An analysis of lip pressure in alto saxophone playing

Common characteristics of long tone playing by classical performers

Abstract

In saxophone embouchure instruction, it is commonly held that the lower lip should act as a cushion for the reed. However, few studies have measured the amount of pressure exerted on the reed by the jaw. To identify common characteristics of lip pressure in highly-skilled saxophonists, their long tone lip pressure was measured with a piezoresistive pressure sensor which revealed that they maintained a constant amount of pressure in the core section of the tone, whereas in the attack, many players showed momentary increases in pressure to produce sound. Several players changed the intensity of the pressure as the pitch range and volume changed. However, the only trend found in the majority of players was a decrease in pressure in the lower notes. In all cases, the common feature was the maintenance of a constant pressure in the core, which demands control of jaw pressure in a stable manner. As more measurement data becomes available, there is potential that this research can be used more pedagogically, as in the construction of a machine learning system based on the playing methods of well-trained players.