Correct Muscles support lower Lip SUPPORT OF ALIGNMENT OF THE JAWS ‘The average facial atructure has a slight over bite, while the desired embouchure position requires the lips to be in alignment. This necessitates a slight adjustment in the jaw alignment. A simple check can be made by bringing the front teeth together and noting the change, if any. Another easy method to bring the lower jaw forward into proper position 1s to blow a small stream of air at the tip of the nose. This jaw position must, of course, be transferred to the mouth- piece when playing. MOUTHPIECE PLACEMENT ‘The exact amount of mouthpiece insertion de- pends on the mouthpiece facing, the strength of the reed, the contour and size of the mouthpiece, and any physical peculiarities in the facial structure. The bas~ fe embouehure remains the same for all saxophones Incorrect Teeth bite into lower lip THE LOWER LIP with adjustments depending on the size of the mouth- piece. Trial and error will soon make the correct ‘compensation if the muscles have been developed properly. ‘An important agpect of mouthpiece placement is the problem of centering. If the mouthpiece is not in the center of the embouchure circle, it is difficult to obtain an equal tension on both sides of the reed. While tooth structure may encourage the student to play elightly “off-center,’” concentration can do a lot to correct this. Worse than this fault is the habit of playing with the mouthpiece at an angle, which results in a different amount of playing surface on the two sides of the reed, ‘This can be corrected very simply by adjusting the body position, the saxophone neck, or the angle of the mouthpiece on the neck. ‘The fee! of the centered embouchure can be studied with the mouth- piece and neck only, lining up the position for obser- vation in front of a mirror, so that the balance is 43