Sax on the Web

Sax on the Web Forum Archive / Baritone Saxophone / That "rough" sax sound...u know?

AaronQ
User ID: 9697893 Apr 26th 6:38 PM
anyone have any tips on getting that "almost rough growl" sound on bari sax. it's hard to explain, but im sure some people know what im talking about. less of a smooth light tone... do i need to change my embourchure... new mouthpiece...what? thanks again.

MBushaw
User ID: 0143424 Apr 26th 7:03 PM
Where did you hear this sound? let us know where we can hear what you heard.

AaronQ Apr 26th 8:25 PM
lol. its hard to explain... i guess you could call it more of a rock 'n roll sax sound, not neccesarily on bari, but on tenor.

MPL
User ID: 0387824 Apr 26th 9:05 PM
If you're talking about a "growl," you actually have to growl while playing. That produces the sound you're thinking of, and I used to do that on tenor occasionally back when I played more rock-n-roll. It worked best for me with a big mouthpiece...at the time I was using a Link 7*. Never tried it on baritone though.

AaronQ Apr 26th 9:15 PM
exactly.
how exactly do u do it? thanks.

MPL
User ID: 0387824 Apr 27th 4:22 PM
First try it with the middle c#, no fingers down. Blow air through the horn, and at the same time, say "huuuuuuhhh" (at any pitch you want) and be prepared for a really obnoxious sound. It takes more air than usual to get the sound out of the horn and vocalize at the same time, and it really can't be done quietly.

Once you're consistently able to make the growling sound come out of the horn, then try actually playing a line at the same time. You don't have to change the pitch of your "huuuh" at all...it's in there just to add another tonal component to the saxophone sound.

pauliebassman
User ID: 1613614 May 9th 10:15 PM
my old tenorman charlie yacuzzi taught me to HUM the tune, in unison, in harmony or if I could not hit the note humming, just hum anyway, altho thats not as good. It is harder to do on bari (I am just starting on bari) but it would really rip it up on my the martin tenor beater I (we all make mistakes) traded away years ago, and can make my buesscher C melody turn from a smooth sweet Dr Jekyll to a BIG SCARY MR HYDE, I am the oldest living absolute beginner on sax , been playing at the same rudimentary level for 30 years-NO talent, I just love Sax, and Charlie retired so I gotta do it myself-- SO my point is as a bar crowd pleaser one really GROWLED 7th will get it when a much better players intricate solo doen"t turn a head. OK I know what you all thind of me now, but its a living, and I am really an electric bassman, just play sax because there are no old barwalking, beer-glass kickin over, conga line int the nest bar down the street and back with his customers and a really P>O>'d manager in tow GROWLING, HONKING Hi F# even higher and no keywork for it,Hell -raising tenormen like Charlie left around here (NY), and there are a whole lotta bass thumpers. I am ashamed to even write on the same page with you guys, been readin ya's fer awhile, but maybe this HUMMING HARMONY thing can be a small thank you (which I borrowed from Chuck, not even mine) and ya'll probably already knew it.

AaronQ User ID: 9697893	Apr 26th 6:38 PM anyone have any tips on getting that "almost rough growl" sound on bari sax. it's hard to explain, but im sure some people know what im talking about. less of a smooth light tone... do i need to change my embourchure... new mouthpiece...what? thanks again.
MBushaw User ID: 0143424	Apr 26th 7:03 PM Where did you hear this sound? let us know where we can hear what you heard.
AaronQ	Apr 26th 8:25 PM lol. its hard to explain... i guess you could call it more of a rock 'n roll sax sound, not neccesarily on bari, but on tenor.
MPL User ID: 0387824	Apr 26th 9:05 PM If you're talking about a "growl," you actually have to growl while playing. That produces the sound you're thinking of, and I used to do that on tenor occasionally back when I played more rock-n-roll. It worked best for me with a big mouthpiece...at the time I was using a Link 7*. Never tried it on baritone though.
AaronQ	Apr 26th 9:15 PM exactly. how exactly do u do it? thanks.
MPL User ID: 0387824	Apr 27th 4:22 PM First try it with the middle c#, no fingers down. Blow air through the horn, and at the same time, say "huuuuuuhhh" (at any pitch you want) and be prepared for a really obnoxious sound. It takes more air than usual to get the sound out of the horn and vocalize at the same time, and it really can't be done quietly. Once you're consistently able to make the growling sound come out of the horn, then try actually playing a line at the same time. You don't have to change the pitch of your "huuuh" at all...it's in there just to add another tonal component to the saxophone sound.
pauliebassman User ID: 1613614	May 9th 10:15 PM my old tenorman charlie yacuzzi taught me to HUM the tune, in unison, in harmony or if I could not hit the note humming, just hum anyway, altho thats not as good. It is harder to do on bari (I am just starting on bari) but it would really rip it up on my the martin tenor beater I (we all make mistakes) traded away years ago, and can make my buesscher C melody turn from a smooth sweet Dr Jekyll to a BIG SCARY MR HYDE, I am the oldest living absolute beginner on sax , been playing at the same rudimentary level for 30 years-NO talent, I just love Sax, and Charlie retired so I gotta do it myself-- SO my point is as a bar crowd pleaser one really GROWLED 7th will get it when a much better players intricate solo doen"t turn a head. OK I know what you all thind of me now, but its a living, and I am really an electric bassman, just play sax because there are no old barwalking, beer-glass kickin over, conga line int the nest bar down the street and back with his customers and a really P>O>'d manager in tow GROWLING, HONKING Hi F# even higher and no keywork for it,Hell -raising tenormen like Charlie left around here (NY), and there are a whole lotta bass thumpers. I am ashamed to even write on the same page with you guys, been readin ya's fer awhile, but maybe this HUMMING HARMONY thing can be a small thank you (which I borrowed from Chuck, not even mine) and ya'll probably already knew it.