How to Keep a Soprano Sax in Tune

Keep your soprano sax in tune with minor preparation and practice.

If you have a soprano sax, you know the difficulties of keeping it in tune. It is hard to control the intonation, which makes it sound out of tune. New soprano saxophones are usually straight with a small bend at the neck, while curved soprano saxophones were common in the early 1930s. Although they come in different shapes, the pieces of the saxophone remain the same. You can keep your soprano sax in tune with a few minor adjustments and let the audience enjoy the beautiful music it makes.

Things You'll Need

• No. 3 reed, .05-inch tip opening
• Thicker saxophone cork

Instructions

1. Use a No. 3 reed with a medium tip opening and chamber volume. A tip opening between .05 to .06 inches is recommended.

2. Remove the mouthpiece and reed from the sax. Blow into them to test the embouchure tension. The sax needs proper embouchure tension to stay in tune. The mouthpiece and reed should make a “concert D flat” note. Continue to blow into the mouthpiece and reed until the “concert D flat” note is played consistently.

3. Hold the body of the straight sax at a 30- to 45-degree angle. Do not hold the sax at a vertical angle.

4. Insert a thicker cork into the opening of the “G” pad, if the lower and upper “A” notes are sharp. The “G” pad opening is controlled by the cork on the side of the sax.

5. Adjust the “G sharp” closure if your low notes are out of tune. The “G sharp” pad should stay closed when pressing the “C sharp” note, “B” note and “B flat” note.

Tips & Warnings

• Soprano saxophones should be professionally cleaned at least once a year.

References

• Saxophone: Saxophone Basics
• Sax Gourmet; Soprano Saxophone and Intonation; Paul R. Coats