Saxophone

Tone
Challenge
By Alexander Mathias

Everything You Need To Know About...

Mouthpiece And Reed Recommendations

Breathing Exercises

Perfect Embouchure Placement

Saxophone Tone Warm Ups

Pro Tone Exercises

and more...

www.saxophonemasterclass.com
 Table Of Contents

Introduction 03

About Alexander Mathias 04

Mouthpiece Guide 05

Reed Guide: Cane Vs Plastic 06

Putting The Mouthpiece And Reed Together 07

Diaphragmatic Breathing 08

The Perfect Saxophone Embouchure 09

Saxophone Tone Exercises 10

Master Your Throat (Voicing) 11

Conclusion 12

Student Testimonials 13

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Introduction
Thank you for joining the 3-Day Saxophone Tone Challenge! I see SO many people
getting discouraged and frustrated when it comes to getting a great tone on the
sax and they usually end up concluding that it is "too hard" or "too complicated" or
they "do't having the lungs" Nope! They're just practicing the wrong way!

The goal of this challenge is to show you the foundations of mastering your
saxophone tone using my B.E.T. Saxophone Tone System - Breathing,
Embouchure and Throat. I'm going to show you exactly how to breath correctly so
you can sustain notes, exactly how to position your mouth without developing pain
and squeaking uncontrollably, and even show you some PRO tone exercises to
help you get a consistent, sweet, smooth tone on the sax.

Not only that, I have included a mouthpiece and reed recommendation page in this
guide so you can know EXACTLY what setup you should be using for your sax.

It's all in this 3-Day Saxophone Tone Challenge (lessons released on Monday,
Wednesday By Alexander
and Friday)Mathias
and you can get started right away using the link below:

https://www.saxophonemasterclass.com/tone-challenge-day1

Day 2 of the challenge will be emailed to you on Wednesday, February 15th

Day 3 of the challenge will be emailed to you on Friday, February 17th.

If these lessons get you excited, you are definitely going to want to check out my
course "Mastering Your Saxophone Tone" which opens on Monday February 20th
(CLOSING Friday 24th). Click the link below to learn more:

https://www.saxophonemasterclass.com/tone-offer

I really hope you enjoy this challenge! Let me know if you have any questions and
feel free to reach out to me at alexander@saxophonemasterclass.com.

Happy Playing!
- Alexander (Your Online Sax Coach)
03 Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 About Alexander Mathias

Born and raised in Ireland, Alexander has been playing saxophone for over 25 years
and has made a full time professional career for most of that time.

Since graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston, his saxophone skills
have taken him around the world to over 30 countries as a performer.

He has played to over 1 million people total worldwide at venues such as Madison
Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl, Mexico City Arena and hundreds more.

He can be heard on top 10 selling albums, USA national commercials, international

video games and award winning movies.

Alexander has worked with platinum selling artists include Amy Winehouse, Avril
Lavigne, Tom Kenny (Voice of Sponge Bob), Cee Lo Green, 50 Cent, Juliette Lewis,
George Clinton, Glen Hansard, Gloria Trevi, Alejandra Guzman and many more.
By Alexander Mathias
Click the links below to watch videos of milestones from his career:

Performing with Amy Winehouse

Performing with Avril Lavigne
Performing with Glen Hansard and The Commitments
Saxophonist for Coca Cola Commercial
Saxophonist for Team Sonic Racing Game
Saxophonist for The Last Black Man In San Francisco Movie
Saxophonist on Top 10 Billboard Live Album and DVD

Alexander is based in Los Angeles where he has lived for the past 8 years. He
composes, records and makes saxophone education videos out of his music studio
in Hollywood.

Learn more about Alexander and listen to his original music at

www.alexandermathias.com

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Mouthpiece Guide
You most likely will get a generic mouthpiece that comes with the saxophone
along with a couple of reeds. Sometimes these are good, but many times…they
are not so good!

My recommendation for a beginner to intermediate player is to get a small to

medium tip opening mouthpiece and strength 2 or 2 ½ reeds. Check out the links
below for recommendations according to your budget.

Below is a list of my favorite mouthpieces for beginner to intermediate players. I

highly recommend you start with a 4C or 5C as a beginner and pair it with a
Vandoren Traditional 2 or 1.5 strength reed.

Click the link to buy on amazon.com (prices are approximate and subject to
change).

