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You are here: Home / Sax Lessons / Sax Altissimo / New Altissimo Lesson

New Altissimo Lesson

Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 7 customer ratings
(7 customer reviews)

$9.99

SKU: 260 Category: Sax Altissimo Tags: altissimo, fingerings, saxophone, video lesson
  • Description
  • Reviews (7)
  • Lesson Sample

Description

This is a remake of my original Altissimo video lesson.  The original lesson was one of my first video lesson that I had done and the quality was not as good as my current lessons so I decided to redo it.  This covers the same material as the first lesson but is easier to watch.  I also include some  files of the fingerings that I use for the altissimo range on the tenor saxophone. Here is the description from the original  video lesson.  I have also included the original lesson as a bonus in case there is something in there you would like to see.

Get ready to wail!!!
Finally, a comprehensive lesson on the altissimo register, which allows you to see and hear the whole process, as each step is clearly explained and demonstrated in a logical and easy to follow manner. In this great half hour video lesson I show you how to get started playing the altissimo register just like the players you see and hear on record. No longer do you have to decipher quasi anatomical descriptions of how to produce those top tones. With this video lesson you get to watch and listen as all the necessary techniques are demonstrated for you in a step by step manner. I show you the exact same methods I use with my students to get them playing in the altissimo register. It’s just like being here in the studio having a one on one lesson with me as I walk you through the entire process from the fingerings, to the techniques I use to voice the upper notes.

I show you the fingerings and the necessary tongue position to get these high notes to speak clearly and in tune. I discuss and demonstrate the common mistakes many beginners make when attempting to play the altissimo register for the first time. I show you what’s going wrong and why and then show you how to voice the note correctly. I discuss the common beginner’s habit of “biting” to get the altissimo notes and show you how you can use correct breathing and tongue positioning to play the upper range without having to resort to biting.
I then demonstrate how to navigate your way through these various altissimo fingerings so that you can play musically in the altissimo register. We have to find fingerings that facilitate playing actual lines and musical phrases in the upper range and I discuss and demonstrate how you can accomplish this. I demonstrate playing pentatonic scales and licks in the altissimo register as a means to achieving this fluency and learning to really get around up there.

Once we’ve learned to play these upper notes, I walk you through a number of ways you might actually use them in a solo.

This lesson is a must for anyone who has struggled endlessly with the vague descriptions and meaningless jargon found in most books on the subject. I also include a 4 pages PDF file including various altissimo fingerings you can use for each note.   (Audio,Video & PDF) (33 minutes)

7 reviews for New Altissimo Lesson

  1. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Jon G (verified owner) – July 20, 2009

    I love the two Altissimo lessons. In the first Steve shows you how to play the notes and in the second he shows how to put them together into usable licks. The video(s) really help unlock the way to do this stuff. In the past I tried to learn these notes with limited success – now I can play all of them (which my neighbours will verify) and am now starting to use (some) of them with confidence. Highly recommended – well done Steve !

  2. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    C.N. (verified owner) – September 4, 2010

    Steve is the best! His explanation and demonstration of the altissimo register is easy to understand and follow. And the icing on the cake, you get a video to see and hear the lesson as well! Having this video lesson to refer to again and again on altissimo is invaluable! If you want to learn how to improve your application and understanding of the altissimo register, get this video. It is a must have. Thank you Steve! C.N.

  3. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Tom P (verified owner) – November 4, 2010

    How I wish I could have this video long before I had to self-study on those altissimo fingering charts. Thanks for a great lesson, Steve.

  4. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    SelmerC* (verified owner) – January 2, 2011

    All credit to you Steve for lifting the lid off this topic, reproduced in the higher resolution it offers anyone interested in the subject a great lead in, still lot’s of hard work but perhaps now without the book throwing thanks to this.

  5. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Roger (verified owner) – April 4, 2011

    Really found this very helpful – great lesson.
    Steve gives great examples and context in this lesson. I really recommend this one if you’re working on your altissimo.

