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AH-EE!

© Chris Mindel

Some saxophone pieces have slurs that connect notes from the upper register of the saxophone to notes from the lower register. Since they are slurred together, the change from note to note must be smooth and even. Yet this is not as easy as it sounds. How many sax players have done this type of slur only to get an odd squeal out instead of the lower note? Can I see a show of hands? Ahh, I thought so. This odd sound is both caused and remedied by throat position.

But what is throat position? I will explain that first, and then return to the above example. Throat position involves using some of the vowels used in singing. Ah, eh, ih, oh, oo, ee. Say each of these vowel sounds slowly. Notice that you throat is very open when you say "ah," and very tight by the time you say "ee." This is what I have been referring to when I have mentioned throat position. Practice each vowel sound (especially "ah" and "ee"), notice how open or closed your throat is. You need to get to the point where you can change your throat position (that is, how open or closed it is) without vocalizing any vowels. [Here is one place that I am not as sure on the theory as other places. If you have any corrections or other ideas, please let me know.]

When you play the saxophone, you must sing through your instrument. Through the low notes, sing "ah;" through the really high notes, sing "ee" (sing without vocalizing the vowels). Try each throat position with different notes on the saxophone. For the best sound production, the higher the note on your saxophone, the tighter your throat should be. Be careful, though, just to move your throat and not your lips or mouth. You don't want to interfere with your embouchure. And you thought you just had to blow into the mouthpiece!

Now, let's return to the initial example. When you slur down to the low note and get a weird sound, what you are actually playing is a harmonic, or overtone, of the lower note. [See my article on sound production (Blow, Gabriel ...) for a pretty decent definition and description of overtones.] You are playing a harmonic of the lower note because your throat position is locked into the position for the higher of the two notes. If, when you play the lower note, you open your throat, the lower note will come out clear and smooth. Of course this skill, as any other, takes practice. But, when mastered, it improves your overall sound and your ability to move smoothly between notes.

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