Alto Sax Mouthpieces

Yamaha 4C | 1.5mm Small Opening | $30 | Amazon Link

Meyer 5 | 1.8mm Small Opening | $110 | Amazon Link
Selmer S-80 C* | 1.7mm Small Opening | $145 | Amazon Link

Tenor Sax Mouthpieces

Yamaha 5C | 1.8mm Small Opening | $40 | Amazon Link

Meyer 5 | 1.9mm Small Opening | $110 | Amazon Link
Selmer S-80 C* | 1.8mm Small Opening | $145 | Amazon Link

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Reed Guide: Cane Vs Plastic
It is important to make sure you have some good reeds to pair with your
mouthpiece and that you take care of them properly. Generally speaking you want
to use a medium strength reed (1.5 to 2.5) and pair it with a mouthpiece with a
small opening. Try experimenting with different strength reeds when pairing
without your mouthpiece.

All brands are not created equally! For example a strength 2 Vandoren Traditional
Reed is actually a different strength compared to a Rico Orange 2 strength reed.
Click here to check out this reed comparison chart for more information

Cane reeds can be very inconsistent due to their nature and often you may only
find that half the reeds work well right out of the box. This is why I recommend
using plastic or synthetic reeds if you are in the beginning stages as they are
much more consistent. I recommend Legere Signature Series reeds.

Alto Sax Reeds

Legere Signature Series | Strength 2 One Reed | Amazon Link
Vandoren Traditional | Strength 2 Box of 10 | $28 | Amazon Link
Vandoren Traditional | Strength 21/2 Box of 10 | $28 | Amazon Link

Tenor Sax Reeds

Legere Signature Series | Strength 2 One Reed | Amazon Link
Vandoren Traditional | Strength 2 Box of 5 | $17 | Amazon Link
Vandoren Traditional | Strength 21/2 Box of 5 | $17 | Amazon Link

Reeds should always be taken off the mouthpiece at the end of every playing or
practice session and placed in a reed case. This can either be a small single case
that comes with the reed or preferably a reed case that holds multiple reeds. See
below:
Alto/Tenor Reed Cases
Pro Tech Reed Case | $17 | Amazon Link
Vandoren Hygro Case | $32 | Amazon Link

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Putting The Mouthpiece And Reed Together

Learning how to put you reed, mouthpiece and ligature together is the most
important of playing saxophone!

Unlike a working piano where there is no setup, the saxophone needs to be setup up
correctly or you won't be able to get a sound from it.

An incorrectly placed reed can cause a lot of frustration when learning the
saxophone. There are 5 steps to positioning your reed correctly and I take you
through every one in Day 2 of the Saxophone Tone Challenge.

Here is a breakdown:

1) Moisten the reed and moisten the face of the mouthpiece using your mouth and
tongue.

2) PlaceBy Alexander
the reed ontoMathias
the face of the mouthpiece. The moisture should create a
vacuum so that it sticks to the mouthpiece by itself.

3) Position the reed so that the rails of the reed line up with the rails of the
mouthpiece and the tip of the reed is positioned just below the tip of the
mouthpiece.

4) Hold the reed in place and slowly put the ligature over the top the mouthpiece
making sure it is on the right way. Pushing it all the way to the “ligature line” if your
mouthpiece has one.

5) Make sure the reed hasn’t moved around and if so, put it back to its correct
position. Then tighten the ligature screws so that it is securely in place.

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Diaphragmatic Breathing

Breathing is the life of your tone! If you're not breathing correctly you will never get
a great sound on the saxophone.

Working on Diaphragmatic Breathing exercises everyday before you even touch the
saxophone is really going to help with many aspects of saxophone tone such as:

Sustaining and playing notes for longer

Playing notes with more consistency
Making your notes sound clean
Playing softer and smooth on saxophone
Knowing how to put the correct air flow in the sax
Playing quiet and loud on demand

And so much more!

So make sure to practice Diaphragmatic Breathing every day if you want to see
results like this on saxophone.

I show you several exercises on Day 1 of the Saxophone Tone Challenge so make
sure to check them out! Here's the link again:

https://www.saxophonemasterclass.com/tone-challenge-day1

Remember to watch all these classes before I take them down on Sunday!

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 The Perfect Saxophone Embouchure
Many beginners are unsure about the correct embouchure, which is how you
position your mouth on the mouthpiece. Knowing how to do this correctly is what
is going to help you with:

Getting a consistent tone every time when you play

Stopping those seemingly uncontrollable squeaks
Helping you STOP biting down on the mouthpiece
Reducing pain in your mouth when playing sax
Being able to play low and high notes with ease
Playing with confidence, knowing you will get the note EVERY time

The embouchure can cause a lot of frustration but again there are 5 simple steps
to forming the perfect embouchure. I take you through each step in Day 2 of the
Saxophone Tone Challenge (coming Wednesday)

Here is a breakdown:

1) Make a “Vuh” sound with your mouth and notice where your teeth touches your
lip. Try looking in the mirror while you do this. This is where the bottom part of the
reed will rest.

