Altissimo Gliss?

[twofiveone]

Hm... I have heard ppl talking about this technique for a couple of times, and I heard Sanborn does this a lot in his solo as well. So how does this thing work? :wink:

[colibri]

Altissimo notes are very unstable. You can change its pitch by moving your tongue up and down. Try playing a G3 and move your tongue down as in saying "you". You can slide down at least an octave lower.

[RaZaDAM]

Hey, is there any more info on this, like for example, how in god's name does Marc Russo slide up from the A3(??) to an E4, in the amazing revelation by the yellow jackets.

aDAM.

[colibri]

Do you know how to whistle?
If you do, whistle a low note then slide up to the highest note you can get. Notice that you chage the pitch by moving your tongue. It's the same with sliding up to altissimo notes on sax.

[hornstar]

colibri pretty much covers the technique for altissimo glissando. altissimo is mostly embouchure. fingerings that work for altissimo notes vary among horns. higher baffle, larger tip opening, or harder reeds generally makes altissimo easier, but don't go crazy and opt for all three changes in your setup right off. just like any other skill, having a reason to play altissimo, and working on it a lot, is what will make you better at it.

[JL]

I had a real revelation on this a while back. I was fooling around with D4, using the OK + front F + side C. I found I could slide down to G3 and back up to D4 fairly easily, just with subtle throat & tongue manipulation. Try using this fingering (with or without the side C) and experiment with it. That should help you get some control up there.

[Les22]

I've been messing with altissimo notes for about 6 months now. My biggest revelation came when I found , in the heat of a tune, that my throat/tongue overruled my fingers. That is, i was hitting all the sounds i wanted and it didn't matter what my fingers were doing. Sorta like blowing on that keyless horn that Rascher had.

[Tears June]

For me, Altissimo involved Embouchure very heavy, most important thing for me . It's a little bit tight than normal embouchure but not too tight. Otherwise, it squeak. 2nd important thing is Air-steam + Tongue position. Fingering just play a very minor position because most people will try to use more simple fingering.

It is not too difficult to make Altissimo note (let say E4, F4....G4) but most diffcult thing is how to play a series of upstair high notes continually. It is very difficult to change the embouchure suddent when playing a fast phrasing. Any suggestion?


:cry:

[michaelbaird]

It is more about how you put the air into the horn. My mouth and tongue have learned to move naturally as well. Practice in front of a mirror and you will realize that it becomes a natural process almost like learned behavior.