How to Tune a Saxophone

Tuning to Concert Notes

Set your tuner to “A.” If you have a designated rehearsal space, or don’t mind lugging an extra piece of equipment around, purchase a standalone digital tuner. Otherwise, download a tuning app to your smartphone. Once you are ready to test your sax, select concert note A to begin tuning. If your tuner or app doesn’t have any presets for specific notes, tune it to to a frequency of 440 hertz (Hz) for concert A. If possible, purchase or download a tuner specifically for saxophones. Most others are meant for the piano or guitar. Because those instruments are in a different key than saxophones, a standard tuner may read your sax’s notes incorrectly. For example, an A note played on an alto or baritone sax may read as a C on your tuner, while the same note played on a tenor or soprano may read as a G. Tuning apps for saxophones include Cleartune (iPad) and Easy Saxophone (Android).

Play the A note. Watch the needle on the tuner. Aim to make it stay exactly in the middle of the display for as long as you sustain the note. If the needle indicates that your note is either too flat or sharp by falling to the left or right, adjust your mouthpiece accordingly, roughly one millimeter at a time, and try again. Repeat as needed. If your note is too sharp, pull your mouthpiece out along the neck cork. If your note is too flat, push your mouthpiece farther in along the neck cork.

Play an F#. Once your A note is in tune, test your F# (F sharp). These two notes are the easiest to tune on the saxophone. Start off with this easy pair before moving on to ones that may need more coaxing. Use the same technique of adjusting your mouthpiece to correct sharpness and flatness. A tuner meant for piano or guitar may read your F# as an A if you are playing an alto or baritone, while an F# on a tenor or saxophone may read as an E. F# = 370 hertz (Hz).

Move on to other notes. Once you have a handle on A and F#, continue the process with other notes. Alter your embouchure (the way you apply your mouth to the mouthpiece) to play notes sharper or flatter. Add more pressure to make a note flatter. Loosen your mouth’s grip to make it sharper. It's important that if you do change your embouchure during tuning, you're in a comfortable position (embouchure wise), and are playing naturally. Run through the notes again once you have them all properly tuned. Having them all at a perfect 0 cents sharp/flat will take a bit of time, there will be notes that you'll constantly have to adjust your embouchure on, just to get that perfect 0. This will take time. Close your eyes and listen to each one as you play. Develop your ear so you’re less dependent on the tuner. Mouthpiece designs vary greatly, so even if you master your embouchure on one mouthpiece, those same techniques may not work on the next. Play with the way you set your lips, chin, and posture until you settle upon a combination that seems to work.

Play scales. Start with the lowest note in the scale. Work your way up to the highest and then work your way back down. Aim to alter your embouchure as little as possible while still coaxing out the correct notes. Keep an ear out for notes that consistently sound wrong no matter what you do, which may indicate a problem with your sax. If your saxophone isn’t giving you any trouble, repeat scales with your eyes closed to further develop your ear, since relying on your tuner while playing scales, long notes, and arrangements will work against you in the long run.

Troubleshooting Problematic Saxes

Use the right mouthpiece. Mouthpieces vary in design. Make sure your saxophone is compatible with the mouthpiece, since older saxes may not work well with more modern mouthpieces. Check the baffle, the size of the chamber, and the width of the tip, all of which may effect your sound. Baffles in particular make a tremendous difference in sound, so sample various kinds to find the right one for you. Straight baffles are known for their steady sound. They are ideal for older saxophones and sopranos. Roll-over baffles, which are popular with jazz players, add a bit of a bang with growl effects and a suggestion of brightness at the beginning of a note, while still maintaining a loud, steady sound throughout. Step baffles may be the easiest barrel to work with. Their ability to project sound makes them popular with R&B and rock performers, who have to pierce through a lot of other noise in order to be heard over their bandmates. Concave baffles lack projection and are hard to hear unless you’re right up close. Because of this, they're hardly ever used except to produce very specific effects.

Be consistent. Choose a type of reed to play with: hard or soft. If you are a beginner, consider using a soft reed (around 2-2.5). Although they tend to produce flat sounds at first, you will have an easier time manipulating the sound between sharp and flat than you would with a hard reed. Whichever one you choose, stick to it, since switching from one to the other will result in drastic changes in sound. Along the same lines, if you tend to use a lot of vibrato when you play, be sure to add vibrato when you tune your sax, as well.

Check the temperature. The colder the sax, the flatter the sound. If your sax has been stored in a cold area, move it somewhere warm so it can reach room temperature before you start tuning. If you don’t have time for it to warm up on its own, use your body heat and blow warm air through it. Be sure the whole sax is of an even temperature. The top of the sax may feel warm over time, thanks to the body heat from your hands and fingers, while the base remains cold. If the temperature between top and bottom is inconsistent, play long notes to circulate warm air throughout the whole instrument.

Check your sax’s age. If it refuses to play the correct notes no matter what adjustments you make to the mouthpiece or your embouchure, find out how old it is if you don’t already know. Low-pitch saxes are considered standard these days, but before that was established, manufacturers made high-pitch saxes as well. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to tune the latter precisely to other, more modern instruments. If you are unable to find out for yourself as to whether your older sax is high- or low-pitch, bring it into a music store. A repairman should be able to tell the difference, as well as repair the sax if it turns out to be a standard low-pitch model that simply isn’t working right.

Adapt to your sax. Saxophones are known to be very temperamental in terms of tuning, since the slightest imperfection or deviation in design can alter its sound. Relax. Strive less for perfection and more for proficiency with each individual sax. If one or more notes sound incredibly off, take it in for repairs to make sure everything’s where it should be. Otherwise, alter your technique to produce the right notes (or close enough) rather than stubbornly demand your sax to work the way you want it to. Rest assured that you’re in good company even if you can’t quite coax perfect notes from your sax. Several jazz legends famously had the same trouble.