text: Sax plays flat! | Sax on the Web Forum
  Sax plays flat!
  Why is my Martin Committee, although it plays in tune with itself, play 20-30 cents flat on every note? I'm using a Brilhart Tonalin, which should be a good match. I dialed in the mouthpiece as best as I could but now the whole thing plays flat (but in tune with itself.) Any suggestions?
  Push in, or firm up your lip, or try a 1/2 step firmer reed.
  agreed. But is your breathing apparatus fit enough to provide the extra air pressure that must accompany these measures?
  Also, get coolsax to play in a less cool room
  How about some more information? What does "dialed in my mouthpiece" mean? What note(s) do you tune to? How do you know the sax is "in tune with itself"?
  Are you warming up the sax before you check the tuning? How long is the cork itself on the gooseneck?
  What happens when you tune the sax to a concert Bb or A? What do the rest of the notes do?
  Discussion Starter • #7 • Aug 14, 2007 (Edited)
  oops, sorry. I've never played a Martin Committee before and am also getting used to alto from tenor... turns out the mouthpiece was way too far in. I got both my mouthpieces playing in tune with it (runyon custom and brilhart tonalin.) The tonalin is a bit too open so I'm using the runyon now. Plays great but just requires a little careful adjusment on the lowest and highest notes... the intonation seems very good but is generally flexible. but for the palm keys I must lip up a bit, and for the low notes below D I have to expand my mouth a little bit. I have to be a tad bit more attentive to the tuning while playing it, than I was used to. I just recorded myself tonight and posted a clip ('All of me') in the recordings subforum.
  Going from tenor to alto you are likely to be flat until you use lip and breath pressure more suitable for alto.