Everyone’s always asking for altissimo fingerings, but the truth is it’s not the fingerings that you need, it’s the preparatory work. It’s the sound work like the long tones and overtone exercises that really make a difference.Those are the things that are going to get the altissimo notes to come out for you consistently, in tune and with a good sound.I’ve got a all of my altissimo fingerings on alto and tenor saxophone, but if you think that just putting your fingers in the right spot is going to get these notes out for you, you’re wrong. Why Altissimo Fingerings Don’t Matter That MuchMost altissimo notes have several different possible fingerings.
It’s because the fingerings don’t really matter so much.It’s what you’re doing in your throat and what you’re doing with your embouchure and what’s going on in your head that’s going to help you get those notes out.What You Do (and Don’t) Need to Play in the Altissimo RangeIt’s also important to note you don’t need some to play altissimo notes. Why It’s Important to Practice These FundamentalsIf I don’t do that warm-up I’m going to get into all sorts of bad habits where I’m trying to force notes out with my embouchure by squeezing really hard.My throat is going to be closing off. I’m going to be dropping my jaw to get the out. All of those things are typical bad habits and ways we cheat to try to get the extreme registers out.You want your air to be doing the work. Not your mouth, not your jaw, not your lips, your air stream does all the work.Click below for a video to make sure your embouchure is solid.
The Definite Fingering Chart for Saxophone - Page 2 C#2 & Db2 D2 D#2 & Eb2 E2 F2 F#2 G2 G#2 & Ab2 A2 A#2 & Bb2 B2 C3 C#3 & Db3 D3 Eb3 E3 F3 F#3 & Gb3 alternate fingering alternate fingering alternate fingering alternate fingering alternate fingering 1 alternate fingering 2 alternate fingering 3 alternate fingering 1 alternate fingering 2.
How to Keep Your Throat Open and RelaxedWhile you’re working on all these sound exercises, you want to pay careful attention to the shape of your throat. You want it to be open and relaxed.Also pay attention to the position of your tongue. You don’t want your tongue to be closing off your throat. Try to get your tongue to relax and lay down flat.Altissimo Fingerings for the SaxophoneNow let’s get into the.
It’s important that we start out by using our front E, front F and front F-sharp fingerings first. Then we’ll be ready to slide on into altissimo G.For a refresher, check out my first introductory lesson to the altissimo range below. Altissimo C fingering on alto and tenor saxophone Finding the Altissimo Fingerings That Work for YouThese are my altissimo fingerings that I use. They work on my. They also work on my If you are using a different fingering or you find a different fingering that you prefer by all means use that one.When you’re testing different fingerings, sometimes you have to compromise as well. You want a good sound and you want the note to be in tune but you also want something that’s relatively easy to get to from other notes.Maybe you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of intonation for a certain fingering in order to get the notes to come out easier so you can play something a bit faster.Click below for some tips on how to play the saxophone in tune. Taking Your Altissimo Notes From the Practice Room to PerformanceAnother thing to keep in mind is that once you start getting these altissimo notes coming out in the about 99 percent of the time, when you then go and try to use those notes in a performance at first they probably aren’t going to be coming out.You have to miss about 100 altissimo notes before they start coming out onstage when you want them to.So that’s it, all the altissimo fingerings for alto and tenor saxophone.
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Having a saxophone fingering chart is essential. An accurate saxophone fingering chart is an invaluable tool for every beginning saxophone student.
- Free Finger Charts for Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Oboe & Bassoon. Click on the images below to print your free fingering charts for saxophone, clarinet, flute, oboe and bassoon. Right click and do a 'Save link as.' To download a PDF of each finger chart to your computer.
- (When more than one fingering is shown, the first is the most common.) W33F It is illegal to photocopy or reproduce this Tenor Saxophone Fingering Chart. Saxophone Key Diagram (This Saxophone Key Diagram is applicable to all saxophones.) 00 octave IOW A (bari sax only) high E high F fork high D.
True, it can be fun, and even beneficial, to try and figure out some of the fingerings yourself. Figuring out how the saxophone works on your own, self-directed study, can be a valuable process, one that can further ingrain the fundamentals as well as solidify the learning experience. Many saxophone fingerings are, in fact, fairly intuitive. But some are not. In some cases, the fingering that is the most intuitive isn’t even the best choice. Ultimately, in order to ensure accuracy and to avoid potential frustration, it’s a good idea to have a reliable reference on hand.How to Interpret the Saxophone Fingering ChartThere are numerous saxophone fingering charts out there. If you search the internet, you’ll find countless examples.
In addition to those on the internet, there are also several saxophone fingering charts available in various saxophone method books. However, many of the saxophone fingering charts out there come with little or no explanation on how to read and interpret them.Many notes on the saxophone have only one possible fingering.
When there’s more than one fingering listed, the saxophone fingering chart I’ve provided has each note’s fingerings listed in order of preference; in order of which fingering is most commonly utilized.Something that many saxophone fingering charts fail to address is the names that key groupings are regularly referred to. Groups of keys have names. I’ve provided a saxophone fingering chart key that labels the key groupings. This will give you an idea of what someone is referring to when they talk about the “palm keys” or the “spatula keys” or the “side keys”. In addition, certain individual keys have names they’re referred to by as well.
To distinguish alternate fingerings, certain keys are referred to as the “bis key” or the “front F key”.Alternate FingeringsMost notes on the saxophone have only one viable fingering. As stated above, the fingerings on the provided saxophone fingering chart are, for the most part, in order of preference. Where there is more than one fingering listed, the fingerings are listed in order of which is utilized more often. For the most part, when there is a second fingering listed, it is a fingering that’s used for trills or for fast chromatic passages. Since most fingering charts come with little or no explanation, I’ve decided to provide a brief explanation of scenarios when you would use one of the alternate fingerings in place of the main fingering. Bb/A# Fingerings: I made a point above of stating that the fingerings on the provided saxophone fingering chart are “for the most part” in order of utilization.
Bb/A# is one of two exceptions to this rule. The two fingerings for Bb/A# are used pretty much equally; 50/50. The side key is useful when playing in a key with A#, such as F# or B, where you’ll be going from A# to B a lot. The bis key is useful when playing in keys with Bb, such as F and Bb, where you won’t really be playing B.
This is, of course, a huge oversimplification, but a good rule of thumb. There are two more fingerings for Bb/A# that I’ve intentionally left off of my fingering chart. The “1+1” fingering and the “1+2” fingering are included on many other fingering charts, but I don’t think they’re good for beginners to use. In fact, I don’t really think they’re good for anyone to use.
I use them 0% of the time, and most people I’ve met or played with do the same. Bb/A# with these fingerings have little resonance and poor intonation on most horns.
When you become a more advanced player, you can decide if they work well for you, but for now, it’s probably best to use the main two fingerings. Side Keys (Side C and Side F#/Gb): In addition to the side Bb/A# key, there are also side keys for C and F#/Gb. The side C key isn’t the most resonant or in tune. It doesn’t sound nearly as good as the main C fingering, but definitely has a purpose. It’s useful when playing a B trill, when playing a chromatic scale, or when playing certain fast passages like the example provided. The side F#/Gb key is similar, although it’s used a little more often. Its resonance and intonation is actually pretty good, at least on my horns.
It’s useful when playing an F-to-F# trill, a chromatic scale, or fast passages like the example provided. It’s also useful when playing an F# major scale or Db major scale, or any scale that has F to F#/Gb in it. G# Fingerings: One of the spatula keys is the “G# key”, but it’s helpful to know that any spatula key can be used to play G#. Knowing this can make certain passages a little easier or a little more fluid.
Alto Sax Finger Chart Pdf
If you need to play low B to G#, you can use the B spatula key to finger G#, requiring less movement. In keys with both G# and C# (such as A, E, B, F#, Db, Ab), I usually keep my pinky on the C# spatula key the whole time. I probably use the C# spatula key to finger G# just as often as I use the G# key, if not more often. It’s also good to know that you can leave the G# key, or any spatula keys, down the whole time you’re playing. This makes certain passages easier. I often joke that this is the saxophone’s improvement over the clarinet and flute.
On those instruments, you cannot leave this fingering down when playing other notes. High F Fingerings: High F is the other “for the most part” exception. The two high F fingerings are, like the Bb/A# fingerings, used pretty equally, depending on the situation. The main F fingering sounds a bit better than the front F fingering, but doesn’t work as well in certain situations.
The front F fingering is useful when playing an F arpeggio. It also becomes very useful when playing in the altissimo register. I think of it as the “gateway” into the altissimo register. But, that’s more of an advanced concept.
Similarly, there is a fingering for high E, which is this fingering plus your left hand ring finger.The provided saxophone fingering chart is in no way an exhaustive resource. Even the alternate and extra fingerings just explained don’t provide a full list of possible saxophone fingerings. The fingerings on the provided saxophone fingering chart will most likely be the fingerings you use 90-100% of the time. However, with time and experience, you may figure out some more possible alternate fingerings that work well for you.Most other fingerings you will figure out will just be slight adjustments to the fingerings on the provided chart.
Adding certain keys to the main basic fingerings can slightly change intonation, timbre, or resonance. The high F# on my tenor saxophone runs a little flat, so I add the Bb spatula key whenever I can to bring it in tune.
You may find that certain notes on your particular horn benefit from adding other keys in some situations. Other fingerings provide enough of a timbre difference that it sounds as though a note was reattached. This is an effect you can use, a la Brecker, with certain notes, such as middle Bb, B, C, C#, high G, etc.ConclusionIt is beneficial to have a good saxophone fingering chart, especially for beginning saxophone students. The chart I’ve provided is intuitive, accurate, concise, and precise, but is in no way exhaustive. Over time, you would develop a feel for what is comfortable for you. Just remember, what is comfortable at the moment is not always what’s ultimately best. It’s easy to call a bad habit the easiest option.
In other words, a new fingering is naturally more difficult than what you’ve become used to, but getting past the initial learning curve will make the new fingering ultimately more efficient. You should also keep in mind that the information provided in this article is my opinion. From my experience, I also believe that it’s the most popular opinion on the subject, but it’s not the only one. Some saxophone players use the “1+1” fingering as their main Bb fingering. Most people I’ve talked to about it don’t. I also know that the “1+1” fingering sounds absolutely terrible on my particular horns.
Maybe it sounds good on your horn. These are things that will develop over time. This saxophone fingering chart is simply a good resource to have on hand when you are learning play the saxophone.