Chapter 3

Extended Techniques for the Saxophone

3.1 Altissimo Range

The extended range of the saxophone above the normal range is called the altissimo
range, which means “very high” in Italian. On the soprano saxophone, the altissimo
range starts with the note G6 , in B saxophone notation, and ends, depending on the
player’s skill level, generally up to D7 . The notes in this range are called high notes or
top notes. It is frequently thought that the notes of the altissimo range can be reached
by applying extraordinarily high lip pressure, but the key of playing these notes is
really rooted in the correct formation of the vocal tract. A study by Chen et al. [54] has
shown that professional saxophone players adjust the frequency of the vocal tract to
the fundamental of each played note well into the altissimo range. This practice also
prevents the fundamental frequency from developing an octave below the top note.
Guitarists and other string instrument players use a similar technique to play natural
harmonics of a string by lightly placing a finger on an antinode of a string while
plucking it with the other hand. An antinode is a position on the string where the
standing wave for the fundamental or another partial tone has a maximum amplitude.
The fundamental frequency of a guitar string has the amplitude maximum right in the
center between the bridge and saddle (twelfth fret). If the guitar player’s finger touches
the string at this point without pressing down on the fret, the fundamental tone can
no longer develop. The string is now forced to have a node at the finger position, and
only the octave and the upper harmonics will sound. In a similar way, the saxophone
player has to develop a throat configuration that prevents the fundamental frequency
of a tone in the regular register from sounding in order to reach the altissimo range.
It is worth experimenting with various vocal tract formations in combination with
different key combinations and reed adjustments because the resulting fundamental
frequency depends on the constellation of the resonator impedance, the vocal tract
impedance, and the reed configuration (lip pressure and placement). In general, the
vocal tract should be tight in the back, forming somewhat the consonant ‘k’ without
fully closing the gap between the back of the tongue and the velum (soft palate). The

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 39

J. Braasch, Hyper-specializing in Saxophone Using Acoustical Insight
and Deep Listening Skills, Current Research in Systematic Musicology 6,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15046-4_3
40 3 Extended Techniques for the Saxophone

various key suggestions throughout the literature are a good starting point, but better
individual combinations might be found than the ones provided in these references.
The following key combinations are my personal favorites to play high notes on the
soprano saxophone:

It should also be noted that it is much easier to produce high notes on a larger sax-
ophone, tenor or baritone, than on a smaller one, like the alto or soprano saxophone.
As a student many years ago, after I managed to extend the natural range of my tenor
saxophone by an octave, I borrowed an alto saxophone and had the opportunity to
play this instrument for the first time in my life. Of course, I wanted to see how high
I could play this instrument, but to my surprise, I reached exactly the same highest
sounding note, E6 , as on my tenor saxophone. I realized that it was the ability to
create a sufficiently high resonance with my vocal tract rather than the instrument
or mouthpiece reed combination that allowed me to play top notes. Nonetheless, the
choice of the mouthpiece can have a positive influence on the production and sound
quality of high notes. In my experience, the larger the tip opening, the easier it is to
produce high notes with a rich overtone spectrum. With my Otto Link Supertone 13*,
I am also using a plastic reed to keep the acoustical properties of the reed consistent
from one reed to the next. With a traditional cane reed, each reed produces overtones
in a different way and it can be quite a challenge to find all the upper high notes every
time a new reed is used. To my ears, the plastic reeds never sounded adequate with
a traditional mouthpiece, but with the Otto Link’s extreme tip opening, it works just
fine. I frequently used a teeth guard when playing high notes for an extended time on
the Otto Link mouthpiece to prevent excessive teeth marks from the vibrating reed.

3.2 Circular Breathing

Circular breathing is a technique for playing a wind instrument continuously by

temporarily pushing out air from the cheeks while inhaling. Hereby, the player’s
cheeks serve as a bellow, similar to the bag of a bagpipe or the pipe organ bellow.
The cheeks are used to supply a constant wind pressure to the instrument. The cycle
of circular breathing has two phases as shown in Fig. 3.1. During the first phase, the
player exhales to refill the air reservoir that is stored in the cheeks while continuing
to provide air to the wind instrument at the same time—essentially dividing her air
supply to fulfill both functions simultaneously. In the second phase of the cycle,
3.2 Circular Breathing 41

