Re: Saxophone High Tones Book Pdf
Alen Quiroz
Hello! I am a tenor sax player and I play for my middle school Jazz band (8th grader here). My high notes squeak pretty often. Any way i can fix that? the music I play in Jazz has lots of high notes and I don't wanna embarrass myself at my concert in December. Anything helps. Thanks!
The middle range on the sax is relatively easy to play compared to the bottom few notes and the upper register. While the very low end can be fixed by simply applying much more air support, getting the highest notes to play strong and in tune can be a bit more complicated than that.
Thanks for tip on higher notes,I can get A-B OK its C-F I need to work on. Stayed away from music with these notes. Hand work is so hard to do with palm keys,Great help between you and Jay Metcalf Tom.
I wanted to include, or at least make you aware of the video/book set titled Joe Allard: The Master Speaks. I believe it has been retitled Master Teacher: DVD's for Music Education presents NBC Artist Joe Allard, Clarinet & Sax Principles - Techniques That Work. (Jeez!!) Beware in purchasing this however. While Joe Allard was (and vicariously still is) the absolute source for production of tone on saxophone, this set was made when Joe was in his last bouts with Alzheimer's. Joe's concepts are incredible, but some don't really come across in the video. I suggest pairing it with the other books mentioned here. (Also, sax gossip: I'm told that the 'former student' that filmed the video took with Joe for a short period of time, quit because of personal difficulties with Joe, had some fairly 'not nice' things to say about him for a while after that, and then went back when Joe was fairly ill - some might say taking advantage - to film this video.)
While I'm sure each of these books has it's own individual approach to the matter, be aware that every horn and person's body type/embouchure/set up is different and so the fingerings they present are not set in stone and change between different saxophones (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bari, etc.). I have a range up to what I call "altissimo double D" which would be in the saxophone's 5th octave basically by taking their suggestions and then making up the last few fingerings. You can, like most things, do a fairly quick Google search and find any number of altissimo fingerings. The best thing I did for my altissimo range was to not just do scales and patterns in the altissimo range ONLY. I took melodies, or bits of melodies (Star Eyes, Softly, Stella, etc.), children's songs (Frere Jacques, Mary Had a Little Lamb, etc.) and started them low enough so that only the top note was in the altissimo range and then kept working it up chromatically from key to key. One of the other things I did was take my Ferling 48 Etudes and read down most of the etudes in the altissimo register trying to maintain as much of the written material as I could (dynamics, articulations, tempo, etc.).
There are tons of online resources on this subject. Many people have entire sites dedicated to this subject, so if you simply google "multiphonics saxophone" you'll get a good starting point with fingerings. Much like altissimo, these fingerings are very subjective. Even though you're getting a concrete fingering, it may not work or not work as well on your horn. When I first went looking for multiphonic info, I actually found some great fingerings out of a book of Michael Brecker transcriptions by Hal Leonard titled "The Michael Brecker Collection".
The ability to control and alter the tongue position comes in handy when quick adjustments are needed for intonation on the fly, but it is also necessary when playing glissandos, pitch bends, and scoops on clarinet and saxophone. For more detailed instructions on how to play altissimo or a smooth glissando on clarinet, visit my website, www.shawngoodmanjazz.com/clarinet.
Hello everyone!
I have now played the sax for 5 mouths and I love it!
i have played trumpet since I was 6 but i feel like I'm d with it so I now changed to saxophone.
i started on alt but I have always love the tenor so I started play that.
buuut I have i problem when I take the high notes with the octave key it sound thin and like
there is a mute or something. It's very irritating because sound is very important to me.
the low notes sound good but the high sounds thin and like very watery if u know what I mean like the mout piece is filled with water.
i have a cheap tenor jupiter and a Yamaha 4c mout piece I think.
what do you guys think? im not biting and I try to like not roll my lip over my teeth.
my friends just says that it come by the years but I want to do something now! Please help :(
1. It would be good to know if your tone problems are with the lower octave key notes D,E,F and G, or if the problem is really the high octave key notes, A,B,C, etc. I ask this because there are two octave keys on your horn, and if your tone problem is only with the lower or upper notes, that would be good to know.
