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Sax on the Web Forum Archive / Altissimo & Multiphonics / G5 Club II

Next 20 Messages

Screech
User ID: 9753653 Jan 9th 9:49 AM
Continuation of previous. I lost nerve about naming it "little G5 sax boy p**s on lead trumpeter"

Screech
User ID: 9753653 Jan 9th 9:59 AM
Cash - a note about spliting octaves. Yes, that's pretty much what I have been doing. I am pretty new at this, just figured it out over the last few months. Just recently, in the last few weeks or so I have found that the octaves can be further split by being increasing embouchure and air pressures VERY slightly. Instead of say, note, fifth, next octave I get, and I am guessing here... 4th, 5th, and 6th in the middle. I'll whip out the tuner and try to get better info.

Cashsax
User ID: 9014973 Jan 9th 1:13 PM
Hiya Screech, Yes..that's the idea. Use your ears and all will be revealed. But remember as the B'man says, use it judiciously..Btw IMO true genius w/altissimo comes with fluency up there. Who's the Best? Probably Sanborn and Lenny..G6 concert seems to be about the highest audible tone on Tenor.

Rordog
User ID: 8666863 Jan 15th 2:20 AM
So, for those of us who are stuck at about a G4, and that not always, what are some tips? Things seem to change a bit after F4, I can hit that with about 95% consistency, but G4 just seems to be a little tougher for me. I can do that probably 80% of the time. Also, what is octave splitting?

Screech
User ID: 9753653 Jan 15th 9:28 AM
There is a tremendous difference in difficulty going from F4 to G4. I just kept at it for months until I got it. The big thing I learned was to loosen up and relax and not to choke the reed.

Beyond C5 or so its pretty much impossible to get any chromatic notes or bends anymore. The tones "break" in intervals going from one octave to the next. A typical series would be C5-G5-C6-G6-C7. Lenny is, of course, good at it.

Cashsax
User ID: 9014973 Jan 15th 12:03 PM
Beyond a certain point, fingering is not the issue as tone(s) will "split" naturally going higher and higher 'til they reach the range of human hearing. It takes embouchure control and good ears to master it. I'm fascinated by the chops some guys have being able to pull off such great licks fluently in the lower altis. range.

Screech
User ID: 9753653 Jan 18th 7:52 AM
Hey Cash, every so often I get a funny feeling in my mouth when going up through the octave-splitting. I get the sensation of "bubbles" in my mouth. When I get that feeling the sound is great and the pitch goes way, way up. It feels glorious! I don't know what causes it, or how to control it. Guess this is what I'll work on next. The wife and neighbors should really love this....!

About bends in the lower range - Its easier to bend down than up. I think the trick going up is to start with a note that is already bent way downwards and then bring it up.

Isaac Armstrong
User ID: 3382534 Jan 18th 5:44 PM
I find it easy to bend C4 up to D4 on Alto. Currently, D4 is the highest most consistent Altissimo note I can hit Alto. B4 is the highest I can hit on Tenor. And A3 is the highest I can hit on Soprano. I haven't played Bari in a while, so my Altissimo consistency on it is lacking.

Cashsax
User ID: 9014973 Jan 18th 8:01 PM
I noticed those bubbles too, but I think it was the Champagne..

Rordog
User ID: 8666863 Jan 18th 8:02 PM
B4? Crazy. That's one of my harder notes. that and BB4. A3 is good, C4 is also good, but those two in the middle there I don't like very much.

Screech
User ID: 0624334 Jan 21st 5:51 AM
Cash: LOL that was funny. Can't be liquor in my case, I've never seen bubbly scotch.
Rordog: The B4 and Bb4 is tough for me because they arenot well in tune. Just last night I decided to give up on Rascher's fingerings and tried to make up some alternations to them.

I asked my next door neighbor lady if she ever heard me practicing. After a five second delay she said, mealy-mouthed,,, "yes." Now. What does that mean???

Cashsax
User ID: 9014973 Jan 21st 4:53 PM
Keep Playing (louder)

Screech
User ID: 9753653 Jan 21st 5:03 PM
Shhhshhshhsssss.............