CYCLE I CYCLE II
Exhaling Inhaling

nasal cavity
nasal cavity

oral cavity oral cavity

tongue tongue

Fig. 3.1 Airflow schematic of the two phases that characterize circular breathing

the lungs now inhale, while the cheeks continue to provide a constant air supply
to the instrument. This way the skilled player never runs out of air and can play
continuously for several minutes or in some rare cases even over an hour.
A traditional way of learning circular breathing is to take a hose, submerge it
into a bucket of water, and learn to blow bubbles continuously. A straw and a glass
of water will do in the beginning as well. The advantage of this beginner exercise
is that that player does not have to worry about keeping the embouchure up. The
diameter of the hose can be kept narrow enough to make the airflow manageable in
the beginning.
Once the basic mechanism has been learned the two major challenges are to hold
the embouchure steady and to use the air so sparingly that the cheeks can provide
enough air to perform the instrument continuously. Soprano instruments often pose
great embouchure challenges to maintain the correct pitch steadily. In contrast, bass
instruments are typically more relaxed on the embouchure, but these instruments
generally need more air supply, which can be difficult to handle on a continuous
basis.
One difficult exercise is to learn to swallow while circular breathing to remove
excessive saliva that collects over time. First, the body has to be convinced that the
mouth does not need to be fully closed in order to swallow. For the first exercise,
one can learn to swallow while the cheeks are partially filled with air. Next, one
can continue to release very little air through the mouth while swallowing without
having to stop the air flow intermittently. Once this can be accomplished one can
repeat the exercise with an actual wind instrument that requires little air to produce a
tone, for example, a flute. The fact that the swallowing mechanism fatigues quickly
when performed too often within a short period makes this exercise even harder.
42 3 Extended Techniques for the Saxophone

Circular breathing is traditionally associated with the Australian didjeridu [262],

the Middle Eastern double-reed zurna [215], and other indigenous instruments. In
other cultures, a continuous tone is achieved by alternating the sound between instru-
ments. The Tibetan horn, for example, is played in pairs of two instruments of the
same pitch so one player can inhale while the other one continues to play the tone
[213]. Western music traditionally focuses on short 4 or 8 bar phrases with no need to
play an instrument without rest for an extended amount of time. However, the modern
repertoire requires players capable of circular breathing for nearly every orchestral
wind instrument—including the saxophone (Evan Parker, Kenny “G” Gorelick), the
flute (Helen Bledsoe, Angus McPherson), the trombone (Stuart Dempster1 ), and the
trumpet (Rafael Méndez).
Circular breathing can be performed in two distinctive ways, either by learning to
make the transitions between in- and exhaling inaudible to create a smooth, contin-
uous tone or by emphasizing this transition to create a rhythmic pattern. The latter
practice is often found in didjeridu performances [183], and it can be compelling
if the performer can gradually shift between the two concepts. It is also essential
to understand the musical benefit for oneself to learn circular breathing. It should
be more than a physical exercise that is learned to impress others. In music, circu-
lar breathing can become a symbol for eternity by breaking the inevitable cycle of
breathing. It can also be used to provide a drone to study long-term effects of sound
exposure. The long tones can be used to trigger inhibitory effects in the brain, possi-
bly leading to a state of trance. Circular breathing is an interesting method to study
timbre because the focus can be shifted away from attention-drawing note on- and
offsets, and it can also be used to produce slowly changing repetitive tone sequences
in the tradition of minimal music.
With regard to the instrument variations presented in Chap. 5 of this book, the
easiest ones for exercising circular breathing are the pocket didjeridu and the narrow
tip saxophone mouthpiece with a light reed. The hardest two instruments in terms of
embouchure are the Boehm cornett and the rim flute played on the saxophone neck.

3.3 Singing and Playing

In classical saxophone literature, the voice is not used while performing the saxo-
phone, but in jazz, a style was quickly adopted where the voice was used in addition to
the reed-generated sound to produce a growl. Especially in the so-called hot jazz era,
the growl was used in addition to the vibrato to create a sense of profound expression.
Using this technique, a sound that loosely follows the saxophone melody is produced
with the voice. Since both the voice and the reed sounds are channeled through the
resonator, they interfere with each other. The resulting effect is similar to the sound
of an electronic ring modulator, and it produces a harsh “growl” sound. Almost all
icons of the hot jazz era use this effect frequently, including Coleman Hawkins, Ben

1 Dempster [75] describes the circular breathing method extensively in his book.
3.3 Singing and Playing 43

Webster, and Earl Bostic. The effect fell out of use when cool-jazz elements started
to dominate the performance style of saxophonists like Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, and
Paul Desmond. The spiritual leaders of the cool movement, Frankie Trumbauer and
Lester Young, were already avoiding the growl effect during the swing era. Later in
the 1950s, the growl effect became part of the new signature sound for rock’n’roll
and rock music saxophonists like Joey Ambrose from Bill Haley & His Comets and
Clarence Clemons from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.
Most saxophone players are not aware that the sound of the voice can also be
used for many other saxophone effects. In contrast, for reasons discussed further
below, the flute has a very established tradition of differently voiced effects [228]. If
the voice sings perfectly in tune with the reed produced sound, the ring-modulated
effect will not occur, and a clean sound mixture can be obtained. The main problem
with using the voice directly and not as a modulator for the reed sound is that the voice
is not very loud because the narrow tip opening on the saxophone prevents the voice
from radiating through the saxophone bore—a problem that does not occur with the
flute. To make things more complicated for the saxophone, the voice can often be
clearly heard internally because of bone conduction to the inner ear. However, when
the sound is recorded with an external microphone, the voice often no longer can be
heard because it is obstructed by the small tip opening of the reed valve. To make this
effect work, one has to learn to sing unnaturally loud and play softly at the same time.
Singing into the instrument is actually easier on the didjeridu than on Western wind
instruments because the didjeridu does not have a throat between the mouthpiece
and the bore. This way, the voice can pass fairly unhindered.
One technique of singing into the saxophone is to sing a drone, e.g., the tone G4 ,
and then to play a melody with the saxophone on top of the drone. The example
below shows both the singing and saxophone parts in the transposed saxophone key
to demonstrate this technique:
Sax

