[NewMusic] wind instruments

[jacob felix heule]

It's funny to me how articles like this always make the altissimo
range sound so much more mysterious and impressive than it really is.
Sigurd Rascher had completely mastered this technique by the beginning
of the 40s, others were using it way earlier, and Rascher was
convinced Adolphe Sax intended for the saxophone to be played that
way. I guess, though, it's always nice to be sticking tubes down
people's throats and looking around a little. I just always see the
altissimo range written about like, "Coltrane can play notes that
don't even exist on the saxophone! What the fuck?!" It's really not in
that category, but maybe I shouldn't expect any more from an ignorant
uncultured press writing for an ignorant uncultured public. It's just
a little silly that this sort of writing perpetuates the idea that
this is some crazy thing. Anyway there's nothing wrong with studying
it. I'd really like to find out how Gratkowski is playing notes BELOW
the range of the instrument. I'm pretty sure it's gotta be some kind
of similar sub-glottal coupling, but it just sounds so crazy, and I've
never heard anyone else be able to do it.

On Feb 10, 2008 7:27 AM, David Slusser <slusser at pixar.com> wrote:
>   wind instruments don't start at the mouthpiece
>
> (if you play standing up, it starts at the balls of your feet)
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080208/sc_nm/saxophone_science_dc_1

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