"Growling"

[TenorCletus]

I have a question! On most songs I listen to that have lead saxophone parts, they always have a unique tone that I can't seem to get. I've asked around and heard its called Growling. I'd like to know some tips/steps about getting it/getting to it.

[Helen]

A growl tone is achieved by generating a tone with the vocal chords at the same time as blowing air through your horn. Different types of growls are generated by different sounds from the vocal chords. Humming or singing are two common ones. Some players, like Gato Barbieri also use a scream at times.

Growling comes easier for some people than others. The key is just practicing to produce a tone with your vocal chords and blowing air at the same time. The trick is also to make sure that the tone you produce from your vocal chords is not the same as the one you are playing on your horn, otherwise they cancel themselves out.

One way of learning the technique is by humming or singing a tone. Then, while continuing to sing or hum, put the mouthpiece (attached only to the neck) in your mouth. Keep practicing this until you are able to do both (sing and blow) at the same time. Then try it with the neck attached to the horn. Once you've got that, then play your horn in the middle register and try to sing or hum. Once you can do the 2 things at the same time consistantly, you can then try different types of vocal sounds and experiment to find the different quality of growls.

Growling does take more air than regular playing. Players who use a growl tone a lot often complain of a sore throat at the end of a night of playing.

Hope this helps. I'm sure others will chime in with more comments, but this should at least get you going.

[Dooser]

Another way to practice without your horn is to try humming and whistling at the same time. I learned this after learning how to growl, but it has helped me to improve my growling techniques. The difference between humming while playing the sax and humming while whistling is that while whistling you must hum at the same pitch as you are whistling (or very close to it, as far as I can tell).

keep practicing

[John Laughter]

Tenor, Helen has given you good advice. Let me add a few more thoughts;

I have used the “hum” technique to produce the growl since 1956. Both the growl and the "flutter tongue", were very popular techniques used by sax players in Rock & Roll and R&B music which was hitting the airwaves in the late 50s. For those of us who had joined that local school band, we were asking the band director what this new sound was that we were hearing on the Top 40 hits. Obviously these effects were around long before the 50s and still continue today in many forms of music.

There are apparently one or two other ways to achieve the same results from what I have read on the NET over the years but I have only used the method of humming along with the note that I want to change to a growl tone.

As Helen indicates, I also suggest that the best way to learn to produce the growl on the sax is to start with just the mouthpiece attached to the neck. Using the entire horn can be a problem at first due to the coordination involved. Play a long note on the neck then starting “humming” a note that is higher than the tone that is coming out of the neck. I like to think in terms of singing falsetto because that is the octave area that you will be in to get above the note that is produced by the neckpiece. More on that later.

Be sure to sing “ABOVE” the N/P note. If you hum the same note that is coming out of the N/P the effect will be cancelled. If you hum below, it is garbled.

You will soon begin to realize that it is taking a lot of air to play and hum at the same time on the neckpiece. This is natural because you will probably open your throat and let too much air out because of your efforts to sing and exhale at the same time. Easier said than done at first! In time you will be able to control the amount of hum and the coordination will become natural. Now put the horn together and see what happens.

Many of us use the growl in the middle and high range, especially from high A above the staff to high F#. I have found that the most effective area for the growl is starting on 2nd space A and up. Once you go below 2nd line G it becomes somewhat garbled.

Now about the “hum.” I have read some articles that suggest that you hum a 3rd above the note being produced on the horn so there is obviously more to that than I have gotten into because I just hum above the notes being played. I can’t hear the note that I am humming due to the stage volume and I have never thought about the “3rd above” concept so I can’t comment on it. I simply hum in a falsetto range and it works for me. Hopefully you will get more advice from other players. There is always more than one way to approach certain effects.

I can also send some more info if you need it. Just send an email to JSAXL@aol.com.

[Toni Linder]

When humming, be sure that the sound comes from deep in the throat, not from behind the teeth, otherwise there will be some weird interferences.

[Troy]

...Now about the “hum.” I have read some articles that suggest that you hum a 3rd above the note being produced on the horn...

I've been trying this recently, after seeing it on this site for a couple years, purchasing John's book, and having Sarge show me in person a few days ago.

It does seem that an interval of about a third, either above or below the note, produces the most solid, most controllable "growl" or "buzz" effect. At least it does for me.

Nice thing about this is that since I sing tenor I'm used to finding the harmony note a third above the melody.

However, I've noticed that singing the same note as I'm playing doesn't entirely cancel out the sound. And sometimes it works better, because my fingers quickly move to other notes (usually nearby ones) while my voice stays on the original pitch for a bit. Probably because I'm learning, but creates a cool effect sometimes. Now I just have to figure out how to control this!

[John Laughter]

Troy, the 3rd concept is interesting. I will do some homework. I have been doing it for so long that I never think about it any more. You might be on to something. I will experiment with it this weekend. Question; can you actually hear yourself sing/hum the 3rd when the stage volume starts pushing?

[PearlDrummer27]

i'm a saxist at NW School of the Arts (highschool) in charlotte, and i also have a band that plays around town. i study with John Alexander, an excellent saxist, and one method he showed be was instead of singing, make a gargling action with the back of your throat. it's the same effect.

[Troy]

I don't play on stage that much, and haven't been brave enough to try growling for a public performance yet (remember, I've only been playing 2 years and only played in public my first performance in January).

However, since I've been singing almost as long as talking, I bet I'll be able to "know" that I'm on that harmony part even if I can't hear it that well. In my favor is the fact that our worship band, while electrified and amplified, is really not all that loud. I'll let you know when I try it finally.

I have noticed that I can control the "buzziness" somewhat. For instance, if I start by humming the pitch that I'm playing...then move the note I'm humming away from the note I'm playing (up to the third I mentioned), that I can get the buzzy quality to increase and decrease smoothly.

I'm also trying to figure out what Kirk Whalum is doing on some of his cuts. So, I've been experimenting with letting my "hum" note drop off in volume while I play. It produces a slightly different sound. Kinda cool.

I also noticed that I can just "buzz" one note by humming a staccato note at the beginning of playing a longer note. The buzz will happen as normal, then drop off and the frequencies get back to normal.

Hope that helps someone else. :)

However, I'm still mystified by the Clarence Clemons sound. Not that I'd use it always, but it seems to be different than a growl and I'd like to figure it out. Any ideas?

[PearlDrummer27]

yeh, whalum is awesome- one of my idols- however- i saw my sax teacher today, and he finally taught me the altissimo growling, and on top of that, i've got every kirk whalum song ever stuck in my head, and i've got them trascribed on all instruments so that i can play to them, so if you need help with anything, email me