The Hidden Notes - A tonal approach to saxophone multiphonics and overtones

Hello All,

I often browse the forum for advise which I have found very useful over the years but have never been an active contributor.

I have dedicated the last 4 years to developing a tonal approach to the sonically fascinating soundworld of saxophone multiphonics and overtones patterns. The project is called ‘The Hidden Notes’ and has culminated in the release of my second (double album) ‘The Hidden Notes – Spirit of Adventure’

About 10 years ago, while practising saxophone in a north London flat, I stumbled across a fingering that produced several notes simultaneously. It was such a strong, rich sound that I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Every now and again I would chance upon more of these sounds, feeding my curiosity and mounting excitement about their potential to broaden and enrich the sonic qualities of the saxophone. My fascination continued to grow until one day, around August 2011, when I decided to fully explore the possibilities of this beautiful, mysterious soundworld.

At first I did this through trial and error, and then later studied the main publications on saxophone multiphonics. I soon realised that I would need to create my own system, if I wanted to incorporate these sounds into tonal music. Current publications generally present all the weird and wonderful multiphonics the author could find, but do not attempt to order or refine the tuning of these note combinations for use in a tonal context.

I have spent the last four years developing and refining a tonal approach to the polyphonic soundworld of the saxophone. Through the process I have discovered many beautiful and affecting sounds, which I have used as a starting point for the series of compositions that you can hear on my new double album “The Hidden Notes – Spirit of Adventure

Here's a short documentary about the project.

More info at. http://thehiddennotes.com