THE CROSSOVER

SAXOPHONIST
Michael Shults, D MA
A ssistant P rofessor of Saxophone
U niversity of Memphis
Why crossover?
◦ Primarily: a broader palate for artistic expression!
◦ “A person’s motives for learning another style affects the learning experience.
Classical players frequently want to learn jazz because they want to become
more marketable. Jazz players frequently want to learn classical music because
they want to work on their ‘chops’. Both jazz and classical music are art forms,
and being such demand commitment. Classically-oriented musicians rarely view
learning classical music as mere exercise, and jazz-oriented musicians are rarely
motivated to learn jazz solely for monetary gain. In short, learning music in
order to ‘use’ it leaves out a basic value: music, the performing art.” – Steve Duke
◦ While artistic expression and fulfillment should be the primary goal… salaried
positions for saxophonists like military bands and college/public school teaching
typically require some level of aptitude in both realms. See: higheredjobs.com
postings, military band audition excerpts.
Some full-time saxophone positions requiring
jazz/classical facility in recent years…
◦ Ball State University
◦ University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
◦ University of Memphis
◦ Troy University
◦ UW-Milwaukee
◦ University of Central Arkansas
◦ UW-Stevens Point
◦ President’s Own Marine Band
◦ Pershing’s Own Army Band
◦ Air Force Concert Band
◦ Texas A&M-Kingsville
◦ Tarleton State University
Some opinions of mine, before we get
started…
I don’t think every saxophonist needs to split their time equally between jazz
and classical playing, or necessarily split it at all. I just think there should be a
place for people all across the spectrum – from people who want to specialize in
one direction or the other, to people who are 70/30, to 50/50, to 30/70, etc...

If you don’t genuinely love playing in or listening to a certain style of playing,

you’ll likely never devote the necessary hours to it to achieve fluidity in that
style.

