I have an audition in like 5 days, so I don't want to take my sax in to the shop, but the middle C is making a sort of buzzing noise, and the high C is gurgling. I thought it might be the reed, but the saxophone does this with all the reeds. I tried another person's horn, and the C's sounded just fine. What might be wrong? I play a YAS 62-II with a selmer C** mouthpeice and regular, black box vandoren 3 reeds (although this happens with my jazz stuff too, some meyer mouthpeice and rico jazz selects as the reeds). The middle C thing REALLY needs to stop, because it really ruins the effect of my slow, passionate audition music.

my advice: rent a new horn for the audition. thats your best bet. i'm not there to actually see the horn and test it out so you'd best be suited if you just burrowed your friends.
sorry if that doesent help.
~Triforce

Probably past your audition but without several days to practice my advice would be moot anyway.

This is a common anomaly I have encountered with many saxophones--Mk VI, Mk 7, Yamahas of every model, Cannonballs, yanagisawa etc. There are mechanical solutions that IMHO only disguise the problem. Some players still choose to utilize them. These involve placing inserts and baffles in and around certain toneholes. I have encountered players who have defeated every mechanical/acoustical enhancement done to their horn and still gotten the 2nd ledger line C to gurgle.

My personal theory is that it has to do with your air control and air focus. I have found with my own playing, and with my students, the gurgle can be overcome through intensive overtone exercises. Overtones should be practiced everyday regardless, but practice with a much higher degree of scrutiny of intonation, attacks, flexibility between partials, etc will greatly assist in defeating the gurgle.

If I have been working hard and practicing a lot ("a lot" for me being 5-6 hrs a day) and then I take a couple days off for some reason or another (even switching from alto to tenor for a couple days!), all of a sudden that gurgle manifests. There is some disconnect between the control of my throat and the oral cavity, and the air column.

I have had students, on the other hand, who have progressed to the point where the gurgle begins to manifest in their playing. I divert their attention from it, do not call their attention to it, and set the spurs to the overtones! If you are unfamiliar with overtone exercises it may be difficult without guidance, but give it a try.

BTW I'm talking overtones reaching well into the altissimo range--a simple 2 octave exercise won't do it.

Jeff Dening
Jeff's Woodwind Shop
Holland, NY