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Tuning Saxophones
Hello! Most Saxophone educators will tell you that, under normal circumstances, the instrument will respond best when the mouthpiece is appx. 3/4 of the way onto the neck cork. If the student plays "in tune" with the mouthpiece further out, it may be the result of a pinched embouchure and the end result will be the development of a small, this sound. Conversely, if the student requires the mouthpiece to be "shoved" further onto the cork in order to play in tune, it's likely that s/he needs much more musculature in the embouchure and/or faster air (always recommended anyway!).
For beginners or other very young students, it's probably wise to put a pencil mark on the "target" spot so the student will assemble the same way every time. That won't hurt the cork, and will serve to help organize the young student, who has lots of other fish to fry in learning to play.
Eventually, when the student needs to learn to TUNE, remember to use the mouthpiece for the tuning, and *not* the neck where it inserts into the Sax's body. Check with an electronic chromatic guitar tuner.
