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You are here: Home / Sax Lessons / Sax Altissimo / The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson

The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson

Rated 4.75 out of 5 based on 8 customer ratings
(8 customer reviews)

$9.99

Category: Sax Altissimo Tags: altissimo, education, jazz sax, saxophone, secret, video lesson
  • Description
  • Reviews (8)

Description

I know, you are sick of it!  Trying to play overtones past the second or third overtone.  Trying to get out an altissmo G or G#.   Trying to sound like you know what you are doing and can play any altissimo note with confidence without failing miserably………I have been there and know how you feel.   You need a breakthrough and here it is………

In this lesson, I introduce you to a revelation I have had over the last few months while teaching the altissimo register of the saxophone to students.  This is a lesson on a technique I use to reach the altissimo notes and gain better facility up in that range.

Many saxophone teachers talk about “voicing” your notes (which can be a bit vague to a student) but in my 40 years of playing the sax I have never heard the approach I teach in this lesson taught.  I recently taught this material to a sax student over Skype who was frustrated that he couldn’t produce certain altissimo notes and within the half hour lesson he was popping out altissimo G#’s with this method.

Although I have been using this technique since my college days,  I never realized what I was actually doing nor how to describe it to students until recently.  It was an eye opener when I realized what I was doing and how to describe it.  I hope this approach to altissimo is a game changer for those of you who have been stuck and frustrated with trying to produce the altissimo notes on the saxophone up until now.  I really believe this lesson will help.

This lesson is just for saxophone players. I demonstrate the material on the tenor saxophone and give you detailed descriptions and examples in this 35 minute video lesson. (35 Minute Video Lesson)

8 reviews for The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson

  1. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Jakub Martin – October 6, 2017

    Hi Steve! Just wanted to let you know, I purchased and watched that altissimo lesson, and it was very helpful. I had previously been able to hit altissimo up to D above altissimo G, but it was inconsistent and I was pinching a lot. Since I reconceptualized my approach, my altissimo has been cleaner and more consistent than before. It’s obviously still a work in progress, but I wanted to thank you for this lesson!

  2. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Mario Lafrésière (verified owner) – October 16, 2017

    Hi Steve. It has taken me hours to get an Altissimo” G “on my MK VI with Navarro Bop Boy 7* and Hinoki med soft reed . Difficult set up for altissimo register (soft set up). This means that no pressure at all due to the softness of the reed. (I have to play soft reeds due to a jaw problem that lasted nearly 4 years) So when I saw your course on Altissimo I was tempted. I watched the video and could not wait to try and the result was amazing I hit the G first time with the sound as big as my E, F F# with fork key…. thanks for that concept Steve…even the G# and A were as big…..will continue to work on that register

  3. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Mark Peotter – October 16, 2017

    Hello Steve,
    Thank you so much for the “secret” lesson on altissimo!
    Surprisingly, I HAVE already heard about this technique, but from a TRUMPET Teacher!
    What you are doing is the same thing he was/is doing to get his trumpet notes higher. Basically, it is the concept of air speed. Faster air speed, higher notes.
    However – – I was unable to successfully employ the technique for myself. What I do for altissimo is to use a high baffle, and I have been putting the back of my tongue toward the rear and higher, as if thinking of “cooling down my soup with cool air”. I can get all the notes up to D, and then I squeeze the reed to get up up to double F#.
    Without a high baffle in the mouthpiece, I have not been able to get above G#.
    After your video, I tried your technique, of course!
    I used my Meyer mouthpiece without a baffle, and I was able to get one more harmonic from the fundamental (low) Bb. Hoooray! A few minutes later I was hitting high A, but not consistently.
    I need to give it more time and practice to find the right air speed, but now I am excited to see what I can accomplish!
    Thank you, Mark Peotter

  4. Avatar
    Rated 3 out of 5

    Noah – October 21, 2017

    This is a good lesson; it doesn’t cover all the altissimo techniques, but is a variation on the Joe Allard “exxx” and hiss approach.

    • Steve

      Steve (verified owner) – October 27, 2017

      Thanks Noah. The fingerings I used are covered more specifically in:
      Alto Sax http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/product/altissimo-lesson-alto-sax/
      Tenor Sax http://www.neffmusic.com/blog/product/altissimo-lesson/

      The fingerings are dependent on your saxophone so adjustments might have to be made to find the best fingerings for your saxophone. I talk about this in the lessons. Steve

  5. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    philipe – October 21, 2017

    it worked right off the bat, i already knew the high g, but with another fingering, this is a useful single key g, it aids in bringing down the notes too, less hesitant–

  6. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Johnny Hedlund-Sweden (verified owner) – November 7, 2017

    This was a great help for me explaining the altissimo playing for my students, also for the classical alto. For me it opened up a wider understanding what happens with different wovels impact in tone production. Thanks a lot!

  7. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Doug – July 28, 2018

    I finally broke into the altissimo register after reviewing your
    video like 50 times! lol This was really really helpful!! Doug

  8. Avatar
    Rated 5 out of 5

    Barry – November 23, 2020

    Steve, I have enjoyed your transcriptions and lessons over the last few years. I’m 63 and been playing 45 or so years. I have always had trouble with altissimo G…until today. I bought this Altissimo lesson and the G popped right out. Amazing!!!!!! Thank you! The absolute best $9.99 I ever spent!-Barry

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Just a brief note to compliment you on your teaching skills and in particular for the honesty of your lessons.  I am a returning alto sax player in my 50’s and I was looking for a no nonsense, straight to the point kind of guidance. I had intended to email you with a few questions regarding the use of the bis key but then I noticed that there was a lesson on that specific topic and after viewing it,  all my questions were answered. I once took a group lesson with a well known professional sax … Read more
Patrick
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
Your lessons on playing the blues is so clear . I have been through many books on blues playing and not one of them explains as clear as your lessons . Most of them say “Play the same blues scale over all three chords of a 12 bar blues ” Its very misleading .     Thanks
Martin
I’m an experienced player in the pop/soul/funk areas of music and, previously, classical.  Over the decades I’ve been playing, I’ve always felt that I could do what I needed in those styles of music.  However, recently I began to feel limited by my use of the same old licks. When I discovered Steve Neff’s website, and heard the audio examples based on the exercises in his books, I realized they were what I needed.  I purchased all of them and have been working on them since.  It’s very hard work… Read more
Paul

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

I want to thank you again, because, not only are you an inspiration to listen to, you are a fine teacher!

I have been teaching sax and other winds for over 20 years, and you give me that “push” to give my students more!

Mark Peotter

Mark Peotter

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 have been a member of Neffmusic for more than a year now and have enjoyed every minute of it! I have not only been going thru the Dominant Bebop Scale lessons and book (OUTSTANDING!) but the mouthpiece reviews, solo clips and transcriptions are very interesting. Steve approach to beginning and intermediate improv have given me many new pathways to teach my high school jazz ensemble students. Congratulations Steve, great product!
Craig
By the way, BIG COMPLIMENTS to you, Steve! Not only are you a great player, you are also a great teacher! I, too, am a woodwinds player/teacher. I have new inspiration to play and teach because of you. The concepts and “thinking” is similar to what I already learned in College, but hearing you explain and PLAY the concepts REALLY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! Also, your written patterns are more interesting than other books I have seen! Keep up the good work. I will be recommending your sit… Read more
I will be recommending your site to others!

I must say again how much I appreciate all your material. Including the video tutorials. It help keep me focused and knowing what to aim for. And your laid back teaching style appeals to me too. 

Thanks

P

P

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