A One-Note Exercise to Significantly Improve Your Sound

If I could pinpoint what separates the sound my heroes produced versus the sound that I produced when I was younger, it would be this. This one simple exercise on one note is an efficient way to isolate and improve your sound significantly.

Takeaways:

• Pushing the mouthpiece on so it’s just a tiny bit sharp, then using your throat to drop the pitch back in tune encourages a big, open sound.
• Say “HAAAAAAA” and not “EWWWW” while you play.
• Experiment with manipulating the pitch and sound just on this one note. Gaining greater control of your airstream improves multiple aspects of your playing.

See these lessons for more:

• Get a tight seal between your reed and mouthpiece
• Strengthen Your Tone with These 3 Mouthpiece and Neck Exercises
• My Embouchure is a Mess! Please Get Me Out of the Darkness