2) Place the reed on to this part of your lip and then lightly place your teeth on top.
Don’t bite down!

3) Wrap your lips around the mouthpiece and seal them around the mouthpiece.

4) Pull back the sides of your mouth slightly, away from the reed.

5) Keep your lips firm but relaxed as you blow air through the mouthpiece.

On the next page I will show you specific exercises you can practice to help warm
up your embouchure and strengthen your lips and mouth muscles.

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Saxophone Tone Exercises

In order to develop your embouchure muscles and improve your saxophone

tone, it is essential that you practice with just the mouthpiece and neck without
the body of the instrument.

Doing this for at least 5 minutes a day will strengthen your lips and embouchure
while warming you up to get ready to play with the rest of the instrument.

Check out the neck exercises I show you in Day 2 of the Saxophone Tone
Challenge. Try to tongue the note at the beginning of the exercise and stop the
note with your tongue too. There are three great exercises to try:

Exercise 1: Tongue the note and hold for 8 seconds or more

Exercise 2: Tongue the note and after 4 seconds tongue the long tone again
without breaking the note

Exercise 3: Tongue the note every second for as many times as possible

You then want to move on to just using the mouthpiece and playing long tones.
This is going to be a lot harder, as there will be more resistance. If you are total
beginner, mainly focus on mouthpiece and neck exercises before moving on to
just the mouthpiece.

As I mention, it is best to use a metronome or clock to make sure you can count
how many seconds you are holding the note for. Here is a great
metronome/tuner that I use:

Metronome and Tuner

KLIQ MetroPitch | $23 | Amazon Link

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Master Your Throat (Voicing)

There is one unusual muscle that has a massive impact on your saxophone tone
that a lot of sax players are unaware of. And that is the back of your throat and
tongue.

Being able to manipulate this part of your vocal cavity is what we call "voicing"
and helps with so many aspects of getting a great tone on sax, such as:

Staying in tune across the whole range of the saxophone

Getting a big, full round, smooth tone on saxophone
Stopping high notes from sound thin, light and shrill
Getting overtones on saxophone with ease
Being able to bend notes on saxophone to add character to your playing

And so much more!

Learning how to "voice" a note and manipulate your throat like this all starts with
just the mouthpiece.

We need to imagine making an "eee" sound and drop down to an "ahh" sound.

Similarly we want to make the same movement as when we sing or whistle from
a high note to a low note. Our larynx lowers as we sing low and raises as we sing
high. This is the kind of movement that is happening when are "voicing" a note.

I discuss more about how this works in Day 3 of the Saxophone Tone Challenge
(releasing on Friday), so make sure to watch that to learn more about this
unusual PRO tone technique.

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Conclusion
So there you have it! My B.E.T. Saxophone Tone System - Breathing, Embouchure
and Throat. This is the foundation for a PERFECT sax tone that I see so many sax
players take for granted.

However, this is just scratching the surface! There are dozens and dozens of
exercises that you can practice to help you with achieve all your tone goals on
saxophone once you have worked on these foundations.

And that's why I created Mastering Your Saxophone Tone. A step by step guide to
mastering your saxophone tone with dozens of exercises that focus on:

Mastering Breathing, Embouchure And Throat Exercises

Mastering Your Middle Range
Mastering Your Low Notes
Mastering Your High Notes
Mastering Pro Exercises Like Overtones

And everything in between! Check out the results my students have been getting
on the next page.

The course will be open exclusive for my email list on Monday February 20th with
some AMAZING bonuses. However, I am closing the doors to the offer on Friday
February 25th so make sure to keep an eye on your inbox DON'T miss the
deadline. Join the waiting list here to be the first to know:

https://www.saxophonemasterclass.com/tone-offer

I really hope you enjoy this challenge! Let me know if you have any questions and
feel free to reach out to me at alexander@saxophonemasterclass.com.

Happy Playing!
- Alexander (Your Online Sax Coach)

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Student Testimonials

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Student Testimonials

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Student Testimonials

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass
 Student Testimonials

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Saxophone Tone Challenge | Saxophone Masterclass