Playing the saxophone How to growl on saxophone - please help find examples

Examples of the saxophone growl​

Growling is one of the most popular effects on the saxophone. We often associate it with rock and pop playing but it's also a very legitimate technique in jazz, used by the greats from Ben Webster through to David Sanborn.

Before I go on the describe it, here are some audio examples:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGrg57RbqBE

Although we think of the saxophone growl as an effect, it can be applied with different intensities. You can use it here or there on one or two notes or add it quite extensively. It's up to your taste and judgment how you use it. It can be anything from a slight edge to brighten the tone to a full on snarling roaring tiger growl.

It is a sort of equivalent to a guitarist using a distortion pedal.

How do you growl on a saxophone​

First of all one of the misconception is that you growl while playing. That is not likely to work. Another misconception is that you roll your RRRs. Again, that won't work either - BUT - it does give a different but related effect: flutter tongue.

To growl you simply sing, or rather hum, while you are playing. It's not actually possible to sing of course because there is a mouthpiece in the way, but humming (which takes place in your throat) works well.

Which note to hum?​

That's the $1000 question. Some people say to hum the same note as you are playing but slightly (or very) out of tune, others to hum a specific harmony or interval relative to the note you are playing.

I have found that either of those may work, but nobody I know of has yet come up with an explanation of how out of tune or which interval. The way it works is that the note (being out of tune or different to the one you are playing) causes interference with the sound wave of the saxophone to cause the distortion. It may be that not all saxophone notes growl based on the same amount of pitch variation or harmony in the hum.

My preferred method of learning is via a sort of subconscious process of trial and error. Trying to sing along, whether out of tune, or in harmony is just too difficult a process.

So try this:

• Play a note on the saxophone
• While playing, hum any note and while keeping on the same saxophone note, vary the pitch of your hum
• Listen carefully to the note and as your hum varies and note when it causes the tonal interference - and the resulting growl.
• Play that note again (asa long note) while humming that same pitch if possible
• Repeat a few times and then move on to a different and do the same process over again

This way you will gradually find you automatically hum whatever note works best for each note or series of notes you are playing.

Another very quick example...Happy growling evybody!



PS: We are pleased to also bring you a a soundcloud tutorial from our very own cafe member Taz.

https://soundcloud.com/taz-16%2Fgrowl-tutorial

View: https://soundcloud.com/taz-16/growl-tutorial

 

[Pete Thomas]

Growling has nothing to do with gear. The one thing to watch out for is tightening your emboucher when you growl.

That's right. If there is more or less resistance due to mouthpiece, reed or instrument, then that difference affects every apsect of playing not just growl. But most people adapt to that difference within a few days any so it is quite moot IMO.

 

[thomsax]

Growling has nothing to do with gear. The one thing to watch out for is tightening your emboucher when you growl.

You're right. You don't need a saxophone mouthpiece or a sax to growl. When I learned to sing back in 70's we did growl ecercises with our voices.

 

[eb424]

Growling has nothing to do with gear. The one thing to watch out for is tightening your emboucher when you growl.

Hi sorry do you mean tighten the emboucher or don't.....cheers Eddie

 

[eb424]

You're right. You don't need a saxophone mouthpiece or a sax to growl. When I learned to sing back in 70's we did growl ecercises with our voices.

LOL i practice whilst driving round...feel a bit of a nutter but....also use my windscreen wipers as rhythm counting...they go at 52 bpm slow speed....sad git...

 

[mizmar]

windscreen wipers as rhythm counting...they go at 52 bpm slow speed..

or 104bpm or 208bpm.

 

[thomsax]

Growl is one technique to affect the airstream while you are playing. Often used and described. And the growl can be done in differnt ways and the growl can also be combined with other techniques as well.

Growl.
You can growl a three differnt levels. 1. You sing/hum deep down in your throat. 2. Medium, not soo deep more up in the throat. 3. The growl can be done up high in your head as well. A guy had a throat sugrgy due to the growl? Too much growl can hurt. Silent for a month and no saxophone. Back on the sax he had to learn how to "growl" more up (like a opera singer).

Flutter tongue/tone.
You can add a "growl to the flutter tongue/tone as well. The flutter tone was the hardest technique for me to learn. TBF, I never managed! My mouth, lips and tongue were not designed for fluter tongue.

Vibrato.
Diaphragm, chest and tonque vibrato. Slow or fast vibrato. you can can allso help up the vibrato with shaking some parts of your body. Soft knees, vibrating fingers, swaving along with your tongue (light duck) ..... .

And then we have bending, false fingerings, ghosting, dancing tongue, rapid stacatto, multitonics ........ .

Back in 70's and 80's I spent lots of time trying to figure out the Clarence Clemons sound. Was he growling or was it multiphonics? You can growl and get a multiphonic sound as well. To hum pitches while he were playing? Hum a particular pitch against the note the are playing create intervals. And it helps if you play without pressing the octave key when you are playing hum/multitonics.

The equipment. I had a better low and mid "growl" when I played a big Rovner Deep-V tenor mpc with baritone reeds on a Martin Committe tenor. A Martin tenor is a small tenor. A Keilwerth (wide bow) is a big tenor. I don't know if this was the reasons?

 

[thomsax]

The tenor saxophone is perfect for telling a story and/or to give tones to emotions. Jazz, Rock, Classic .... . .Listen to Mike Antunes when he is playing for his friend Clarence Clemons. Long solo .... . The Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons nerds (like me) reconize ex E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez and current E Street Band bassplayer Garry Tallent. In tune? Growl? Vibrato? ....... I don't know or I don't care.

View: https://youtu.be/gPShb0LJq6s

 

[Veggie Dave]

Hi sorry do you mean tighten the emboucher or don't.....cheers Eddie

Good point. I wasn't exactly clear, was I...

I, and from what I can tell many other players, find that when you growl you unintentionally tighten your emboucher. I assume this is because you have to tighten your throat slightly to hum, which then transfers to your emboucher, too.

At first I don't think there's much you can do to stop it as you have to get used to humming before you can then start to polish your technique. But it's good to be aware of what's going on. You'll probably find you even start to bite a little when you start.

I personally think you should practise the technique and learn how to relax while growling rather than going down the route that some players choose where they change their reed strength and even tip opening to compensate for the increased emboucher pressure.

 

[eb424]

or 104bpm or 208bpm.

but true...

 

[eb424]

Good point. I wasn't exactly clear, was I...

I, and from what I can tell many other players, find that when you growl you unintentionally tighten your emboucher. I assume this is because you have to tighten your throat slightly to hum, which then transfers to your emboucher, too.

At first I don't think there's much you can do to stop it as you have to get used to humming before you can then start to polish your technique. But it's good to be aware of what's going on. You'll probably find you even start to bite a little when you start.

I personally think you should practise the technique and learn how to relax while growling rather than going down the route that some players choose where they change their reed strength and even tip opening to compensate for the increased emboucher pressure.

Thanks @Veggie Dave... I will stick with the set up I have custom Raw, TW Gaia 7* and 2.5 legere synthetic....unless I go back to cane reeds 🙂...a little consistency for a while will be a good thing...

 

[lydian]

As an experienced growler, I have to jump in here. If you're injuring yourself, you're doing it wrong. There is absolutely no need to make a growling sound with your voice to get a growl from your horn (sorry Colin). A normal, comfortable hum will produce the strongest growl effect. To make sure my hummed note is as random as possible, I do a sort of aimless moaning. There's no high or low in the throat, just a normal hum. For me the thoughtless randomness of the hummed note was the hardest thing to master. If I ever start thinking about the note I'm humming, the sung pitch will invariably sync up with the played notes and the effect is lost.

Vibrato was mentioned earlier as a growling effect. I disagree. That's a shake not a growl. I can't think of any way to get a growl through vibrato or any sort of diaphragm motion or shaking fingers or jaw. Those are all shake effects, not growling.

I've taught a lot of people how to growl, but none have ever tightened their embouchure as far as I could tell. But I'll keep an eye out next time. Maybe the lesson would go quicker if I pick up on small details like that. In my experience, most of the people I've taught struggle for a while, and then have a lightbulb moment where it immediately clicks, and they get it. Like that moment when you learn to ride a bike.

An alternative to a flutter tongue is using to flutter the uvula as if you were gargling. This doesn't produce a very strong effect, but is a good alternative if you can't do a vocal or flutter tongue growl. I have to do this on bass sax where other techniques are too difficult for me.

 

[eb424]

Thanks for all the advice but I am in serious need of some straight advice..I have kind of grown into the Raw, I have had it adjusted and the key work seems a lot more fluent. The guy who I play with still says I am working twice as hard as he is on his custom Z..I have asthma and unless I stop smoking its not going to get much better....I dont really want to change saxes the tone on the raw is great and with the Theo Wanne Durga the resistance seems minimal...The mouthpiece as pointed out by @Pete Thomas is quite unforgiving but I can live and work with it...is the difference in resistance from the neck is it worth getting a custom neck made, I could phone TJ I guess..I am working on the assumption that the depth of the Raws tone is attributed to more resistance somewhere I played the Z and it does seem a much easier blow but that seems reflective in the bottom end...I know only I can make the decision but are there other options aside from giving up the ciggies...lol

 

[Pete Thomas]

The mouthpiece as pointed out by @Pete Thomas is quite unforgiving

I don’t remember saying that, apologies if I did because I’ve never tried a Durga, but I do like free blowing mouthpieces generally.

 

[thomsax]

With that setup I expect they heard you all over Sweden, in fact I think I heard you.

I don't think a hard baritone reed on a tenor mpc is louder. The baritone reed gave me a sound that is less bright and with less edge as well. But still a full volume tone. I played a Martin HC (Committee) tenor and that was an "edgy and piercing" horn. But the low tones on just "popped out"When I played with other hornplayers I was on a YTS 25 or "The Martin Tenor". Same mouthpices but tenor reeds instead of baritone. And softer tenor reeds as well.

 

[thomsax]

Vibrato was mentioned earlier as a growling effect.

You are right - A growl is a growl. I don't know if I wrote a vibrato = growl? I just took some samples of techniques that "affect the airstream".

 

[eb424]

I don’t remember saying that, apologies if I did because I’ve never tried a Durga, but I do like free blowing mouthpieces generally.

Hi Pete no worries I think you were just referring to high baffle pieces and their unforgiving nature...with relative new players

 

[mizmar]

A growl is a growl

Inspired by this thread I thought I'd practice a little growling last nigt.
My voice is quite low and the effect is so rough that the chap opposite rushed out thinking someone was stealing his Harley!

 

[John Setchell]

Inspired by this thread I thought I'd practice a little growling last nigt.
My voice is quite low and the effect is so rough that the chap opposite rushed out thinking someone was stealing his Harley!

- Sounds like the ideal Heavy Rock sound to me!

 

[mizmar]

- Sounds like the ideal Heavy Rock sound to me!

Getting quite close to death mettle

 

[sax panther]

For me, growling was one of those things that felt a bit weird to start with, but once you click with it you can just do it on demand. I just use the humming technique - blowing air out and humming at the same time. You don't even need a sax to practice that.

I haven't really noticed growling being any easier or more difficult on any mouthpiece/horn that I've tried - anything from a low baffle link style piece to a step baffled guardala. Also goes for clarinet too.

You have a very nice horn and mouthpiece(s) combo already - this isn't an equipment problem for you. Keep trying on what you've already got without the distraction of chasing a custom neck, and you'll have a breakthrough moment soon enough.