Isaac Armstrong
User ID: 9558813 Jan 21st 5:19 PM
LOL. I drove my Mom nuts when I first started practicing Altissimo (in 1995). Now it doesn't sound half bad unless I'm trying to even higher and practicing bends! Now that'll peel paint off the walls and scare away the critters!

Hazedog
User ID: 1752694 Jan 25th 7:58 PM
I went over to the house of this sax player I know a couple days ago. Sort of like my local mentor, guy can play great. He's played with BB King and once auditioned for Tower of Power. For some reason he never plays above D4, but he has great tone. Sounds like Lenny if he didn't play near as high. He is really good at getting a growling sound to his altissimo, and we were listening to Pickett and Sanborn and I heard them doing this a lot. So do you get the gritty sound with altissimo the same way you do in the standard range (vocalizing while you blow)? I found that doing this disrupts the airstream.

He also plays keyboard and makes his own solo practice tapes. He offered to make me a tape of some chord progressions that I could solo over, but I wanted him to do some sax playing on it so I could try to emulate. He said "Why, so you can steal my licks?" He wouldn't make the tape after that. I guess I could consider it a compliment that he thought I might be good enough to steal his licks in the first place. Maybe next time.

Screech
User ID: 0624334 Jan 26th 6:31 AM
Hazedog I think the answer is yes. The tricks that work for growling work in the altissimo, e.g. hollering in to the horn and simultaneous tone production. It gets me coughing...

No tape, huh. Do we have here another temperamental musician? Imagine that ;)

Screech
User ID: 9753653 Jan 31st 12:12 PM
Hey Cash I finally hit the big A last night. Wow!

Cashsax
User ID: 9014973 Feb 1st 4:20 AM
Hey Screech.. That's Great! We knew you could do it.. Now don't hurt anybody with it, and let us know when your dog comes home..Cash

Screech
User ID: 9753653 Feb 1st 8:40 AM
OK Cash!

Screech
User ID: 0624334 Feb 7th 5:25 PM
Wow thanks Cash! Now I'm experimenting with a looser embouchure and playing air & jaw games to get more volume and more even portamentos. Commente'? BTW went to a harder reed, great for high stuff but I can't play the horn in the normal range...#@#@#! Maybe I need a bigger tip opening... dunno.

