Ofcourse the greats like brecker could pull of multiphonics and make it sound cool, but does it cheapen solos for younger players? One of my frends stayed away from a squeak (we played Sussudio by Phil Collins, in the recorded version Albright does some alitisiimo and my friend had it down!, excpet for that he was playing tenor not alto) in a solo becuase he felt people might not think of it musically, and just a mistake or a really abd effect. In my opinion hey work perfectly fine in moderation and at the right time. Should younger players (maybe HS kids) stay away from these sorts of things, or are they fine to put in a solo without people wondering why he or she did that?
Do altissimo squeaks/multiphonics cheapen a solo?
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I say who cares what the audience thinks!! There's always some people that like you and some people who don't....Just have fun!! Hehe...
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What some other musician thinks and what the crowds think are usually two different things.
Don't believe me? Try this little experiment.
Play a nice solo during a song and at some point hit a high note and hold it.
Not even altissimo. /maybe something around a high D.
The longer you hold it, the more applause.
Go figure.
Don't believe me? Try this little experiment.
Play a nice solo during a song and at some point hit a high note and hold it.
Not even altissimo. /maybe something around a high D.
The longer you hold it, the more applause.
Go figure.
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4,283 Posts
Wynton tells about when he showed his dad Ellis that he could do circular breathing and hold a high note for a long time and get lots of applause.
Ellis told him, "When what you go for is applause, that's all you get."
Ellis told him, "When what you go for is applause, that's all you get."
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There's a lot of classic solos out there with squeaks in them. I always like it when jazz musicians aren't afraid to leave some flubs in the released recording it makes it seem more real and human.
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I play in a jazz combo where the trumpet player does nothing but loud high notes. He is good at that. He can do a lot of technical licks that wow the crowd. I tend to do my tenor solos more controlled and "lush". I feel that it is a good contrast to the trumpet player.
Although playing my way does not "wow" the crowd, I have plenty people come up to me afterwards and compliment my playing and especially compliment my tone.
Although playing my way does not "wow" the crowd, I have plenty people come up to me afterwards and compliment my playing and especially compliment my tone.
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What ever you do, it needs to be musical in some way. If there isn't a musical reason for what you are doing, then you shouldn't be playing it in a solo.
Personally, I am pretty sure I am never going to play high notes like Lenny Picket, so unless it the music tells me to, I stay away from them.
I rarely use multiphonics in the middle of a solo, but I like to add it at the end of a tune, you know the section after the last note when everyone musically vomits on there instruments and the drummer hits his cymbals as hard as he can.
Personally, I am pretty sure I am never going to play high notes like Lenny Picket, so unless it the music tells me to, I stay away from them.
I rarely use multiphonics in the middle of a solo, but I like to add it at the end of a tune, you know the section after the last note when everyone musically vomits on there instruments and the drummer hits his cymbals as hard as he can.
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paul makes the point here that I was trying to make. The topic is altissimo, which is why I mentioned the audience response. Altissimo will get a response if done well. And I would not discount the audience. You don't have to "sell out" and play anything just to get applause, but never forget the audience is out there and you are playing for them, as well as for yourself.paulbrodt said:
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When I play I try and put my heart into it, play expressively, play with dynamics, play with style, then after I worry about what it sounded like and try to get better. Don't go over analyzing what you should or shouldn't try in a solo. Sometimes you may feel like laying back other times you will want to reach. No matter what though play with emotion and I bet the crowd will love you. Good tone and emotion will go a long way on the saxophone. Worry about technique of course but don't overanalyze every note, squeek, honk you have. Play it like you mean it and your passion will come through be it a high note or a low note, or even a squeek.
It doesn't "cheapen" the solo. the guys that do, or have done the squeaking, make more money. I'm sure King Curtis made more money that Coltrane (Coltrane did his share of altissimo squeals at the end of his career too!) and Lenny Pickett has made more than than the jazz players out there now. It's what I call the "Everyman Syndrome". Hey!, I can squeak on the sax too!
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Where do people get the idea that Coltrane was a 'poor' jazz musician? I read in a biography that at his peak he was pulling in $250k a year--and that was in the '60s, when you could buy a multi-million dollar mansion for $100k.
He had a lot of clout, and Impulse! records would never have survived financially without him.
I doubt if Curtis did better.
He had a lot of clout, and Impulse! records would never have survived financially without him.
I doubt if Curtis did better.
Squeaks and Squawks. What's the point of the solo? I find my most successful solos take place during an intimate interaction between the audience with the musicians. (This of course could be entirely illusion.) If S&S are a successful part of that experience then they are valid. OTOH, how many gigs do I do where there is little or no interaction with the audience? Plenty. S&S may be useful in that circumstance too. I don't know - in general S&S are not part of my kit.
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If you're playing for a group of jazz afficiandos who quietly analyze the content of your artistry, that is one thing. If you are rocking out in a bar for the working class, anything that gets their attention and a round of applause is good. You're paid to entertain, and if that's what you do, you're doing well.
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Along with squeaks and squawks, I find farts and burps to be a real crowd pleaser.
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