We should be striving for authenticity in what we do, especially if we are

claiming expertise in that particular field. More on this in a little bit.
Challenges
◦ When I talk to 16 year old saxophonists, they seem to primarily indicate an interest in jazz band and
concert band that’s roughly equal. When I talk to 21 year old saxophonists, they almost invariably
indicate a strong lean one way or another. Why?
◦ Filling school/university ensembles
◦ Studio professors hear a more natural bent one way or the other, and consciously or subconsciously steer a student that
direction, without necessarily discussing where their interests lie.
◦ Maybe it’s a good thing – maybe in those five years the student has become more discerning and has a clearer picture on
his/her own. That’s fine!
◦ Graduate programs are exclusionary to players who might want to crossover. The most competitive schools don’t take a
complete picture of the student’s skills, and I suspect are motivated heavily by competition with peer institutions.
◦ It’s more difficult on saxophone than any other instrument, in my estimation. It not only requires a different artistic
mindset, but different musculature and equipment.
◦ It’s tough on the ego! The top recitalists and top jazz improvisers – the ones who set the standard that we all aspire to – are
typically pretty myopic about what they do. Becoming fluent on a professional level in both styles can divide your
attention in a way that makes being in that top tenth of a percent that we all strive for very difficult.
WHAT CONSTITUTES
AUTHENTICITY?
Authenticity (Jazz)
◦ Eighth-note feel
◦ Slow, loop practice: Matt Otto lesson
◦ Articulation
◦ “N’-tonguing or “muffle”-tonguing; Niehaus etudes; Notating transcriptions with articulation
◦ Voicing Flexibility
◦ Voicing by Donald Sinta (front F-bends); mouthpiece input pitch; “Myer” bends
◦ Repertoire
◦ 50 Common Tunes
◦ Aural Training
◦ Identifying basic chord qualities, harmonic rhythm, common chord progressions/root movement; a note in relation to a chord
◦ Chord-Scale Theory
◦ In particular, treatment of dominant seventh chords
◦ Absorption of accepted jazz syntax; abililty to address chord changes (not just chords!)
◦ Composition
Authenticity (Classical)
◦ Embouchure
◦ Flat v. bunched chin, lower lip; stability of jaw
◦ Vibrato
◦ Speed, width, consistency; centering pitch; use the app “Tunable” to give a visual representation
◦ Beginnings and ends of sound
◦ ”Air” sound or tongue stop vs. niente fade/taper; response without tongue; no dips in pitch; not defaulting to subtone in low register
◦ Repertoire, awareness of changing performance standard
◦ We revere and study past masters, but are aware that they may not be the best direct model for style in the 21 st century.
◦ Glazunov and Ibert are wonderful works, but don’t indicate mastery any more than a few choruses of Blue Bossa do in jazz.
◦ Altissimo range that more closely matches the timbre of the rest of the horn
◦ Awareness of contemporary techniques
◦ Greater precision with intonation; awareness of alternate fingerings for intonation/color
THE AURAL
◦ Like learning to speak Spanish or French or German, it’s impossible to speak a language fluently without
having a very acute understanding of the nuances of that language that only come from hearing native
speakers.
◦ Be aware of historically significant but also contemporary players – and not just professionals, but if
you’re a student, people in your age bracket who are actively performing and receiving national and
international accolades.
◦ I think jazz recordings capture more of the experience of hearing a live performance; not when it comes
to group interplay, necessarily, but at least when it comes to a saxophonist’s sound and approach to the
instrument. Classical recordings capture much less, in my experience. Go hear great recitalists in person!
◦ You can’t address an imperfection in your sound and style until you’re able to easily perceive it.
A subjective and totally-not-comprehensive list of contemporary
concert saxophonists who helped me solidify my concept of good
sound and have easily available recordings
◦ Tim McAllister
◦ Vincent David
◦ Nathan Nabb
◦ Otis Murphy
◦ Robert Young
◦ Zach Shemon
◦ Taimur Sullivan
◦ Michael Ibrahim
◦ Raaf Hekkema
◦ Joe Lulloff
◦ H2 quartet
◦ PRISM quartet
◦ Kenneth Tse
◦ Christopher Creviston
◦ Claude Delangle
◦ Arno Bornkamp
◦ Nobuya Sugawa
A subjective and totally-not-comprehensive list of contemporary jazz
saxophonists who helped me solidify my concept of good sound and
have easily available recordings
◦ Will Vinson
◦ Vincent Herring
◦ Miguel Zenon
◦ Ben Van Gelder
◦ Seamus Blake
◦ Chris Potter
◦ Jaleel Shaw
◦ Jon Gordon
◦ Dick Oatts
◦ John Ellis
◦ Walter Smith III
◦ Logan Richardson
◦ Dave Pietro
◦ Joel Frahm
◦ Ralph Moore
◦ Ralph Bowen
◦ Joe Lovano
◦ Perico Sambeat
THE EXTERNAL
Lower Lip
◦ In classical playing, I teach students to roll their lower lip over their teeth until the point where the pink
turns white is directly over the tip of the teeth - though it varies from player to player based on anatomy.
◦ In jazz playing I think it’s worth experimenting with “fat lip” embouchure – slightly rolling out the lower
lip. This can allow the reed to vibrate more freely and bring out higher overtones.
◦ Pros: Significant difference from classical playing, so you are unlikely to get muscle memory crossed; seems to
increase flexibility with lower jaw as needed, though I’m not totally sure why; ostensibly allows the reed to vibrate
more
◦ Cons: Significant difference from classical playing, so best saved for a stretch where you don’t have any big
recitals or band performances coming up; can severely compromise pitch; in early stages, the lip can be rolled out
so far that the teeth brush the reed (ouch)
Chin
◦ In classical playing, the chin should be flat, with the lip supporting the reed but the lower teeth and jaw
pulled down; the lip should support the reed independently of the jaw. In addition, the top and bottom
