How to Tune Alto Saxophones

Many beginning sax players start playing the alto before moving on to other types of sax.

The alto saxophone is a woodwind instrument made of brass which uses a wooden reed. When air passes through the wooden reed on an alto sax, the reed vibrates, producing sound. A different pitch is produced depending on what keys you press. When you first take the alto saxophone out of your case, put it together and start warming it up, the instrument will likely not be perfectly in tune. Knowing how to put your instrument in tune is vital toward a perfect sound.

Instructions

1. Assemble the saxophone. Make sure the neck is screwed on tight. Grease the cork with a grease stick if necessary to fit the mouthpiece on easily. Hold up your sax with a neck strap.

2. Wet the thin part of the reed in your mouth. Line up the reed onto the open part of the mouthpiece, making sure the upper edge of the reed does not exceed the edge of the mouthpiece. Fit the ligature over the mouthpiece and reed and tighten into place.

3. Play a few random notes to warm up the instrument. Make sure all the keys are in good working order.

4. Tune your alto sax. Over time, you can train your ear to hear any inconsistencies in tone. For beginners, however, use an electric tuner or tuning fork. Play and hold a couple notes, hearing whether it's in tune. Your electric tuner may be formatted by "concert" pitch, or a minor third, which means you should adjust the electric tuner according to the note you plan on tuning. An A on an alto sax is a concert C, for instance, which means you would adjust the electric tuner to C concert and play the A note.

5. Push the mouthpiece farther down the cork if the notes come off flat. Pull the mouthpiece farther up the cork if the notes come off sharp. Try adjusting a little or a lot, depending on how off your sound is. Play the note again and determine whether you are in tune. Keep making adjustments and playing until your sound is just right.

Tips & Warnings

• The position of the mouthpiece on the cork that made a perfectly tuned sax the first time around won't necessarily be the case once you pick up the instrument again a couple days later. Therefore, it won't help you to mark the place on your cork where you were in tune.

References

• Sax Station: How to Tune an Alto Sax
• Hypermusic: Saxophone