Are You In Pain From Playing Sax?
Are You In Pain From Playing Sax?

Are You In Pain From Playing Sax?

Is there a way to overcome the pain from playing sax?

Last night I was trying to catch up on some of the more interesting threads on SOTW, and I happened across this one, in which the OP asked a question that I hadn’t seen before: What’s the best exercises for holding a horn for 4 hours?

While vertical rowing and yoga were popular options offered up, the thread got me thinking about how playing soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone (I play bass in a stand) all hurt in different ways. Could doing an exercise routine of some sort really be the answer to the pain?

human skeleton x-ray, soprano saxophone up the ass, pain from playing sax

Not all saxophones are created equal

It is worth noting that the pain I feel is to some degree based on which brand or model of saxophone I’m playing. For example, the heavier the horn, the worse the pain in my neck is, which is why my Committee III baritone hurts my neck much more, and in a much shorter time, than my Mark VI bari. Makes sense, right? Or the less sophisticated the right thumb rest is, the more uncomfortable my right hand becomes while playing, and the more pain I have in my right thumb.

This is the order in which I most frequently play the four most common saxophone voices: baritone, tenor, alto, and finally soprano. Therefore based on this order, here is the pain I most commonly get from playing the saxophone voice in question.

Baritone

  • Pain in the neck if playing with a standard neck strap.
  • Pain in the back if playing with a standard neck strap.

Tenor

  • Pain in the thumb if playing anything other than my Mark VI.
  • Pain in my neck if playing my JK Toneking, Hohner President, or Martin Handcraft.
  • Pain in left pinkie if playing my Martin Handcraft.

Alto

  • Nada. Nothing. Even when I play it for hours for an evening performance nothing seems to bother me.

Soprano (straight)

  • The worst offender because of the way it is held with the bell towards the audience.
  • Pain in my neck, shoulders, and arms because of above.

Now I readily admit I have not tried vertical rowing, yoga, core strengthening or isometric neck exercises, but then I’m honestly not sure that’s what I need to be doing. There are however, some ways to make playing sax easier using equipment.

Here is what I’ve tried in order to overcome the pain from playing sax:

  • A harness for baritone saxophone.
    • I’ve been using this custom one for years, but recently bought the new Vandoren Universal Saxophone Harness. Yah, it’s crazy expensive, and no, it doesn’t work with all saxophones. (I find it doesn’t work on my Committee III baritone.) But other than on that one horn, this thing seems to works great. Time will tell how long this $160+ piece of gear—with its surprisingly high plastic content—will last. 
    • Update 2024: still using it. Works great on bass. I checked with Vandoren, and yes, it is rated for the weight of a bass sax. 😉 

  • A rubberized right thumb rest cover for the tenor saxophones that don’t have an adjustable one.
    • I found this did not work. The cover didn’t stay on, even when applied with rubber cement or whatever compound my tech used.
  • I had a strap ring attached to my Mark VI soprano, since it didn’t have one to begin with, but that didn’t really help. All this does is allow the horn to hang around my neck like a regular saxophone, but it doesn’t change the angle at which I have to hold it.

What have you tried?

So these are the things that I’ve tried in an effort to reduce the pain from playing sax. What about you? Do you experience pain playing saxophone for a longer period of time? What have you tried as a work-around? Leave a comment below and let’s exchange some possible solutions.

…this is just my blog. My “real” website is www.bassic-sax.info. If you’re looking for sax info, you should check it out too.There’s lots there!
 

8 Comments

  1. kev

    Hi Helen

    I feel for you. Same problem here. For alto and straight sop I’m a Cebulla convert. However it’s not enough for me for tenor or bari. I still get a lot of neck pain, even using the Cebulla bari special on both tenor and bari.

    Jazzlabs sax holder works really well, puts all the weight on my shoulders, off my neck. Perfect. Get the Mark two, though. No more pain for me!

  2. kev

    Hi Helen

    I feel for you. Same problem here. For alto and straight sop I’m a Cebulla convert. However it’s not enough for me for tenor or bari. I still get a lot of neck pain, even using the Cebulla bari special on both tenor and bari.

    Jazzlabs sax holder works really well, puts all the weight on my shoulders, off my neck. Perfect. Get the Mark two, though. No more pain for me!

  3. ted mcdowell

    19 Jun 14,

    A regular customer of mine at the Saxophone Shop in Skokie, IL came up with a unique idea for supporting a straight soprano while sitting. He gave me the details and a rough prototype and I took it to the next level fabricating another prototype in my home shop. If this sounds promising to you (and I realize this is of no use to players who stand to play the horn) contact me, and with the customer’s permission, I’ll forward his contact information.
    trm

    1. One thing that might work is the base from the cheapest wire music stand you can find. I had a “folding microphone stand” that was constructed the same way, but with a stud-type mount on the end to screw on a microphone clip instead of a head for holding music, and I ended up dedicating that to holding up the EWI — then I got the bright idea to bend the EWI itself, and play it on a neckstrap like it was a curvy soprano.

  4. Zen

    I’m not playing it myself, but most say that curved soprano is very comfortable.
    I guess that’s why you specifically wrote ‘straight’ in your list.

    I would definitely try a curved soprano first if I were looking for a soprano !

    1. Yes, my curvy is much more comfortable to play than my straight one. That said, I have a circa 1927 Pan American curvy with a fixed neck, so it’s likely not nearly as comfortable as perhaps some of the newer ones. I don’t know, I haven’t played a modern curved soprano. Yah, I know, sad but true. :shit:

      If I was to play my curvy for a longer period of time I would likely get a sore neck, and definitely a sore thumb from the big ring that is the right thumb rest. But honestly, I haven’t played my curvy for years. It is in need of an overhaul, and given the little I play soprano in general, and the fact that I have a nearly dead mint Mark VI with great intonation—when I have my soprano chops in shape 😉 —I figure I should use it, and spend my overhaul money for the horns that I do use all the time.

      If I were looking for a soprano for the first time, I agree with you. I’d be trying out all the curved ones I could first, before trying out straight ones. Not only are the more comfortable to play, they at least look like a saxophone. 😈

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