How important is a saxophone neckstrap?
“I’m getting headaches when I play for a while.”
“The back of my neck hurts all the time.”
“My upper back and shoulder blades hurt.”
These are some of the complaints that some saxophonists have said at some point in their playing careers.
These pains are not exclusive for beginners; some professionals I gig with have said the same things to me.
In fact, I didn’t realize my own headaches were coming from my own neckstrap until my colleagues spoke about their own situation.
Many beginning students slump in their chairs because they can’t adjust their neckstrap to bring the instrument higher. They end up ducking their chin to try to reach the mouthpiece, instead of bringing the mouthpiece to them. They also slump because it is less painful on the neck, especially if their strap has no padding.
I have always known about the importance of having a padded neckstrap; one that helps to take a lot of the weight of the instrument off the neck and right thumb. I have always used them and have recommended them for my students (and still do).
How to Avoid That Pain in the Neck…Some Tips for Saxophonists
CC BY by Steenbergs
So why doesn’t the padded neckstrap alleviate this problem?
The first thing to look at is posture.
Are you seated or standing up straight with your shoulders back and relaxed, or are you hunched over?
When your shoulders move forward, more stress is felt in the upper back and shoulder blades. More weight is felt on the back of the neck as a result.
Your shoulders may be back, but are they down and relaxed?
Shoulders that are up towards your ears also put undue stress on the neck and upper back, as well as affecting breathing.
Here’s a picture of good seated posture:
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The Saxophone Neckstrap is really important...
The next area to examine is the quality of your neckstrap.
Many times, when a student rents a saxophone, a stock neck strap is placed in the case. This strap is basically just a strap; there’s no padding at all. This I feel is not sufficient for beginning saxophonists.
In the past, I always recommend the Neotech 
But as of the past couple of years, there are many other great quality padded straps. Yamaha just came out with it's Air Cell strap that's under $20 as of this writing.
Rico also just came out with a nicely-padded strap too that's under $20 and has a solid hook.
There's also straps from Just Joe’s Gel Strap, BG, Oleg, Pro Tech, and others I am not even aware of.
You can check your local music store, use my affiliate links for Amazon, search the internet, or check out the Woodwind and Brasswind site:
Shop at Woodwind and Brasswind
Alternatives to the Neckstrap
For those of us playing the larger saxophones (tenor, bari), the quality of the strap is crucial. But here is where alternatives may need to be explored.
Some players, especially those on the Bari sax, use a harness instead of a neck strap.
The idea behind the harness is that the weight of the instrument is distributed evenly across the shoulders and back.
Some popular harnesses are made by Neotech and BG. These are great products, but one consideration is that these harnesses are not made to accommodate smaller people, people with narrow shoulders or beginning students.
A new harness system was produced by Van Doren, the famous reed manufacturer. The Vandoren V System Harness (now called the FNH 100 Harness) uses aerodynamic technology and ergo-dynamic design to distribute the weight in such a way that you barely feel the saxophone on you at all.
This is a big deal for Bari sax players, where the instrument can start to feel heavier when you are playing for long periods of time.
This is also great for tenor and bari sax players in marching bands.
For a smaller person, like me, I think this system works great. I use it on tenor sax and even alto if I am doubling on a gig.It fits perfectly and is very comfortable.
Another new type of harness is the Jazzlab Saxholder Harness for All Saxophones
It is designed to distribute the weight across the shoulders, and it fits smaller students and professionals. I have also used this, and it is very comfortable.
My only concern about this harness is that it if you lean forward too far (i.e. when picking up something you dropped), it will fall off your shoulders. This may be a good choice for more responsible students and adults only for that reason.
**Update -Jazzlab re-designed its SaxHolder and now the second version of the harness is more secure.
Check out this video I did comparing the neckstraps and harnesses:
Other Concerns
I had a student who was diagnosed as having epilepsy.
Any kind of pressure on the back of the neck could be an issue for her.
A good quality harness that fits well is very important in this situation.
**The JazzLab Saxholder fits smaller people really well, and can be disassembled in one move, which for this medical condition may be crucial if the student has a seizure.
Action Steps:
- If you teach students, it is important to be in tune with them (no pun intended!) and check to make sure that they have the proper neck strap.
- If you notice forward-protruding shoulders, the chin being ducked to reach the mouthpiece (instead of bringing the mouthpiece to the student) or slumping in the chair, check to see if the neck strap is padded and can adjust up or down.
- If it hurts to play the instrument, chances are the neck strap needs to be adjusted or changed.
- As a performer, be more aware of how you physically feel before and after you play. Feel the back of your neck and see if there are knots (very tight muscle lumps). Notice if you experiencing headaches after you perform for extended amounts of time. Notice if your shoulder blades hurt more after you perform.
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Through careful observation, we can prevent that “pain in the neck” when we play our great instrument, the saxophone!
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Nice article. You are so right about beginning students. They tend to move their heads toward the instrument instead of adjusting the strap so the horn is in a comfortable position. As a side note,
baritone players do this too. And those cheap neck straps that come with the rental horns should be outlawed. We keep a cabinet full of accessories at our school for students wanting to purchase a step up strap to replace the el cheapo that comes with the horn.
You should write an article about reeds to go with this one for sure.
I agree with you about outlawing those horrible straps that come in the beginner’s cases. I also can’t stand those horrible swabs that get stuck in the horn. Those should be outlawed too.
I did write a post about how not every reed in the box works, if you want to check that out. Did you have something else specific about reeds that you wanted me to address?
Thanks for your comment!
I am a piano/keyboard teacher and I tell them how to avoid back pains.Keeping your spine straight at the piano is important for correct hand posture and to enjoy playing the piano for a long time. Most pupils don’t realise how important the posture is when learning a musical instrument.
That’s exactly right! I developed back problems from years of not sitting or standing properly. We have to be vigilant about posture with our students from the very beginning. Thanks for your comment!
Well well well, This is a serious issue that no one talks about until it happpens to them. I am cureently trying to heal from neck pains and i can only hope to buy a good neck strap
So true…
I play bari, and did thru HS and college. You know how much time is spent in a practice room in college. I developed what is known as “military neck” and the natural curvature to my neck was gone. It was nearly perfectly straight as shown by my xrays. Had to undergo over a year of neck traction and physical therapy to get back to normal. I had used the neotech harness, but now swear by the SaxHolder. I can go back and forth between all my saxes with this thing and the weight is nicely distributed across my shoulders and back and with that front abdominal part of the SaxHolder it makes poor posture nearly impossible. I had a student that was in an auto accident and had neck surgery. His mom found the SaxHolder on amazon and they are all very happy that he can continue to play now.
Glad you found that harness – people do not realize how important this one piece of equipment can be and how it affects all areas of your playing. Thanks for sharing, John 🙂
where to get sax neck swabs that stay tight to wire and not come off in pieces.
where are they sold that is best price.
Look on my site for my review of Peak Music Stands and Anfree swabs