Neck and Back Pain
Depending on your saxophone and how long you play, you may have some neck pain. And if you play often with a larger instrument, this soreness can develop into real problems. With the soprano saxophone, players often do not use a strap and the alto sax tends to be small enough to not cause many problems.
But with larger horns, I have seen older players with serious issues. Hamiet Bliuett of the World Saxophone Quartet now uses a stand to hold up his baritone saxophone. Even the tenor sax can take a toll on your body.
There are many types of neck straps and harnesses and the designs make a difference. Some are basically just a string. In terms of physics, these straps create much more pressure on your neck since the weight is distributed over a very small area. The neotech straps are wider and made out of a material similar to a wet suit. Thus they distribute the weight a bit better and are more comfortable. I have one of them that I used to use.
As far as neck straps go, neotech is good, but I moved to an actual harness when I play. It doesn’t look quite as ‘cool’ but I play quite a bit and would rather not develop any problems.
My harness doesn’t have any padding and I bought it from the woodwind catalog years ago. I use it whenever I practice and sometimes when I perform.
