How to Growl on the Saxophone

Learn to growl on your saxophone and embellish your improvisations.

Growling is a common effect used in various wind instruments, including the family of saxophones. It is generally used to create an aggressive tone that combines the sound of the saxophone and the sound of the human voice while singing, humming or screaming into the instrument. The note played on the saxophone should ideally be different from the note being sung; otherwise, if a unison is produced, the notes can be perceived as canceling each other out. This is known as phase cancellation. The common idea is to produce a two-note harmony that can be consonant or dissonant, depending on what is intended. The technique is not necessarily difficult, but you must practice it a lot in order to make it feel musically sound.

Instructions

1. Play and maintain a long note on your saxophone, such as a high C or high G.

2. Continue blowing into the instrument and simultaneously sing, hum or scream a constant pitch into the saxophone. Make sure your embouchure is not affected as you attempt to play and sing at the same time. This will produce a growling effect.

3. Determine the note you will play on the saxophone and the note you will sing. For example, play the note C on the saxophone and sing the note E or Eb. This combination will create either a major or minor quality in the harmony of your growl.

4. Continue practicing playing and singing simultaneously with long notes. Practice with close intervals, such as D and F, G and Bb and F and G.

5. Play and sing notes that are a major second apart if you want to produce a dissonant growling effect. For example, play C on your saxophone and sing D as you play, which will create a dissonant growl. Note: The correct interval will ultimately be the one you consider that fits the music or improvisation idea.

Tips & Warnings

• When recording or playing live, only mic the bell of the saxophone since the true growl sound is the one you will hear from the bell and not what is heard in close proximity to the mouthpiece.

References

• Saxophone: The Growl on Saxophone
• Saxophone Players: How to Play the Saxophone Growling