teeth should be flush with each other – no pronounced over- or under-bite.
◦ In jazz playing, it’s permissible (maybe even desirable) for the chin to be bunched or pudgy. I also
advocate experimenting with a slight overbite, with your bottom teeth and lip placed closer to the tip of
the reed to create subtone. The jaw can be moved around on the reed to color certain notes, punctuate
accents, or pulled back towards the tip of the reed to create subtone. Example: Cannonball Adderley (:45)
Embouchure Shape
◦ In classical playing, I shoot for a “tall” embouchure, or an embouchure “wheel” (as described by Larry
Teal in The Art of Saxophone Playing) in which I’m applying pressure as equally as possible from all
sides of the mouthpiece. This means my corners are drawn in, creating a drawstring effect.
◦ In jazz playing I feel that my embouchure is “wider”, vs. “tall”. This means the corners aren’t drawn in,
and maybe frown slightly.
Practice on the neck
◦ I am a big believer in practicing these elements using the mouthpiece/reed/ligature and the neck alone to help jazz-
trained players adjust to classical playing.
◦ Have the student produce their widest, teeth-bearing smile to help visualize what a “flat” chin looks like, and their
most exaggerated, pudgy-lipped frown to visualize what a “bunched” chin looks like.
◦ Removing the distraction of the horn, or any considerations of range, helps the student focus only on re-setting their
embouchure.
◦ Try to produce as pure a sound on the neck as possible without relying on the tongue for response. Listen for scoops,
falls, lack of response (possibly indicative of too little embouchure pressure), entering sound in a bumpy or edgy
way (possibly indicative of too much embouchure pressure), changes in pitch at the end of the sound, or an airy
sound at the end of the sound.
◦ How classical saxophonists enter and depart from sound is one of the biggest differences from jazz saxophone style!
◦ Once the student displays a more style-appropriate embouchure, move to five note scales on the horn, in front of a
mirror, making sure that the embouchure doesn’t change shape.
THE INTERNAL
Mouthpiece Input Pitch
◦ For classical playing on alto I advocate achieving an A, an octave and a sixth above middle C on the
piano, with the mouthpiece alone, and having that be your default setting. For either style of playing it’s
very important to have the flexibility to achieve a spectrum of pitches above and below this note – a
good goal might be to be able to produce any chromatic pitch between C5 and C6.
◦ For jazz playing, you can experiment with an input pitch a whole step or a minor third below that. The
lower the input pitch, the more spread the sound will become, and you in turn must adjust by pushing the
mouthpiece in on the cork to accommodate. I find that a G or F# input pitch on alto gives me a little
more spread quality that I like, without distorting the pitch center so much that things get squirrelly. In
Mark Watkins’ seminal research “The Saxophonist’s Vocal Tract”, published in The Saxophone
Symposium in 2002-2003, he advocates for a higher input pitch than A for jazz and commercial players.
Ultimately I think it depends on the player, the setup, and the desired sound concept!
Flexibility Exercise
◦ Borrowed from Dr. Tom Myer, University of Colorado:
◦ ”Finger low E and vent (open) the left hand palm key F. Bend this pitch from middle E down to middle C#.Finger
low Eb - vent the left hand palm key Eb. Bend this pitch from middle Eb down to middle C.Finger low D - vent left
hand palm key D. Bend from middle D down to middle B
Strive to get a siren (smooth transition) not a ‘click’ between notes.  This requires a high voicing - tongue is arched
and forward.
I do these intervals as a tremolo - like a trumpet player. 
You can also do a high Bb (see Earl Bostic, Cannonball, Phil Woods, Dexter, etc.).Finger Bis key Bb (with octave
key) and add right hand 4,5,6 and RH Eb key.”
Articulation
◦ In both jazz and classical playing, the tongue should make contact with the reed as gently as possible to
achieve the desired separation or iteration, and it should be noted that accents in either genre are
achieved with air, not the percussiveness of the tongue.
◦ In classical playing, the very tip of the reed should be the contact point of the tongue. I believe that
which part of the tongue is used to make contact with the tip of the reed depends on the anatomy of the
player; a person with a short tongue may use the tip, whereas a person with a long tongue and a small
oral cavity may use a point farther back on the tongue. The important thing is that the tip of the reed is
the contact point.
◦ In jazz playing, I do make a little bit of contact with the underside of the reed, and make contact with a
larger portion of the surface of the tongue. See next page…
 The Black Marker Test
It can be very difficult to gauge what part of the tongue we are using to make contact
with the reed – what we think we are doing with our tongue is often very different than
what is actually happening! One way to get a better understanding is to saturate an old
reed in (non-toxic) black marker. Put the reed on the mouthpiece and, before the ink dries,
play a scale or etude with different articulations markings. The ink from the reed will leave
ink on our tongue where the contact point is. On the left below is what happens when I play with “jazz” articulation. On the right,
with ”classical” articulation. Sorry, everyone.
N-Tonguing, or Muffle-Tonguing
◦ A common technique in jazz articulation is called “N”-tonguing, or muffle-tonguing, where the tongue is
placed on the reed in such a way that the sound is muted or muffled, but not stopped completely. This can
be practiced with just the neck, gradually bringing the tongue up to the reed so subtly that it tickles, and
the sound is dampened but not completely stopped. This can be a useful exercise for classical players that
struggle with being overly percussive, as well.

◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t2bVQg__2Q

◦ From The Inside Out by Dr. Mark Watkins

ABSORBING JAZZ
LANGUAGE
Transcription
◦ Etude books, instructional texts, and printed music have plenty of value, but aural and muscle memory
rule when it comes to jazz improvisation. Learning to get “off the page” as soon as possible is important.
◦ Transcription develops your ear and your sense of style, but it’s really the absorption and application of
what you transcribe that contributes to authenticity the fastest. I find many people have learned intricate
and lengthy transcriptions, but then spend little time taking the next all-important step of trying to
integrate material from the transcriptions in their playing. It’s like taking one bite out of a turkey leg and
throwing it away. There’s a lot of meat left on that bone!
◦ Cliff's Notes Guide To Navigating Functional Harmony – how I work on absorbing ideas from solos in a
concrete sequential way
BALANCING YOUR
PRACTICE TIME
Identify practice materials that have
value in either realm
◦ Practice your major scales from Dorian and Mixolydian mode, common jazz applications
◦ When you practice ”classical” melodic minor, practice its ascending form from the 7 th degree (altered
scale) and 4th degree (lydian dominant), common jazz applications to dominant seventh chords
◦ Taffanel/Gaubert Arpeggios
◦ Lacour Messaien Etudes
◦ Consider learning a movement or an entire classical piece by ear and by memory!
◦ Excerpts from classical repertoire that can be applied/adapted for jazz harmony. Ex. diminished/octatonic
material in Desenclos Prelude, Cadense et Finale and Ibert Concertino da Camera
◦ Ferling 31 (Fifth mode of harmonic minor)
Dubois cadenza
Try To Have Periods of Particular Focus
◦ It can be difficult while in school, but I feel that it’s beneficial to have extended stretches where your
primary focus is either jazz or classical, as opposed to evenly dividing at all times (though that is good
and necessary, too). Then flip your focus around the next time you are able to be myopic. So for example
– spend Christmas break working primarily on jazz improvisation, and a large stretch in the summer
where you work primarily on classical playing. Or vice versa.
◦ If you consider graduate school, you might consider having one of your degrees be an applied jazz
studies track and one an applied saxophone performance (classical) track. I found that I had great periods
of growth when I was practicing almost exclusively jazz (master’s degree in jazz studies) and almost
exclusively classical (DMA in classical performance to current day).
FURTHER READING
◦ The Saxophonist’s Vocal Tract – Mark Watkins in The Saxophone Symposium, vol. 27-28
◦ From The Inside Out by Mark Watkins
◦ An Integrated Approach to Playing the Saxophone by Steven Duke, www.steveduke.net
◦ Approaching the classical style: a resource for jazz saxophonists - dissertation by Joel Vanderheyden
◦ Finding pedagogical strategies for combined classical and jazz saxophone applied studies at the college
level: Based on interviews and a panel discussion with Branford Marsalis, Donald Sinta, Thomas Walsh,
Thomas Bergeron, Andrew Bishop, Andrew Dahlke, Gunnar Mossblad, James Riggs, Rick VanMatre,
Steve Duke – dissertation by Ulf Johan Eriksson, professor of saxophone and jazz studies at University of
Montana
Questions? Contact me!
◦ mashults@memphis.edu
◦ www.michaelshults.net