2. Although you say you are not biting, it is very normal for relatively new players to bite down in the upper octave without realizing this. To test this out, relax your embouchure and open you throat before you blow, and see if the octave notes improve in tone.
3. What is your reed strength? A reed that is too soft will yield good tone on low notes, but thin tones on high notes. If your Yamaha tenor mouthpiece is a 4C, then the tip opening is about 0.067", and in general, the smaller the tip opening for a particular brand of mouthpiece, the harder the reed needs to be. If you are playing a 2.5 strength reed, you might see what a 3.0 will do (but you may lose some of the resonance in your lower notes).
4. One thing to do is to have one of your friends play with your mouthpiece (clean it first) and your reed strength, and see if they also experience the issue. If so, there could be an issue with the horn.
There are a lot of experiments that you can go through to determine if the issue is you, your horn, your mouthpiece or your reed selection. But please take your time and work through the possibilities methodically. If you rush this you can come to the wrong conclusion, and that can make your problems even worse. Don't worry too much, 5 months is not a very long time on any musical instrument.
Eugene Rousseau's Saxophone High Tones is the most systematic and comprehensive method for approaching range extension (altissimo) on the saxophone. Including background on proper embouchure, the harmonic series, and some of the acoustic science behind saxophone overtone production, this book features specific fingering charts for addressing altissimo on soprano, alto, tenor, and baritione saxophones. Beginning with closed tube exercises to set a foundation, this method progesses in sequence to vent key exercises, overblowing 6ths, modes of overtones, bridging of registers, and results in combining these modes to create scale patterns in the altissimo register. High tone exercises are included for chromatic patterns, one octave and extended range major scales, major arpeggios, one octave and extended range minor scales (harmonic & melodic), minor arpeggios, whole-tone scales, augmented arpeggios, diminished (octatonic) scales, diminished arpeggios, patterns in thirds, and pentatonic scales. The method concludes with exercises for developing articulation skills in the altissimo register. This book is a must for all advanced saxophonists!
When playing saxophone, it's important that you use your air properly so your notes sound good. The way to make your high notes sound good as every other note on your horn is to play them in the same way. So just like playing the easier lower notes, you want to be moving your air forward - and make sure your reed is vibrating.
These are my altissimo fingerings that I use. They work on my Yanagisawa saxophones. They also work on my Selmer Mark VI If you are using a different fingering or you find a different fingering that you prefer by all means use that one.
Hey Jay, awesome tips! I am able to play all the altissimo notes from high f# to c. The problem is that I find it difficult to get the notes in my head on the regular playing or live. Do you have any other exercises to improve my playing so I can incorporate these notes on a regular basis like they were regular notes? Thank you!!
The goal for the Vandoren Artist-Clinicians program is to enhance the quality of the music experience through education and the assistance of Vandoren. These highly trained professional educators and performers will engage your students through educational and fun sessions. The clinics they conduct cover a broad spectrum of topics and, based on your input, can be customized to fit the needs of your students. View all Vandoren Artist-Clinicians.
Thorpe holds a D.M.A in saxophone performance and literature form the University of Illinois, an M.M. in saxophone performance from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a B.M. in saxophone performance from Georgia State University where he was the recipient of the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award. His teachers include Debra Richtmeyer, Jan Berry Baker, and Nathan Nabb with additional study under Frederick L. Hemke.
Note: Newer players will find working up the palm keys to side High F is the best strategy for a consistent full tone. If you are finding it hard to get a nice clear sound, first spend some time in each practice session playing longer notes at a medium volume, starting from high C.
Building a full, rich tone on high F can transform your tone over your entire saxophone range and unlock advanced skills like the altissimo! However, be careful not to fall into the trap most sax players do of biting, using too much mouthpiece, or excessive embouchure pressure.
With consistent practice though, you can develop a beautiful tone on this highest note of the standard saxophone range, using either the easier side fingering or the more advanced forked finger pattern.
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