-
Embouchure is the formation of the mouth as it is placed on the mouth piece of the instrument. When playing the soprano saxophone, less reed is available to be placed in the mouth. Although this is the case, the formation of the embouchure and the placement of the reed in your mouth should be the same as on any other saxophone: the bottom lip should be slightly tucked in to curl around the bottom teeth.
The tongue should be slightly arched and held back from the lips. To tongue on the soprano saxophone, you will find that the mechanism is much shorter and quicker than other saxophones because of the size of the reed. Use a gentle, flicking movement to strike the reed with your tongue to articulate (play different note lengths). - While standing, the instrument should be held at a 45-degree angle from your body. Remember to keep your back straight but not rigid. The thumb of the bottom hand on the instrument supports the weight while the upper hand is used for balance. A common mistake among new soprano saxophone players is to hold the soprano saxophone too far away from the body to mimic the feeling of their original saxophone.
-
The fingering system on the soprano saxophone is identical to the one used on every other saxophone. This is why so many saxophonists can play more than one type of saxophone quite readily. However, the instrument is pitched in the key of Bb (B flat), so learning a new way of reading notes may be necessary depending on which saxophone was played before the soprano saxophone.
The best way to learn the new key of the soprano saxophone is to do long tone studies, since these will help you learn to read each note. After developing long tones, the system of transferring note reading into the new key will become almost automatic through comparison and experience. Gradually move from long tones into faster and more complex studies to develop tone and note reading.
