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Sax on the Web Forum Archive / Altissimo & Multiphonics / um...question

jeff
User ID: 1062774 Apr 8th 9:10 PM
ok...ive read up on multi-phonics and i know that its playing more than one note at a time at any given moment. now for the question...*how the hell do i DO that?* and can anyone direct me to a site on the internet where i can find good info on how, like: embocure, fingerings?
thanks
~jeff

Kevin Apr 8th 10:33 PM
Mulitphonics by Ken Dorn has literally thousands of fingerings for mulitiphonics.....and a brief explaination of how to do them......It is similar to learning your overtones in that you have to experiment with your embouchure. I have found that by opening up a little while keeping a firm chin helps.......try to create more "backpressure"..........probably the easiest multiphonic to get out is by fingering a low C while raising your right hand F finger. you probably won't have to do any adjusting with you embouchure to get this one out.

RED
User ID: 3633134 Apr 12th 4:05 PM
also try fingering low Bb and then raise your 2 middle fingers. This is alt. Bb. enjoy.

crawford
User ID: 9656233 Apr 12th 8:47 PM
hmmmm...I've just been creating them off the regular ol' Bb fingering plus octave key. Course I don't really mess around with it much. John Gross has a book out called multiphonics for saxophone which I think you can get through Abersold. I haven't seen the book, but I have heard him play. He knows what he's doing.

Randy M.
User ID: 0296604 Apr 16th 11:38 PM
crawford, multiphonics are a different from what we might call "overtones" or harmonics.

While playing multiphonics, you can play two to four or five notes at the same time. We could call them chords, except that each note will sound at a different volume and different color of sound. Some may sound close to a ship's (or tugboat) horn. Some composers have tried to use them harmonically, but I'm not sure that use comes off very well and requires extreme player control.

Ken Dorn's book can be had at Dorn Publications.

Troy
User ID: 0373644 Apr 23rd 3:31 PM
http://www.dornpub.com/

crawford
User ID: 9656233 Apr 23rd 4:14 PM
Randy, I'm aware of the difference. I do indeed mean that I've sounded two or more chord tones at once with a low Bb, B, or C fingering plus octave key.

Jeff
User ID: 1062774 Apr 30th 5:06 PM
thanks guys!
sorry i havent checked up in a while. i totaly forgot i posted this (oops). thanks again
~jeff~

Randy M.
User ID: 0296604 May 11th 5:44 AM
Crawford-Great!

Ritchie
User ID: 0923684 May 11th 6:22 AM
Overtones and multiphonics are insofar related as both techniques control the sounding notes rather by minor adjustments of embouchure, oral cavity, air speed, etc. than by fingering. Having several notes from the overtone series sounding simultaneously creates chords, without any special fingerings. Raising a key (e.g. octave key) will make it easier for a particular overtone (or several) to respond and sound simultaneously to the fundamental.

Try to play the second octave without the octave key, this adds some sound of the lower octave to the notes of the middle octave, the relative volume of the two notes to each other can be changed, then try to add some higher harmonics. This should work without special fingerings, just by imagination and the resulting subconscious changes to embouchure etc.

Nevertheless, like for altissimo, special fingerings usually give the best results for performance. Some are very easy like fingering low c and raising the f key, and they will sound 'multi' without any special practise.

jeff User ID: 1062774	Apr 8th 9:10 PM ok...ive read up on multi-phonics and i know that its playing more than one note at a time at any given moment. now for the question...how the hell do i DO that? and can anyone direct me to a site on the internet where i can find good info on how, like: embocure, fingerings? thanks ~jeff
Kevin	Apr 8th 10:33 PM Mulitphonics by Ken Dorn has literally thousands of fingerings for mulitiphonics.....and a brief explaination of how to do them......It is similar to learning your overtones in that you have to experiment with your embouchure. I have found that by opening up a little while keeping a firm chin helps.......try to create more "backpressure"..........probably the easiest multiphonic to get out is by fingering a low C while raising your right hand F finger. you probably won't have to do any adjusting with you embouchure to get this one out.
RED User ID: 3633134	Apr 12th 4:05 PM also try fingering low Bb and then raise your 2 middle fingers. This is alt. Bb. enjoy.
crawford User ID: 9656233	Apr 12th 8:47 PM hmmmm...I've just been creating them off the regular ol' Bb fingering plus octave key. Course I don't really mess around with it much. John Gross has a book out called multiphonics for saxophone which I think you can get through Abersold. I haven't seen the book, but I have heard him play. He knows what he's doing.
Randy M. User ID: 0296604	Apr 16th 11:38 PM crawford, multiphonics are a different from what we might call "overtones" or harmonics. While playing multiphonics, you can play two to four or five notes at the same time. We could call them chords, except that each note will sound at a different volume and different color of sound. Some may sound close to a ship's (or tugboat) horn. Some composers have tried to use them harmonically, but I'm not sure that use comes off very well and requires extreme player control. Ken Dorn's book can be had at Dorn Publications.
Troy User ID: 0373644	Apr 23rd 3:31 PM http://www.dornpub.com/
crawford User ID: 9656233	Apr 23rd 4:14 PM Randy, I'm aware of the difference. I do indeed mean that I've sounded two or more chord tones at once with a low Bb, B, or C fingering plus octave key.
Jeff User ID: 1062774	Apr 30th 5:06 PM thanks guys! sorry i havent checked up in a while. i totaly forgot i posted this (oops). thanks again ~jeff~
Randy M. User ID: 0296604	May 11th 5:44 AM Crawford-Great!
Ritchie User ID: 0923684	May 11th 6:22 AM Overtones and multiphonics are insofar related as both techniques control the sounding notes rather by minor adjustments of embouchure, oral cavity, air speed, etc. than by fingering. Having several notes from the overtone series sounding simultaneously creates chords, without any special fingerings. Raising a key (e.g. octave key) will make it easier for a particular overtone (or several) to respond and sound simultaneously to the fundamental. Try to play the second octave without the octave key, this adds some sound of the lower octave to the notes of the middle octave, the relative volume of the two notes to each other can be changed, then try to add some higher harmonics. This should work without special fingerings, just by imagination and the resulting subconscious changes to embouchure etc. Nevertheless, like for altissimo, special fingerings usually give the best results for performance. Some are very easy like fingering low c and raising the f key, and they will sound 'multi' without any special practise.