How to Scream on the Saxophone

Playing saxophone is a wonderful hobby and a lot of fun. The more you play the better you get and the more fun you can have. Getting better requires disciplined practice and patience.

Instructions

What is Screaming?

1. "Screaming" on saxophone can refer to a few different things:

   • playing very loudly
   • playing aggressively
   • playing "multiphonics"

2. Put a lot of air into the horn. The more air you put into a horn, the more volume you will get. Blowing from your diaphragm instead of your lungs will increase tone thickness. It is important to keep your embouchure tight. Continue to use your diaphragm to support the air flow and do not bite the tip of the mouthpiece.

3. Subdivide the beats equally to play in an aggressive way. Outline chords harmonically within the subdivisions. Aggressive screaming is a way of playing that uses tremendous amounts of energy and communicates it to an audience. Playing aggressively requires artistic restraint and a mastery of horn and harmonic fundamentals. To prepare, you must identify the proper key and chord progressions. Using these techniques will allow for an aggressive musical posture and you can "scream" to your heart's content.

4. Multiphonics is a technique used by advanced players, in which they make simultaneous sounds while playing. This is accomplished by "screaming" a note a third or a fifth above or below the note you are playing. For instance, if you are playing a C, then you would vocalize an E or A. For this to be heard you have to scream it loudly. The result is multiphonic, or playing multiple notes at once.

Tips & Warnings

• Disciplined practice is required to build up proper breath control.

References

• Saxophone Techniques--multiphonics
• Saxophone Dynamics