Max Schwimmer Saxophone Performance Class Camp Encore / Coda First Session, 2017 Sound Production I’m not a religious man in the traditional sense. I don’t go to church often. But every day, I worship at the altar of long tones. - Timothy McAllister, PRISM Quartet, Professor of Saxophone at University of Michigan The physical variables of saxophone sound production are ____________, _____________, and ______________. Long Tones Long tones are the foundation of developing a beautiful sound. There are many ways to practice long tones, and how you design your long tones practice each day should depend on what you want to work on. Some ways of practicing long tones: - Intervals to match sound across registers - Hold out notes as long as possible (breath control) - Dynamics – crescendo / decrescendo - Add articulation - Add vibrato - Use breath builder Embouchure Main components of an effective embouchure: - Take ¼ to 1/3 of mouthpiece in mouth - Anchor teeth on top of mouthpiece - Bring in corners, support from top and bottom facial muscles - Keep jaw firm but free from tension - Bottom lips provide cushion and some pressure on reed – no biting Classical embouchure has flat, still lower jaw with bottom lip rolled over teeth to produce clear, homogenous sound in all registers Jazz embouchure has a bunched chin and lower jaw that moves forward in upper register and backward in lower register to create a huskier sound with a subtone effect How to work on embouchure: - Mouthpiece exercises - Long-tones with mirror - Practice forming and holding embouchure with thumb / plastic tube Intonation Accurate intonation is a requirement for a beautiful sound. There is no such thing as a beautiful sound that is out of tune! Intonation practice should include long tones with a visual tuner as well as a drone. Practice intervals – especially octaves and 5ths. Voicing Voicing refers to changes in our throat, tongue position, and oral cavity. By changing these things when we play, we can control our intonation, create different tone colors, and extend our range into the altissimo. Examples of voicing exercises include mouthpiece pitch-bending, overtones, and reverse octave key exercises. For examples of these exercises, see Voicing by Donald Sinta / Denise Dabney. Listening, Transcribing, and Recording When working on sound, it’s important to audiate, or imagine the sound we want to hear. One of the best ways to develop a sophisticated aural imagination is to listen to great saxophonists as well as other instrumentalists and vocalists. When you find a sound you love, try to reproduce that sound. Learn a bit of a piece your favorite artist plays. Record yourself and listen back. Repeat! Some examples of great saxophone sounds: Jazz: Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Sonny Rollins, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Kenny Garrett, Vincent Herring, etc.! Classical: Timothy McAllister, Taimur Sullivan, Otis Murphy, Claude Delangle, Raaf Hekkema, Vincent David, Arno Bornkamp, Nobuya Sugawa .