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Bend Me, Shake Me

© Chris Mindel

As anyone who plays an instrument knows, being in tune and on the proper pitch is normally a chief concern when performing. But some pieces call for you to alter the pitches for a more expressive sound. And, sometimes the mood just feels right to add some spice to the melodic line yourself. This article will explore a few of the numerous techniques used to alter notes.

The Bend
The bend is normally notated by a small line curving upward before a note. To achieve the desired sound, all you have to do is lower the pitch a little before you blow, and then pull up to the proper pitch. You do this by lowering you jaw, blowing the note, and then moving your jaw back into its original position. It can be executed quickly or drawn out. And if it is to be a very long bend, you can combine the jaw motion with a few extra notes. That is, start a few chromatic steps below the actual note and smooth your way through jaw action into the main note. This is almost a glissando (which will be discussed in a later article), but that's okay. This form of pitch alteration is very common in jazz pieces. It adds a sort of pleading (sometimes laughing) sound to the note. A similar effect can be used when existing a note, bending the pitch up or down.

The Shake
The shake is an alteration of pitch usually associated with the trumpet. All they have to do is shake their instrument. But, the saxophone can accomplish this ornamentation too. All you have to do is treat it as a trill, but to a note a major third down. If the note you want to shake is C, then trill between C and A. The speed can be varied, which can lead to some very interesting sounds.

Other Methods
Sometimes, just a little bit of added coloring is needed to get the pitch to sound like you want. Any combination of extra keys added to the normal fingering might yield a sound you like. Some miscellaneous alterations I enjoy are:

• Substituting overtones of a lower note for the note you want to play. An example: If the note you want to play is an F, you can try over-blowing a low B-flat. It sounds close to the note when played with a normal fingering, but just might sound different enough for some coloring.

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