Next 20 Messages

Screech User ID: 9753653	Jan 9th 9:49 AM Continuation of previous. I lost nerve about naming it "little G5 sax boy ps on lead trumpeter"**
Screech User ID: 9753653	Jan 9th 9:59 AM Cash - a note about spliting octaves. Yes, that's pretty much what I have been doing. I am pretty new at this, just figured it out over the last few months. Just recently, in the last few weeks or so I have found that the octaves can be further split by being increasing embouchure and air pressures VERY slightly. Instead of say, note, fifth, next octave I get, and I am guessing here... 4th, 5th, and 6th in the middle. I'll whip out the tuner and try to get better info.
Cashsax User ID: 9014973	Jan 9th 1:13 PM Hiya Screech, Yes..that's the idea. Use your ears and all will be revealed. But remember as the B'man says, use it judiciously..Btw IMO true genius w/altissimo comes with fluency up there. Who's the Best? Probably Sanborn and Lenny..G6 concert seems to be about the highest audible tone on Tenor.
Rordog User ID: 8666863	Jan 15th 2:20 AM So, for those of us who are stuck at about a G4, and that not always, what are some tips? Things seem to change a bit after F4, I can hit that with about 95% consistency, but G4 just seems to be a little tougher for me. I can do that probably 80% of the time. Also, what is octave splitting?
Screech User ID: 9753653	Jan 15th 9:28 AM There is a tremendous difference in difficulty going from F4 to G4. I just kept at it for months until I got it. The big thing I learned was to loosen up and relax and not to choke the reed. Beyond C5 or so its pretty much impossible to get any chromatic notes or bends anymore. The tones "break" in intervals going from one octave to the next. A typical series would be C5-G5-C6-G6-C7. Lenny is, of course, good at it.
Cashsax User ID: 9014973	Jan 15th 12:03 PM Beyond a certain point, fingering is not the issue as tone(s) will "split" naturally going higher and higher 'til they reach the range of human hearing. It takes embouchure control and good ears to master it. I'm fascinated by the chops some guys have being able to pull off such great licks fluently in the lower altis. range.
Screech User ID: 9753653	Jan 18th 7:52 AM Hey Cash, every so often I get a funny feeling in my mouth when going up through the octave-splitting. I get the sensation of "bubbles" in my mouth. When I get that feeling the sound is great and the pitch goes way, way up. It feels glorious! I don't know what causes it, or how to control it. Guess this is what I'll work on next. The wife and neighbors should really love this....! About bends in the lower range - Its easier to bend down than up. I think the trick going up is to start with a note that is already bent way downwards and then bring it up.
Isaac Armstrong User ID: 3382534	Jan 18th 5:44 PM I find it easy to bend C4 up to D4 on Alto. Currently, D4 is the highest most consistent Altissimo note I can hit Alto. B4 is the highest I can hit on Tenor. And A3 is the highest I can hit on Soprano. I haven't played Bari in a while, so my Altissimo consistency on it is lacking.
Cashsax User ID: 9014973	Jan 18th 8:01 PM I noticed those bubbles too, but I think it was the Champagne..
Rordog User ID: 8666863	Jan 18th 8:02 PM B4? Crazy. That's one of my harder notes. that and BB4. A3 is good, C4 is also good, but those two in the middle there I don't like very much.
Screech User ID: 0624334	Jan 21st 5:51 AM Cash: LOL that was funny. Can't be liquor in my case, I've never seen bubbly scotch. Rordog: The B4 and Bb4 is tough for me because they arenot well in tune. Just last night I decided to give up on Rascher's fingerings and tried to make up some alternations to them. I asked my next door neighbor lady if she ever heard me practicing. After a five second delay she said, mealy-mouthed,,, "yes." Now. What does that mean???
Cashsax User ID: 9014973	Jan 21st 4:53 PM Keep Playing (louder)
Screech User ID: 9753653	Jan 21st 5:03 PM Shhhshhshhsssss.............
Isaac Armstrong User ID: 9558813	Jan 21st 5:19 PM LOL. I drove my Mom nuts when I first started practicing Altissimo (in 1995). Now it doesn't sound half bad unless I'm trying to even higher and practicing bends! Now that'll peel paint off the walls and scare away the critters!
Hazedog User ID: 1752694	Jan 25th 7:58 PM I went over to the house of this sax player I know a couple days ago. Sort of like my local mentor, guy can play great. He's played with BB King and once auditioned for Tower of Power. For some reason he never plays above D4, but he has great tone. Sounds like Lenny if he didn't play near as high. He is really good at getting a growling sound to his altissimo, and we were listening to Pickett and Sanborn and I heard them doing this a lot. So do you get the gritty sound with altissimo the same way you do in the standard range (vocalizing while you blow)? I found that doing this disrupts the airstream. He also plays keyboard and makes his own solo practice tapes. He offered to make me a tape of some chord progressions that I could solo over, but I wanted him to do some sax playing on it so I could try to emulate. He said "Why, so you can steal my licks?" He wouldn't make the tape after that. I guess I could consider it a compliment that he thought I might be good enough to steal his licks in the first place. Maybe next time.
Screech User ID: 0624334	Jan 26th 6:31 AM Hazedog I think the answer is yes. The tricks that work for growling work in the altissimo, e.g. hollering in to the horn and simultaneous tone production. It gets me coughing... No tape, huh. Do we have here another temperamental musician? Imagine that ;)
Screech User ID: 9753653	Jan 31st 12:12 PM Hey Cash I finally hit the big A last night. Wow!
Cashsax User ID: 9014973	Feb 1st 4:20 AM Hey Screech.. That's Great! We knew you could do it.. Now don't hurt anybody with it, and let us know when your dog comes home..Cash
Screech User ID: 9753653	Feb 1st 8:40 AM OK Cash!
Screech User ID: 0624334	Feb 7th 5:25 PM Wow thanks Cash! Now I'm experimenting with a looser embouchure and playing air & jaw games to get more volume and more even portamentos. Commente'? BTW went to a harder reed, great for high stuff but I can't play the horn in the normal range...#@#@#! Maybe I need a bigger tip opening... dunno.