Altissimo notes? How?

[Jonathan Hurst]

I’ve finally accomplished my goal of hitting the high g on tenor. Not high g above the f on the staff, but the altissimo g! Now I want to play even higher. How would you go about as far as a setup goes?

[john]

Jonathan, getting the high G is good news! That one can be real tough for beginners of the altissimo range. But… we don’t change our setup to hit an altissimo note. It comes from gaining more control on the instrument. You need to work on your embouchure, air support and the overtone series.

[Michael]

Hitting Altissimo G is a big thing for sure–it’s the one note where the transition occurs from the normal range of the Sax into the Altissimo range, so that’s great to hear Jonathan. It’s a great feeling for sure 🙂
We’re you wondering about your set in terms of MP/reed set up? If you’re hitting Altissimo G (nice and clean with 100% full control) with the set up you have, then I would think you should stick with the set up you have because once you get past Altissimo G in Johnny’s course, then the following notes like Altissimo A, B, and up farther and farther as high as dogs can stand it LOL is just a matter of making adjustments in your embouchure, air support, etc.. to hit those notes v.s. worrying about changing your set up (if that’s what you’re asking about). Altissimo G and G# we’re by far the most difficult to hit; the following notes we’re relatively easy once you get past G and G#…my set up had nothing to do with it. I’ve read online where some people prefer an MP with a big tip opening and others prefer one with a more tip opening, others prefer harder reeds or softer reeds, etc.. Once I got through Johnny’s Altissimo course, I experimented with some of those things; using even some of the hard-rubber MPs that I have ( a 4c, 5c, 6c) with the old Rovner ligature that I started using when first learning from Johnny. None of it made any difference at all; for me it didn’t anyway but we’re all different.

[Michael]

Johnny’s comment appeared at EXACTLY the same time that I posted mine…we must have both been typing literally at the same moment! That’s funny. The point I wanted to make Jonathan is that if you’re hitting Altissimo G with what you have, then you shouldn’t have to worry about changing it. As mentioned in my comment above, I experimented with all kinds of things like tip openings, softer/harder reeds, etc.. For me, it made no difference. Nothing can beat mastering the techniques that Johnny teaches and it can’t be substituted for changing your Sax set up. That kind of thought goes back to relying solely on “secret” fingering positions instead of focusing on the technique needed to play in this range.

[Jonathan Hurst]

I appreciate everyone taking the time to help! My setup is a Selmer C Star, with Medium La Voz Reeds. And my Benjamin sax, again, exclusive to my local Georgia Music Store. Can’t wait to play my schools Selmer Series III!

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