
I'm actually impressed.
- I thought we wouldn't be able to make a sound. - Yeah.
- I had a lot of fun, actually. - Yeah.
I think you guys are like secret saxophone players.
TwoSet Saxy time.
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And go check out Emma in the description below.
Thank you so much for watching
and we'll see you guys next time.
- Bye-bye. - Bye.
Oh, my mouth.