Voice

In contrast, one can also play a drone with the saxophone and then sing a melody as
shown below:
Sax

Voice

One can also double each saxophone tone with the voice as depicted here:
44 3 Extended Techniques for the Saxophone

Sax

Voice

Alternatively, one can sing parallel intervals of a third, fifth, or another interval like
the octave shown in the last example:
Sax

Voice

One of my favorite techniques is to sing an octave below the saxophone tone. If

done well, the octave below fuses well with the sound of the remaining instrument
to give the impression of a larger instrument. This effect can be further emphasized
by using non-linear throat singing techniques [28], where the false vocal cords are
used to produce frequencies below the natural sound of the voice. This can produce
a rough sound with an interesting low-frequency texture.
A lot about pitch perception can be learned from singing along with the saxophone
reed. It is remarkable how precisely a tone can be sung in pitch to avoid beating sounds
and other interference effects with the reed sound. It reminds us that pitch is very
much context dependent. In some situations, we get away with inaccurately produced
pitches, and in other situations, exact pitches have to be produced to make the music
work. As a non-singer, I wondered for a while why I was so much better at singing
into my instrument then singing without it. I soon realized that the saxophone tone
was my reference for singing. Without a steady reference system, each tone sang or
played at the wrong pitch influences the internal reference system.
A good example is the perception of instruments with a reduced octave range. In
this case, all pitches are closer together than they should be for an equal tempered
instrument. As a consequence, the resulting octave is too small. When such an instru-
ment is played diatonically, the reduced octave range is often not apparent because
the pitch deviation for each whole semi- or whole tone is within tolerance limits.
Since each note will become a new reference tone, the player is often unaware that
the resulting octave is less than the ratio of 2:1. However, studies have shown that
our tolerance limits are smaller for consonant intervals, e.g., octave, fifth and fourth,
and larger for more dissonant intervals, e.g., semitone, whole tone, minor and major
third [119]. When playing a large consonant interval on such an instrument, it will
be much easier to detect that the instrument is not in tune with itself because now
the deviations from the true interval are outside the typical tolerance limits.
In contrast, everything can be within the tolerance limits when playing a diatonic
scale consisting of only whole- and semitones. In practice, studies have shown that
3.3 Singing and Playing 45

most instrumentalists slightly enlarge the octave when playing by ear [265, p. 221].
At some point, I realized that by keying a tone on my saxophone, I automatically
memorized the pitch of this tone. When I practiced singing the octave below the
instrument, I often sang the first note in the morning before starting to play my
saxophone. I keyed a low note, e.g., D4 , and then sang the note before I started to
play the tone with the reed. To my surprise, the pitch of the sung tone was dead on
and neither the sung or the reed tone needed pitch correction. This experiment would
work best if I had played within a period of 24 h the day before or even better if I
had practiced before going to bed. This is one of the reasons I am a big proponent
of practicing at least once, or even better twice, a day. Some methods need time for
the brain to adapt and frequent repetition often works better than just accumulating
playing time. Many techniques need a long time period to be learned, independent
of how many hours are spent in training. This is one of the reasons I believe that a
musician can handle a large variety of mouthpiece adapters. Instead of learning them
one by one, I propose to learn them in parallel with a temporary focus on a subset of
them.
There are two ways to learn to play an instrument in tune. One way is to work
with an electronic tuner; the other one is to play along with a reference structure,
e.g., a playback tape. Although electronic tuners can be very helpful, I much prefer
the play along method, because it will train the auditory system to accomplish this
by listening. When working with a tuner, there is a tendency to rationally think about
producing the correct pitch, e.g., to think to have to drop the jaw to produce the
correct pitch for a low note. This will make it difficult to react adequately if the
rational system fails, e.g., if the performer has to produce an incorrect tone to be in
tune with other ensemble members.
In another self-experiment, I wanted to learn how accurate we are concerning
time. So when I wanted to know the time, I predicted it first and then checked my
watch. I found that I was often fairly precise in the order of 3–5 min after waiting
for a period of many hours. However, this only worked if I was doing a task I knew
well, e.g., reading a book, and I was in a calm mood. Stress inhibited this ability
to a great extent. It also turned out that the initial guess was typically the best, and
once I would start to reason with myself my estimate typically got worse. From this,
I learned to trust my body more. This is one of the reasons why I became a fan of
working with my embodied intelligence and thinking that will be discussed in the
next chapter.