Getting Started
In this video, we look at how to get started playing altissimo on the saxophone.
Discuss this tutorial here.
- Doing it too early in their development as a saxophonist, before they have the strength and control over their throat, airstream and embouchure.
- Doing too early in their development as a musician. You have to be able to play well in the normal register before you can do it the upper reigster!
- Thinking that it's about fingerings. Playing altissimo is about much more than where you put your fingers!
- Control over your throat and mouth.
- Control over your airstream.
- Control over your embouchure.
- Ear-training. You must be able to hear the notes in your head before you play them.
- Confidence! If you are hesitant when playing the notes, they won't come
We want to play the saxophone like a trumpet.
Your body eventually learned what it needed to do to make each note sound cleanly and so to play altissimo, we want to go back to squeaking, just in a more controlled way.
Then try to get the second overtone (F), third (Bb), etc.
Once you get the hang of things, you can go straight to each overtone without having to play each note using the normal fingerings first.
Then try playing the overtone series straight up and down.
- Don't use the octave key.
- Don't overblow.
- Don't bite down on the reed.
Use only your throat, airstream and embouchure to make each overtone. It will take time, but a good sign that you are doing it right is if you can do it quietly.
These might make it easier to make the notes sound but it will hurt your long-term development!
Don't go overboard practicing your overtones! A few minutes a day is plenty.