Practising on the mouthpiece is not commonly taught. But since experimenting with it, it has become an essential part of both my own practise and of my teaching.

By practising on the mouthpiece you will improve your breath control, tuning, embouchure strength and sound generally. So you can see why it is included as one of my saxophone my Super Foods!

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Exercise 1

Before starting, please note that you should

• keep the mouthpiece at the same angle that it would be on the saxophone;
• form your embouchure in the same way that you normally do;
• avoid covering the end of the mouthpiece, as this will change how the air flows;
• hold the mouthpiece without your thumb on the reed, as this will change how the reed vibrates.

All of these points will allow you to get the best sound possible and to make the most of the exercise.

Play a long note on the mouthpiece. Hold it for as long as you can and focus upon getting the note as even as you can.

Remember that this is an ongoing practise exercise; you won't practise it once and have it sorted!

Getting your note even is difficult, to help you improve it try to

• keep your cheeks tight and
• focus upon keeping your air flow as consistent as possible.

Repeat this exercise lots of times...