Tone or Sound Altissimo

[Chas]

Hello everyone one,I am practicing chromatic scale and going into altisimo scale .I go up to high c so that is a play 4 c notes and I also can get D doi need to get any higher,if so I think I will have dogs at the door love to hear from you Charlie

 

[Pete Thomas]

doi need to get any higher,

Probably not. Altissimo is usually an option not a necessity, except in specific circumstances.

 

[Pete Effamy]

Notes up to harmonic A can crop up occasionally - there’s a big band arrangement of Harlem Nocturne that finishes on it - so it’s useful to have.
Other than that it’s solo stuff really and that is up to you of course.

If you’re confident up there, D is as high as most go - Sanborn frequently used it, but I’ve not heard him play higher.

Rock players do play higher, especially on tenor. Ray Beavis plays up to super G, and I’m not talking about a “blow ‘n’ hope” squeak. I’ve heard him use it in gigs - though it’s too high for me to have any sort of confidence with.

Brandon Fields also frequently plays above D with absolute control and a nice sound - but he’s a freak!

So echo what Pete said although up to A is handy to have.

 

[mizmar]

I found altissimo above G hard. Maybe useful as exercises in voicing, control etc. But there's a big gap between getting them to sound and achieving facility.

 

[Guenne]

Brandon Fields

Mark Russo.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJ8dDrZVLI

View: https://youtu.be/mApDI4EW5Ho?t=250

Lenny Pickett:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHy3dTA4S_g

There has been a video where Lenny goes higher, but it's not on youtube anymore. Maybe some dogs went insane.

Cheers, Guenne

 

[Pete Effamy]

Mark Russo.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJ8dDrZVLI

View: https://youtu.be/mApDI4EW5Ho?t=250

Lenny Pickett:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHy3dTA4S_g

There has been a video where Lenny goes higher, but it's not on youtube anymore. Maybe some dogs went insane.

Cheers, Guenne

I was going to say Marc Russo, but without checking I couldn’t remember if he went above D or not. Again, such a thick sound up there.
Thinking back, I think he may have gone even higher on his solo album from the ‘80’s.
Used to be a big fan of his, lovely player.

 

[Guenne]

Used to be a big fan of his, lovely player.

And if you watch the video it seems he is a nice human too.

 

[Pete Effamy]

And if you watch the video it seems he is a nice human too.

I watched one years ago where he was asked about his use of false fingerings and he said that he didn’t really know what he as doing 🤣

 

[Guenne]

I watched one years ago where he was asked about his use of false fingerings and he said that he didn’t really know what he as doing 🤣

It's the same video, it's at the beginning.