altissmo F#

[Don Etchison]

Johnny, really enjoyed your Sleepwalk arrangement. I purchased the backtracking and I am enjoying practicing and trying to master it. Its great to have you as a model in a black leather jacket showing how its done. However, I am having trouble with the high F# – going from it to the E to D three times during the song. I know there are several different keys that can be used for this note on the tenor and I can’t tell by the video how you are doing it. Could you please advise what fingering you recommend for getting the high F# so that I can practice the transition into the E and D as easy and smooth as possible. This is really the first time I’ve tried to play a note above high F so I really have no experience on the altissimo range. Thanks. Don in Florida

[john]

Hey Don, sure I’d like to help you out but are you playing your alto with the backing track download?
Because if so, you need to read from the chart marked alto which is in a different key that does not go to the high F# on that part. It only goers up to C#.
Let me know before we go on.

[Don Etchison]

Johnny, I have both an alto and a tenor and, at this point, master neither, but still have fun trying. So I am following you on the Sleepwalk video on the tenor. The fingering I am trying for the F# is left hand top little key, C key and right hand bottom side key. Is this the best fingering to use for this song on a tenor? Thanks again.

[john]

Sorry, the picture of you playing alto threw me off. Yes, that’s the fingering to use, but it sounds like you’re missing another note: add the index right hand finger to what you’re doing. (right hand index finger is the one that makes the low F note)

You can hit some form of F# with the 3 you’re using but it will sound really flat, then adding that index finger will bring it up a notch to get it in tune.

[Tim56]

Nice Jag!

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