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Welcome To The Altissimo Course Member’s Area

*Important – Bookmark This Page For Future Access!

Part One

Laying a Solid Foundation

In part one you’ll be building on some of the basic techniques that are needed for having more control over your saxophone. Some of these things may be quite familiar to you but whether they are or not, they must be taken very seriously and improved upon no matter how long you’ve been playing.

Lesson 1- Smooth Fingering for Full Range of Sax

This is step one in developing control of your horn. With just one chromatic exercise, with the addition of a variation or two you will: Develop smooth fingering and conquer the 3 common problem areas of the normal register.

Lesson 2 – Sustained Notes

This is going to help you develop an even and controlled tone from top to bottom. These two simple long tone exercises are the key to help you achieve a fuller, stronger and more controlled sound. Everyone’s heard about them, not many do them and many who do them, don’t do them right!

Lesson 3 – Ear Training

Tone imagination, or ear training, is important for every musician in general, and it’s an extremely important skill for becoming successful in the altissimo register of the saxophone. These 3 easy and fun note interval exercises are going to help you develop an important technique that will help you in the next lesson and onto the altissimo range.

 Part Two

Overtones – The Basis For Playing in the Altissimo register

In part two you’ll discover the most important techniques that it takes to go beyond the saxophones normal range. This is the natural series of overtones. The better you do in part one, the easier these will be to play. Once you can blow through these exercises you’ll be ready to learn the altissimo fingering system and start screamin’!

Lesson 4 – Overtones

Understanding this natural overtone series is the basis for playing all those crazy high notes you’ll soon be doing, and it starts here with blowing your first 2 overtones.

Lesson 5 – Overtones Exercises

Here we expand on lesson 4 by adding the 3rd overtone and working it in multiple keys to increase your overall control.

Lesson 6 – Overtone Exercises 2

Variations on overtone exercises involving the 5th and octave intervals. Your overtone range will increase again with the Introduction of the 4th overtone; D

Lesson 7 – Completing the Overtone Series

Introducing the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th overtones. With these exercises you will now be able to play the complete saxophone overtone series starting with the low Bb, then moving on to B natural, and finally C.

Part Three

The Rubber Hits The Road!

Forget about searching all over the web and buying a bunch of fingering books. Included in part three is the complete saxophone altissimo fingering that will work for you. There is generally only one, sometimes two finger positions with some suggestions for improving the intonation, but only if necessary.

Fingering Lesson 1 – F#

The 1st note of the altissimo register!

Fingering Lesson 2 – G

The 2nd note of this register. Once you get to this one you’re well on your way!

Fingering 3 – G# and A

With these two notes added to your range you will have increased it by half an octave already!

Fingering 4 – Bb and B

Once you get a good handle on the A note you’ll find that moving on to the Bb and B natural will be an easy and smooth step ahead.

Fingering 5 – C C# D

Getting up there now, and this is a real sweet spot of the altissimo range.

Fingering 6 – D# and Beyond!

The highest note is the 5th octave high C. Any higher than this and dogs will start coming around!

Part Four

Over The Top

Click here for the final lesson

Here are some exercises in the altissimo range that will help you to really take control of this dynamic and exiting range. I also share a couple tips on how to incorporate some high notes into your playing.