Hey Everyone,
I have a 4th grader that just started playing the Saxophone. And there are alot of LOUD squeaks when he plays. Hes getting quite upset about that. Any idea why he is sqeaking? Think hes blowing too hard? Think his Breathing is not correct? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, was wondering is They make Mutes For the Sax? I know they have them for the Trumpets but cant find anything for the Sax. The only time he can Practice is at 9pm. And I know that must be annoying to my neighbors. Someone told me to try shoving a small towel down there... But i rather get advice from people that Play the Sax or have knowledge of it.
Thank you all,
Mother of Three.. going insane..

Okie! I`m in 8th grade and i am in all my school bands. Okie the problem with the sqeeking might be beauce he is hitting one of the buttens on the side of it or it could be he`s blowing wrong, It could also be that the saxophone is really crappy. And for a mute what i do sometimes is the cloth thing. They do have mutes i think but they cost alot!

Ok Daniel, Thanks for replying... We have been trying to work on his breathing and will continue.
As for the Sax being cheap.. i sure as heck hope it`s Not.
I spent $1,500 on it.. i asked for the best one and brand new one they had there... Now i don`t know what the average price is for a Sax. So if anyone thinks thats too cheap for a Sax PLEASE let me know so i can sell that and look for another... Thanks

Ok, don`t take the advice of an 8th grader please....please don`t....bad idea. The problem is he`s new to the instrument, nothing is wrong with his breathing or his embochure unless he is putting his bottom teeth on the reed. make sure he is playing on nothing harder than a #2. What saxophone did you get him? It may be too good a saxophone for him to play on, if it`s proffessional. Though i doubt it because you only paid 1500 for it which for saxophones can barely get you an intermediate model on sale.

Thank you.

There are saxophone mutes but they are not very good, they only cost 15.00-25.00.

Hey that is a good saxophone. That person goes on every thing on this site and makes fun of everyone! just do the towel thing i think

Thank you all for replying again...
Someone asked what kind i bought him..
It`s a "Jupiter brand.. 889SG Artist Tenor Saxophone"..
Is that good for beginner? Remember he`s only in 4th grade.
Should i wait to upgrade it?
Thanks again
)

this problem is simple. I am in honors band so i have a solution. First of all tell him to play softly. And show him exactly where to put this mouth and not bite down to hard. He probably is blowing through the horn not "moving air". Also, dont buy a mute if you want him to finger and blow but not make sounds. Just tell him to "fog" it and that will usually do it. email me for anything else u need

ya thats a great sax!

well personally i dislike the brand jupiter and yes it is a little early to upgrade.i would wait until he is a freshmen in highskool b4 getting him a pro horn. there is no point in going through the intermediate level. check all his gear to solve the squeking problem. make sure his reed isn`t cracked he isn`t playing nething harder than a 2 hopefully he is on a rico(vandoren is is a good reed but a bit hard). make sure the tip of the reed is straight and not "warped" but honestly the most likely cuase of the squeeking comes from the fact that he is only in fourth grade and hasn`t had time to develop. and for the loudness isssue. i have a solution to solve both the squeeking and the volume. LONG TONES. he will complain. he will dis approve. he will say u dun know wat ur doing. but it helps. get a tuner, a chair, and alot of patience.soft long tones will improve his tone 10 full if he does it for 2 weeks everyday for about 10 to 15minutes.he needs to do it on every note on the horn that he can comfortably get. soft long tones. don`t let him blow himself out of he will quickkly feel the pain.

Jupiter is a really bad brand. However, it is probably not the saxaphone or the mouthpiece or the reed(unless the reed is cracked. Whatever you do, don`t buy brands for him that cost more than 20 dollars for ten. Also, make sure the reeds aren`t too thick or thin. I recomend a Rico symmetricut size #2). In fact, most beginners(especially on saxophone) sqeak quite a bit. That is perfectly normal. However, make sure his embrochure, or mouth position, is correct. Have him point his chin, tuck his lip over his bottom teeth and make sure his top teeth touch the mouthpiece. Also, have him sit up straight on the edge of his chair and with his feet flat on the ground. Make sure he does not use a breath "attack", but make sure he softly "toungs" by touching the tip of the reed with his toung in order to create a clean, soft tone. He should not do this too hard, though, it will create a nasty sqeak. Also, if he is a beginner, do not upgrade his saxophone too quickly. Have him earn the upgrade by practicing regularly and wait for when his saxophone can`t keep up with him.

I would strongly suggest subscribing for the Woodwind catalog. It is made by the Woodwind and Brasswind company and has a great selection of good instrument makers. If you would like to subscribe, go to
www.wwbw.com and check out their "Get a Free Catalog" link. Also, if you buy a new instrument for your son, avoid Amati, Jupiter, and Simba. Yamaha is the only asian company I would reccomend(no offense to Asians) because they really do make good saxophones. Never buy "no-name" brands, as they usually are bad investments.

hi, my opinion personally is to buy him a yamaha, they are the easiest and have the best sound.they will run you about the same as the jupiter as well.the towel thing really isnt gunna work all that well because a saxophone sound doesnt leave diectly from the bell(unlike trumpet) wich is the reason brass instuments have mutes. so my advice would be work with him to try to play piano more often, or pianissimo i know he is in 4th grade but it is not to early to learn a little advance technique

I checked out the prices for "Jupiter 889SG Artist" Tenor Saxophones. You actually saved quite a bit of money. Usually, they are about $2,200. Also, you may want to tell your son that he should open his mouth more and place more of his mouth on the mouthpiece on lower notes. If he cannot lip it down enough and he continues sqeaking you may want to start him on alto sax because those are somewhat easier to play.