How do we know the difference between a major triad and a minor triad? That ability alone is actually pretty amazing when you think about it. At least in the western world, most people can hear the difference, but can't necessarily explain what it is. We musicians know that it's because of the interval between the first and second notes, which differs by a half-step. Isn't it incredible that we can hear that relatively small frequency difference? Is that part of what allowed us to survive and evolve, perhaps to be able to tell the difference between a sabre-tooth tiger and an aardvark in our caves? We know major and minor tonalities have different emotional values in different cultures. Is there an explanation for that?
We humans can also feel and reproduce rhythms. This has sometimes been associated with the human heartbeat. One way or another, we feel the heartbeat all of our lives. In both cases, tonality and rhythm, some people are more accomplished than others at distinguishing them. If one is an excellent sight reader, it is not a given that they have an advanced sense of either. A player's musical personality is perceivable, not limited to just the sound of their saxophone. Part of it might be extended to how they dress, move with their instrument, react with other musicians or an audience. The essential qualities of the saxophone player besides the "voice" (meaning timbre, intonation and sound production including vibrato) that come to mind for me are note choice for embellishments or melodic changes, rhythmic placement, phrase length, density, volume dynamics, timbre dynamics (change the tone during a note or phrase), intonation dynamics (turns, falls, bends).
My whole theory behind all of this is very simple. Experiencing the work of the greats without copying anything they do, taking note of every way they express themselves that stands out as their saxidentity, is a huge step towards developing your own voice. The first BOTM I dared record, That's All, was inspired by this Hank Crawford version. Listen to the first line of the melody, which has four notes. If you get out the aural microscope, you'll hear some things in that phrase that make this Hank Crawford. Where and how many grace notes, bends, where he plays two notes when the melody only has two. There are probably 10 things in the first phrase to reflect upon. That's what I did, anyway, on my eighth month on the sax. I just listened to a part of that, and I don't think there's any resemblance to Hank (for better or worse). But I learned a lot from listening too him.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX7xcGxcb4M
Vibrato is big in his style.
We humans can also feel and reproduce rhythms. This has sometimes been associated with the human heartbeat. One way or another, we feel the heartbeat all of our lives. In both cases, tonality and rhythm, some people are more accomplished than others at distinguishing them. If one is an excellent sight reader, it is not a given that they have an advanced sense of either. A player's musical personality is perceivable, not limited to just the sound of their saxophone. Part of it might be extended to how they dress, move with their instrument, react with other musicians or an audience. The essential qualities of the saxophone player besides the "voice" (meaning timbre, intonation and sound production including vibrato) that come to mind for me are note choice for embellishments or melodic changes, rhythmic placement, phrase length, density, volume dynamics, timbre dynamics (change the tone during a note or phrase), intonation dynamics (turns, falls, bends).
My whole theory behind all of this is very simple. Experiencing the work of the greats without copying anything they do, taking note of every way they express themselves that stands out as their saxidentity, is a huge step towards developing your own voice. The first BOTM I dared record, That's All, was inspired by this Hank Crawford version. Listen to the first line of the melody, which has four notes. If you get out the aural microscope, you'll hear some things in that phrase that make this Hank Crawford. Where and how many grace notes, bends, where he plays two notes when the melody only has two. There are probably 10 things in the first phrase to reflect upon. That's what I did, anyway, on my eighth month on the sax. I just listened to a part of that, and I don't think there's any resemblance to Hank (for better or worse). But I learned a lot from listening too him.
Vibrato is big in his style.