If You Can Imagine It, You Can Play It
The above title “If You Can Imagine It, You Can Play It” is the mantra you need to carry with you through this entire altissimo learning process as we move forward. To play a saxophone in tune, even in the normal range requires good tone imagination. This is even more important as we get into the higher range.
The following exercises will help to develop your inner ear, or tone imagination. There are little tricks we can do to help us improve our inner ear, which really means to be able to identify intervals of notes. Everything in music is based on intervals. Chords are made of notes and the interval, or distance between each of these notes. A song’s melody is constructed with a series of notes all of which have a specific interval between them.
Octaves
An octave is the easiest interval to imagine, or sing, because it’s the same pitch, only an octave higher. For the exercise below, play the first note of each bar, but before you play the octave, think or imagine it in advance. Once it’s in your head, play it. Do this exercise until you are able to always sing or imagine the 2nd octave note without fail.
To help you imagine an octave in advance, hum or sing one of these popular melodies:
- Over the Rainbow
- I’m Singing in the Rain
Always aim for:
- perfect intonation
- even tone quality
- balanced dynamics
- smooth legato
The 2 Octave Keys on a Saxophone
The top octave key that sits on the neck is very obvious and easy to spot.
There is a second, lower octave key that is located a few inches down from where the neck connects to the body.
(see image on right – the key will raise when you depress the thumb octave key)
When you play the octave A as in the 2nd note of the above exercise, it opens the top octave key, and when you play the high G# it opens the lower octave key.
Play these 2 notes consecutively to notice the slight difference in feel, color and uniformity of tone. Experiment with your embouchure to keep the tone nice and even between these two notes.
Fourths
A perfect fourth is another interval you need to hear in your head before even playing it. Play the exercise of fourths below in the same manner in which you played the above octave exercise.
Popular songs to help you hear a perfect fourth are:
- Here Comes the Bride
- Amazing Grace
Fifths
A perfect fifth is another interval you must learn to identify. Play the exercise of fifths below in the same manner in which you played the above exercises.
Popular songs to help you hear a perfect fifth are:
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Can’t Help Falling in Love
