Dynamics, Crescendo, and Decrescendo on the Saxophone

SUMMARY

Key takeaways

When playing saxophone at piano, it is important to prepare a full breath and play with the image of blowing air in slowly
When playing forte, avoid increasing air speed too much and use abdominal support to prevent the tone from becoming rough
For crescendo and decrescendo, the key is controlling air speed by gradually increasing or decreasing it
Having a concrete mental image (such as waves rolling in or expanding from a narrow space) makes expression easier

In saxophone performance, dynamic expression is an essential element for enhancing musical expressiveness. To beautifully express changes in volume — from piano to forte, as well as crescendo and decrescendo — it is important to understand not just how to change the amount of air, but also how to control air speed. When playing piano, the air stream often becomes too thin and the sound drops out; when playing forte, the tone tends to become rough. These problems are frequently caused by improper use of air. On the saxophone, specific techniques are required to solve these issues, including abdominal support, maintaining space inside the mouth, and controlling air speed. Here, we will explain the specific steps for beautifully expressing dynamics on the saxophone.

Key Points for Dynamic Expression on the Saxophone

The key to dynamic expression on the saxophone is breath preparation and control. When playing piano, it is important to first prepare a full breath and play with the image of blowing air in slowly. Breaths tend to become shallow, but if you blow a small amount of air in a thin stream, the air itself becomes thin, resulting in a piano sound where the line is too visible. When playing forte, the opposite tends to happen — you may blow air with too much speed. This causes the tone to become rough, so the key is to use firm abdominal support and avoid increasing air speed too much. Additionally, solid abdominal support and a sufficiently resonant space inside the mouth are crucial. If the space inside the mouth becomes too narrow, the tone quality deteriorates.

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Steps for Refining Your Tone

① Preparing for Piano and How to Direct Your Air: Prepare a full breath first, then play with the image of blowing air in slowly. When playing piano, breaths tend to become shallow, but if you blow a small amount of air in a thin stream, the air itself becomes thin, resulting in a piano sound where the line is too visible. Even when playing piano, it is important to first take a full breath and blow well-supported air slowly from that abundant supply.
② Abdominal Support and Space Inside the Mouth: To play piano beautifully, ensure solid abdominal support and a sufficiently resonant space inside the mouth. If the space inside the mouth becomes too narrow, the tone quality deteriorates. In saxophone performance, having firm abdominal support makes it easier to control your air, enabling you to produce a beautiful tone.
③ Controlling Air Speed for Forte: When playing forte, avoid increasing air speed too much and use abdominal support to prevent the tone from becoming rough. If air speed becomes too fast, the muscles supporting the embouchure also become harder to maintain, causing the tone to become rough. By listening carefully to your own sound and balancing your air speed, you will be able to play a satisfying forte.
④ Air Control for Crescendo and Decrescendo: For crescendo and decrescendo, controlling air speed by gradually increasing or decreasing it is essential. For a crescendo moving from piano to forte, gradually increase your air speed. Conversely, for a decrescendo, taper down from forte to piano.
⑤ Having a Concrete Mental Image: When performing crescendo or decrescendo, having a concrete mental image makes it easier. For example, during a crescendo, imagine waves rolling toward you or a sound expanding from a narrow space into a wide one. For decrescendo, the images are reversed — waves receding or gradually diminishing. Having an image that matches the character of each piece is also important.
⑥ Training with Long Tones: Practice crescendo and decrescendo using long tones. By practicing while controlling air speed and air volume, you will be able to execute effective crescendos and decrescendos within actual pieces. It is important to practice crescendo — moving from piano to forte — and decrescendo — tapering from forte to piano — while listening carefully to your own sound.

Understanding the differences between piano and forte, as well as specific techniques for crescendo and decrescendo in saxophone playing, leads to more expressive performances. When playing piano, prepare a full breath and play with the image of blowing air in slowly; when playing forte, avoid increasing air speed too much and use abdominal support to prevent the tone from becoming rough. For crescendo and decrescendo, the key is controlling air speed by gradually increasing or decreasing it, and having a concrete mental image makes expression easier. By developing the technique to control air speed and volume through long tone training, beautiful dynamic expression on the saxophone becomes possible. Putting these steps into practice will greatly enhance your musical expressiveness.