Oh dear, what is alltissimo?

[Rayjo]

I've never heard of this, and from reading the posts in this section, I can't quite figure out what it is. This is really strange, since my teacher has never mentioned this technique and is a sax player himself. COuld someone please shine some light?

[Harri Rautiainen]

Rayjo,
if you started your saxophone studies fairly recently, you do not have to be concerned of altissimo, yet. I was introduced to altissimo some seven years after my second wind of playing.

A quick and simple answer is, that altissimo tones are high tones above your normal sax fingering chart (F#3 or sometimes F3).

More information on saxophone techniques generally are found in Larry Teal's book:
The Art of saxophone Playing (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0874870577/ref%3Dnosim/saxontheweb/)

[nateissaxy]

Altissimo notes are just notes that the saxophone was not made to hit. Over time people have just developed new techniques and Altissimo was one of them. it has basically added more octaves to the saxophone's range.

[Dr G]

So why is it that notes above C3 on the clarinet are not considered altissimo? It's the same approach of using "alternate" fingerings to go above and beyond what seems to some the end of the "natural" fingerings? :)

On the other hand, I think there is too much emphasis here on altissimo for saxophone. Beginners and intermediate players have so much more to learn about and worry about than altissimo.

[Seraphina]

The high range on the clarinet is called altissimo but it seems that this range is considered a normal part of the instrument now as it is needed for a lot of the classical repertoire.I know my teacher had me trying to get G6 for certain pieces after I'd been playing about a year,this was the first real hurdle I'd had and I thought she was a tyrant,was worth it in the end tho as I can now take the top of a beer bottle with lip strenth alone. :lol:

[Dr G]

I can now take the top of a beer bottle with lip strenth alone. :lol:

That's good to know. :shock: