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Tone Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i use.

Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

I think Getz embouchure is more the reason he sounds fluffy and chirps, not that he didn't play into a wardrobe. But there is allways the argument, that if he did, his ear would have told him to change his embouchure .
That could well be true but i was only using Getz-like tone as a point of reference to add a sound label to my meaning of darker warmer less high end frequency playing.
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

Try it Dave, this is the exact technique i used to get my tone and build my projection and a method i use to add that nice bright 'ring' to my sound. And Getz tone is more airy , fluffy and less dominant with higher frequencies in it unlike say mr.B' tone which is full of them,(said it again)

I'm all for if people think or do something they feel works that's all that matters and this the case here for sure.I do a lot of thought and working every note every time i'm blowing,mental and physical to get my tone and it works for me and that's my kind of method.
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

I'm all for if people think or do something they feel works that's all that matters and this the case here for sure.I do a lot of thought and working every note every time i'm blowing,mental and physical to get my tone and it works for me and that's my kind of method.
but i know you will try it, always good to have options and it really helps. You will feel the slight alterations needed, i just done a little wardrobe practice this morning and gonna do a few minutes more now and i can feel and hear the difference and what i want to work on.
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

No wardrobe? Try the fridge. It could be the rebirth of the cool

Then you can adjust your tone to bright or dark according to whether the light is on or off.
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

Then you can adjust your tone to bright or dark according to whether the light is on or off.
you and Colin should form a double act! but sadly there will be plenty of empty seats! >:):)))
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

The follow was originally a reply i posted on another thread so i slightly adapted it and posted here as i feel it could be of use to others on their quest in tone development. I have had quite a few personal questions on how to develop tone and have been commented on my own tone. So I share one of my learning methods i used and still use and with great success...

I use an old fashioned practice method taught to me by several great 'old school' big band sax players (no disrespect intended)...
The method i use is blowing into a wardrobe or 'tone frequency isolation', as I like to call it, sounds a little odd at first, i know, but it really worked for me BIG time!
You can help shape your sound considerably because when you play into the 'wardrobe' (not an empty one of course!) it dampens the whole sound and isolates certain frequencies that naturally come out so when you play into the wardrobe you tend to hear or have more of a 'buzzy' sound so if you want to play with a more dark sound (think 'Getz-like') you can try to eliminate or dampen them buzzy frequencies by adjustments to your embouchre, throat, position of teeth on mouthpiece and overall blowing to cut down on them higher buzzy frequencies. The same can be done if you wish to add brightness to your sound (as I actually did!), but using the same method but in the opposite way, where you try to enhance them higher buzzy sounds with the above mentioned adjustment techniques. I actually did this method in order to help get the tone/sound i have today and every now and then to fine tune my sound i occasionally go back and do the same procedure.
Once you have adjusted the tones/frequencies to your needs then play in the same way but in a more open space to listen to the difference, if you need to work more then simply repeat the procedure til you are satisfied with the result.
Strange as it may all sound at first and you will probably get funny looks from your other half as mine did (and still does) until she knew what it was all about, BUT, this method REALLY WORKS!

A.) Develop your sound be it a dark warm sound or brighter edgy sound or a nice blend of the two.
B.) Practice quieter, more neighbour friendly practice...
C.) Saves you money by NOT buying saxophone sound dampeners...

I hope this helps someone as it has helped me.

regards and happy progress.

Tried it this morning Ian. Really beneficial.:thumb:
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

This is very similar to something discussed when I was at a masterclass (I think it was Snake Davis) some time ago. He advised playing against a wall and really listening to your tone and try and hear all the aspects of the tone.

He said that most people only focus on their main 'edge' tone, the one most obvious to the ear. He advised practising listening to the shadow tone, which he described as the same pitch as your main tone but in the background like an echo of the main tone. And then the overtones (the higher buzzy frequencies you describe Ian) floating above the main tone.

I tried it for a while on long tones but then it slipped out of my routine and I'd forgotten about it until reading this thread so I'm off to the wardrobe later to try this out and if I get into Narnia then even better!! Thanks Ian :)


Hi Sue.

I have a book with 2 CDs attached "Called Practise Like the Pro's" by Sue Terry (an american sax player).
She also mentions about the Shadow tone, this is about playing long tones and overtones against a wall.
She talks about doing this exercise for several weeks, to discover your own personal sound, which I think is somewhat different from Ian's approach.....
I'll give the closet blowing a go..... I remember when I was working for fine furniture maker in rural Japan, he encouraged me to play in his workshop so I could infuse the wood with sound and beauty, I also loved to do this anyway, I believe playing in special places adds something unmeasurable, but very worthwhile and pleasing, I've played in the Grand Canyon, on mountain tops, in the forests, over lakes, etc...nobody else around and it felt magical!

I think the Wardrobe job is more likely to be weird and wonderful...we'll see!
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

Hi Sue.

I have a book with 2 CDs attached "Called Practise Like the Pro's" by Sue Terry (an american sax player).
She also mentions about the Shadow tone, this is about playing long tones and overtones against a wall.
She talks about doing this exercise for several weeks, to discover your own personal sound, which I think is somewhat different from Ian's approach.....
I'll give the closet blowing a go..... I remember when I was working for fine furniture maker in rural Japan, he encouraged me to play in his workshop so I could infuse the wood with sound and beauty, I also loved to do this anyway, I believe playing in special places adds something unmeasurable, but very worthwhile and pleasing, I've played in the Grand Canyon, on mountain tops, in the forests, over lakes, etc...nobody else around and it felt magical!

I think the Wardrobe job is more likely to be weird and wonderful...we'll see!

I've heard of Sue Terry, I think the discussion in the masterclass maybe had come from her original idea now you mention it. I can't be bothered to trail upstairs to the wardrobe but next to my den/music room I have a coats closet so have been doing long tones in there into the corner and I think if I listen really carefully I'm starting to 'get this' Can't say my tone has improved yet but I'll persevere, particularly at the high end. I envy your 'special places' tour, sounds idyllic.

BTW - a new drama started here Top Of The Lake set in NZ and filmed in Glenorchy - breathtaking scenery and one of the main characters is a mad Scotsman!!
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

I've heard of Sue Terry, I think the discussion in the masterclass maybe had come from her original idea now you mention it. I can't be bothered to trail upstairs to the wardrobe but next to my den/music room I have a coats closet so have been doing long tones in there into the corner and I think if I listen really carefully I'm starting to 'get this' Can't say my tone has improved yet but I'll persevere, particularly at the high end. I envy your 'special places' tour, sounds idyllic.

BTW - a new drama started here Top Of The Lake set in NZ and filmed in Glenorchy - breathtaking scenery and one of the main characters is a mad Scotsman!!
It takes a little time, but depending if you want to brighten or darken your sound. the 'playing into wardrobe of clothes' helps dampen the sound so you can hear and the isolate the 'buzz' of your sax better (higher frequencies) and you can then use your embouchre to either dampen the buzz by relaxing it more and blowing more open for a warmer sound or enhance it by tightening the embouchre for a brighter focused sound.
 
Re: Tone development - Achieving a Bright or Dark sound with an 'old school' trick i

BTW - a new drama started here Top Of The Lake set in NZ and filmed in Glenorchy - breathtaking scenery and one of the main characters is a mad Scotsman!!

Hi Sue,

Och aye!
I tried for the part...but a saxophone playing unicyclist clown was too much for them!

Thems the breaks!
 

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