How long Does it Take to play in the Altissimo range?

[Michael Bishop]

Hi guys,
For anyone whose in Johnny’s Altissimo course right now, I stumbled across this article in the Archives from Sax on the Web from someone who was getting discouraged because of trying to get into the Altissimo range and thought about quitting. From reading the comments from other members who were trying to play in this range too, others were getting discouraged too. There’s one comment there from a member who says he’s a Junior in College and is going to Major in music, has been taking private lessons with an instructor for 8 years and after 8 years finally started to play in the Altissimo range. Another one mentioned he had been playing for 20 years and still couldn’t play in the range. Someone said some pro players don’t play in the Altissimo range at all (don’t know how true that is). I thought this was a good lesson for all of us because Johnny has provided us with the tools in his course on how to play in the the Altissimo range. We all get down when we come across something that is hard/doesn’t come that easy to us…DON’T give up! The payoffs are huge to say the least. THANK YOU so much Johnny for taking out time from your busy schedule to make these kinds of lessons for us 🙂

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/archive/index.php/t-36744.html

[john]

hadn’t read that one Michael but read a post once where a guy said he didn’t feel he needed to learn the altissimo register because he played both alto and tenor. so when he need to get higher up he would just play it on the alto… talk about missing the entire concept.
it can be a long battle with some players because they don’t know what they’re doing and are looking for “secret finger position” thinking that’s where it all lies. You know better than that now.

[paddy jordan]

I second that yeah its great to be able to play in the altissimo and some find it easy that others just like any thing else i am fortunate enough to able to play now on alto and tenor in this active after 3 years it still needs a lot of work though , but i would say to all you guys or girls still trying to nail this one stick with it don’t forget that the just because your not there yet makes you any less of a player, its a bit like some one learning to do doughnuts in cars or hand brake turn it don’t mean they know how to drive the car though.The altissimo is the doughnuts and hand brake turns but with out been able to drive your sax its not going to make you a player! But just like all aspect of the sax sight reading, scales,learning tunes, ear training etc its a good idea to to make a little time in your practice to.

[Anonymous]

i wouldn’t be able to play altissimo if hadn’t come across JF’s altissimo course.

i look back with fond memories now to think that a year ago it was hit and miss trying to get a altissimo G. Now its just another note on the sax, and i can hit it everytime.

[Dazza]

MMM….I am frustratingly working to try and get the G sxpoet but for love nor money it will not sound! I will keep at it but for now its a mirage. Did you need to step up in reed strength or find you had to change your lip position much? I will keep working through Johnny’s exercises and I am sure it will come, one day.

[paddy jordan]

Hi Dazza i was exactly the same for myself as you say for love nor money that G was not having any of it.I tried everything including Johnny,s course.But for me once i actually finally got the G i realised a few things that may help you.Firstly that G requires a very precise embouchure position and breathe support.I was trying to hard, just relax a little.Trying to describe how you blow air into the mouthpieice is very difficult but for me its like when you push air up out of your stomach when your putting your breath onto a mirror or glass and yawning at the same time.Or maybe another one is like having a big sigh and all the air from your stomach seems to release to give that precise air support thetis needed.And lastly just cause you haven’t got there yet, keep coming back and having a practice and pop at it.But there is tons of other stuff to be busy with .as i say i am now in the altissimo club but i know players who are not but the can play way beyond my present ability.

[Anonymous]

Dazza can you play altissimo A? altissimo A is one of the easiest altissimo notes to master (go for that one first) – if you can master the altissimo A, then you are on the right track to getting the rest of the altissimo grinchs, leave the G till later, but keep trying.

The common factor in playing altissimo is mastering overtones. You must have noticed in the past sometimes when you play certain notes, you accidently play and jump an octave higher? thats a bit like playing altissimo. If you try and do it you cant do it , yet sometimes you can unintentionalty do it. If you memorise the positions of the mouth – it still wont work.

To understand the altissimo G is not to try and work out how to do it, but to understand what it is and why you cant do it. Then you can move forward.

the best way i can describe why you cant do it –
If you sing a scale going down, at some point you will come to the last bottom note that you can sing clearly. Now if you try and sing the note below that bottom note – you struggle and you can’t do it – Well thats what altissimo G is exactly like. Something hasn’t developed inside you mentally/physically to bring it out and sing it.

Unlike singing the note below your bottom note – which you will never be able to sing, Altissimo G is possible, and you can do it, the problem is solved by getting a firm lips (embouchure), the Jaw in the correct position, the tongue in the correct position, the neck & shoulders relaxed – any tensing up strangles the throat, there is absolutely no need for excessive biting. Release and let the altissimo G come out, you cant force it out.

the main 3 variables you can play around with are altering the shape of your mouth chamber(put the jaw in different positions), the position of your tongue, and changing breath control (speed and shape). These are all developed when you learn to play overtones.

Some people will do this by singing different vowels as they play – that can work to find new positions.

A trick i learnt from clarinet players, is position the mouthpiece like a clarinet player (they use a more vertical than horizontal mouthpiece) – this gives more of the reed freedom to vibrate on really high altissimo notes. Putting the reed near the bottom of your mouth can restrict reed vibration for higher notes.

Then once you can hit altissimo G, start playing scales in the altissimo range trying to go higher each day.

In the forums i posted a bunch of chromatic exercises which i started and this enabled me to go up to D# in a couple of weeks. using flutter tongue, growling, double/triple tonguing in chromatic scales – builds up the strength to attack altissimo G from different angles.

Once you’ve mastered altissimo – pass on your tips, don’t get smug & big headed – as this will only put everyone else off. All the grade 8 student sax players i’ve met under the age of 18 can play altissimo – so its not for the chosen few probably like decades ago.

[Jazz Cat]

great tips sxpoet & others… the prep work needed to master Before trying alt. fingerings, that Johnny teaches, was the missing link for me…super course and is exactly what’s needed. I’m patient, only have time to practice an hour a week total, so it’ll likely take me a year or so before I can hit G/A/B, and that’s fine.

Quick question, how important is reed strength? I’m playing tenor w/otto link STM5, vandoren java 2.5s, do you find a 3 reed helps w/altissimo, or not important? thx, and happy new years 🙂

[Anonymous]

some people say for a dark mouth piece use a harder reed, and for a brighter mouthpiece use a softer reed?

i personally would stick with the setup that you are comfortable with that allows you to play chromatically from low Bb to high f#.

A great help us to play bottom to top on one breath and back down in one breath. This builds up the strength to sustain those higher notes – you really need to push up there continuosly otherwise your higher notes will soon fade out with lack of support.

The overtones are the only way to get the altissimo – which to start off will be very short lived, so you need to build up the breath support to sustain them.

[Kevin]

Guys, your comments on the altissimo are greatly helpful. I started the course in Sept., though with limited practice time I got discouraged that it wasn’t coming easily and used what little time I was spending on the sax on things that would give me some breif enjoyment and help with keeping the “basics” working so I could at least play through a song. So 3 months of time passed may have only applied 1 weeks worth of effort…
But your comments prompted me to pull out the sheets of the overtones and keep working at those. I had not yet hit the 7th overtone to date, but hey it popped out during yesterdays go at it after I finished my video take.
Keep the dialogue going on this topic, and do please consider some uploads of your successes of learning, it is an encouragement to us all!!!

[Author]

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