  6. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Bernhard (verified owner) – November 23, 2014

    I nearly gave up with this ….!…!.Top tones. I gave them the last chance with this lesson. And oh Wonder! I just chatted the A and went up to C 30 min after the Video ( i recorded it on Video)! The G is still in the mist. But this is really cool! On this lesson is nothing really new to me but the way you took me through, was a master piece. I am so exited. Thank you Master Steve : )

  7. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Michael Byington – October 2, 2015

    Your material is great! I got your New Altissimo Lesson 6 months ago and I have learned more from that than in all my 44 years of playing! I appreciate your down to earth teaching method and I really appreciate the heart that you teach with. I have been a subscriber to your lessons for the past 6 months and I have learned a great deal. Over that period of time I have had some questions and you have never failed to respond. Thanks! I have already recommended your lessons to a number of players in my area. Again, THANKS! Your lessons have been a real blessing!

    Sincerely, Michael Byington

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Lesson Sample

https://public.neffmusic.com/New%20Altissimo%20Lesson%20clip.mp4

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I just started looking at my lessons and I have to say, dude you are awesome.  I ABSOLUTELY will learn from you!  I started the tenor about 1 ½ yrs ago and have since picked up an alto, and more recently a soprano.  I spend most of the time on the tenor, followed by soprano, and have only gotten to the alto a few times.  I think I’ll be sticking with tenor.  I’m having a great time and hope one day to play well enough to get regular gigs.  I’ve been playing keys for about 35 years (… Read more
Wil
Hey Steve, My name is Jason Freese and I play keyboards and sax in the band Green Day.  I grew up taking sax lessons from Eric Marienthal when I was a kid and got out of it for a long time. I ran into you on youtube while searching for sax stuff. I bought a whole bunch of your lessons and have been loving it! Thanks! Here is my wikipedia so you can see the albums I’ve played on….Thanks again. It’s sparked my interest in practicing again.   Jason
Jason Freese (sax player for Green Day)
Your major diatonic patterns book is great. I”m studying the first twenty patterns (first twenty pages) each day with different articulation each day and slowly increasing the tempo each week or so.  There is a noticeable improvement in finger coordination across all keys and its amazing how much more secure I feel on the difficult keys when attempting to play pieces with 5+ flats/sharps. I’m able to sort out the fingerings for these pieces now much more quickly than before, often in one or two … Read more
Geoff

Hello Steve,

I just want to say thank you so much for your unbelievable work, it is just mind opening, thanks for sharing it.

Wolfgang from Berlin

Wolfgang from Berlin
I want to say something about Steve Neff’s series of lessons, Beginner Jazz Improvisation. For a couple of years I tried many beginner lessons and my problem was that there was a gap between lessons that were fairly simple and ones that I was not quite ready for and my progress stalled out. That problem was solved with the series Beginner Jazz Improvisation. He guides you step by step along the way and builds a foundation for learning jazz and blues. He leaves no question about what to practice … Read more
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I just joined Neff Music last month. I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been to be able to pick back up on lessons. I’ve been in a rut and you got me out! I’ve especially appreciated the Lesson Path section. It was so clear I knew exactly where to jump in and start. Many many thanks!
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Mr. Neff,  I want to thank you for sharing your God-given talents through your on-line lessons.  My husband, Michael, is blind, but he is a great sax player and he has been enjoying your lessons for quite some time now.  It’s not unusual for me to hear “Hey, babe, listen to THIS!” – and he will cut loose on his sax, just thrilled at what he learned during his session with you.  His excitement warms my heart!  You have no idea how much you have poured into my husband.  You have opened musical … Read more

Carole B
Absolutely the best learning experience in my 40 years of playing.These books are awesome!!
Alfred LaBella

I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.  I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more bite sized way.

Milton
Hi Steve, I have been shedding your materials for quite a while now and I love them! They are extremely well organized and presented and there are tons of ’em! I really appreciate your methodical approach and find myself referring students to your resources often.  Thanks so much!  
Kenyon Carter

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