Revisiting Altissimo

I got a confession to make... I just successfully extended my sax range from 2 1/2 octaves
to dat of 3 octaves!! YEAH! Was playing around again with the altissimo fingerings and got
to hit A# and B pretty okie~

So rite now, i can play like 39 chromatic notes which is like 3 semitones up from 3 octaves~
Hitting 3 more semitones up will effectively push me up to 3 1/2 octaves which means once i
gain control of the altissimo to dat level, i can consider my goal of mastering altissimo achieved!
But there's always room for more~ Up to maybe 4 octaves~

However, i just found out that the problem with my bow screws is not the screws themselves.
It is the bow ring whose screw thread has gone bust.. now the upper screw thread cannot
catch onto any screw. dat's no good cos.. well there's danger of the bow area falling off the
sax and if dat happens.. dats it man.. i'm gonna have a lot of repairs to do..

Anyway here're the altissimo fingerings for A# and B:

A#/Bb

1.    [Oct Key], G, F, E, [Side C]

2.    Oct Key, G, [F], Side C

Both of these work well for me but i prefer the 1st fingering because it seems to have
more colour to the tone. Use watever works or watever sounds a better tone. This can
be done by experimenting, pressing other buttons or removing others etc. The keys in
brackets are optional but they can help to colour the tone.

B

1.    Oct Key, (Side D#), Side D, G, F, E

2.    Oct Key, (Side D#), Side D, A, G, Side C, [F], [E]

Both work fine but i think the 2nd fingering somewhat sounds thinner.. The extra Side
D# is to help with the tuning but this can make the tone sound even thinner. I prefer
the first one because it's got more body of tone but it can sound like A, a semitone flat,
which is not wat u want. So this 1st fingering has got to be controlled well by the
embouchure. Adding the Side D# allows better tuning but thins the tone slightly.

Going back to the previous altissimos:

F#/Gb

1.    Oct Key, Front F, A, Side Bb

2.    Oct Key, B, G, F

Both work equally well, but personally i feel dat the 2nd fingering has more body in
tone. But i wun bank on dat just yet because my sax is not 100% in order (bow screws).
It's easier also.


G

1.    Oct Key, Front F, F, Side Bb

2.    Oct Key, B, G, F, *High F#

3.    Oct Key, B, G, F, D, [Side Bb]

I find the first fingering is too thin but it's relatively easy to get. As for the second,
i've not tried it. *However, you cant use it if ur sax doesnt have the high F# key. I
would go with the 3rd fingering but it's harder to get the note out with this one. It
does sound full and has good body of tone. It's easier to get alt G using the 3rd
fingering if you use the side Bb as well, but it's hard to switch to G# third fingering.
So far, the most difficult to produce has got to be alt G. I find it's much more difficult
than alt A.


G#/Ab

1.    Oct Key, Front F, Side Bb

2.    Oct Key, B, G, F, [D], Side C

Surprisingly, the 1st fingering is harder to produce i find.. and it sounds thin too so
i wun be lightly to use it. The 2nd fingering is a whole lot easier and sounds much
better. Adding D would alter the colour in the tone. See wat works~


A

1.    [Oct Key], Front F, A, G, F, E, D

2.    Oct Key, A, G

Both work well for me. The 2nd fingering is very straight forward and produces a
rather fine tone. The first fingering introduces some extra colour. Experiment with
and without the octave key.

I've found also dat to produce altissimo easier, you cannot have too much lip rolled
over the lower teeth. This creates more surface area touching the reed and thus the
ultra high frequencies and vibrations will be dampened. This will not allow the altissimo
to come out. In fact, i tried to have as little lip over the teeth as possible and i got real
high squeaks. Dats how much it affects your ability to produce altissimo. Also, having
slightly more reed in the mouth helps with altissimo as well~