Hi! I`ve just joined a new jazz band where they all sit down to play and I`m not really sure how to hold the saxophone when I`m sitting down. I play alto, and I put it straight in front of me, but it really hurts my back after a while. Should I be holding it differently? Should my back hurt after like half an hour of playing?

when you play alto or ne sax sitting down you need to put it to your right side (right side of right knee) thats y you have a neck strap...and then you position the neck and mouthpiece so your head is straight...no you back shouldnt hurt after a 1/2 hour of playing...

A lot of Alto player`s hold it in front of them as while standing and playing. You can hold it to side but unless you are real small an Alto does not quite make it to the side position comfortably. Look into getting a shoulder harness strap for your horn. they spread the load of the horn and tension of upper body from shoulder to shoulder and not centered on the neck strap. They are great after you get used to tem.

What shoulder harness strap would you recommend?

Go to http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ and look at the Goodspeed sax harness. They make a model cut specific for male or female. They usually run around $25 dollars

if you are 5 foot 7 or taller you should play with your horn in front of you, it makes better tone. If you are shorter than that continue to play to the side, it will cause back problems and you tend to bang your sax on the chair and break it.

No matter what your size, the horn MUST sit in front of you.

That is a bunch of crap you idiot. Why when you go to concerts do you see people with there saxes to the side, huh! And why when you buy a beggining band book and it explains how to hold the horn it says hold it to the side, huh! You are full of crap, stick to what I said and you will be well off, nyroxia, or whatever the hell your name is, is a screwball!!!!!!!!! Learn more about the sax before you try to teach others!!!!!!!!!!!!

play from where it sounds the best. its all about sound and finger motion. the real problem then is with the back. Excercise your back. consult the internet or a therapist for some easy excercises(it wont be too expensive) and check it out. ALso at breaks, stick the sax onto a sax stand. Learn all the tricks you can from excercise, proper posture and keeping the thing off your neck for short times and you will be able to concentrate more on playing and hearing yourself play.

Looks like I`ve started a bit of an argument here......but thanks normal happy person. My back hurts less when I have the saxophone to the side but my playing suffers. I`m going to go and experiment with different positions now, but if anyone has any more advice, I`d appreciate it.

Hey...
I`ve been playing for 6 years now, and saxophone position is very important. You can hold it on the side, or in the middle, but from my expirience, the middle sounds better and brighter. It`s not that big of a difference in sound, but it helps anyway. Your back shouldnt hurt after only 30 minutes of playing....Make sure your neckstrap is ajusted right. Don`t make the necstrap too short. Make sure the sax is supported, AND in a comfortable position.
Hope this advice helps ya,
-Sasha

I used to play to the side, and this encouraged me to cross my legs and collapsed my diaphragm, now i sit with a straight back and my sax in the middle. I think it`s personall preferance, because if i`m very tired i`ll put my alto to the side.

Of course tenor always goes to the side, it`s sooo big lol

with tenor and alto saxs playing in front of them for a concert band is essential. it promotes good posture and a good and steady air stream. when you r in jazz band its a bit different. when i play my tenor in jazz i play it to the side cuz it lets me feel more relaxed and with it comes a relaxed fat jazzy tone. with alto on the other hand i would recommend [playing to the front still. its so small and it projets sound alot better that way. if u r the lead alto then u must put it up front. btw the harnesses are not made for alto and tenor players. plz people if u have any selfrespect do not where those harnesses in band. the only reason to use the harness is if ur in marching band and play the BARITONE sax. ne other sax wearing those looks like a freakin nerd. i know i had left my neckstrap once and i had to use one. it feels like a bra.

I know what your going through. I use to put my saxophone to my right side but my band director didn`t like that. Everyone else puts it between their legs in front of them but I can`t do it. So I rest it on my right knee. That has been the most comfortable position for me. Hope it helps you out.

Interesting thread.
I myself have been playing since 1974 .... so i`ve been at it a little bit.

I`m short, so I play on the side - alto/tenor. If i played up front then my leg would interfere with my right hand. When I stand I play more upfront.

When I sit, my right leg is usually over the edge of the seat, thus the horn never hits the chair, just my leg.

The key is mouthpiece position in the mouth, as long as that is correct everything else should be fine.