Saxophone fingerings. Methodical approach to mastering the stage of playing the instrument

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Playing the saxophone, if we talk about fingerings, is done with hands and fingers, but for this they must be in a certain position. The best hand position for playing saxophone fingerings is one that feels relaxed and natural to the hands. If you release your hands from tension and keep finger movements to a minimum, you will play with greater accuracy and speed.

Hands on the instrument are placed in such a way that it feels like you are holding something round. Fingertips touch the buttons with a pad. It is very important to place your fingertips exactly in the center of the button and not move them while playing the saxophone fingerings.

Very gently and gently squeeze the buttons on the instrument's valves. Finger movements should be fast, even if you play long sounds. When you open the valve, you must place your fingers as close to the valves as possible.

The first stage of mastering the fingerings

If we classify the fingering thinking of a saxophonist, then we can conditionally divide it into three types: playing with the white buttons, playing with the little finger and playing with the palm or its lateral part. For saxophonists who have just begun to master the instrument, it is preferable to fix the fingerings in practice. Those that are played on the white buttons. These fingerings are considered the most comfortable, and they form the most correct position of the fingers on the instrument. The saxophone also has a specific mechanism called the "octave valve". It is located next to the thumb of the left hand, and its purpose is to use it for notes of the second octave for the saxophone. Without it, a dozen additional fingerings would have to be designed for the saxophone. It would be completely unergonomic and uncomfortable.

The second stage of mastering the fingerings

After mastering simple saxophone fingerings, you can start learning more difficult ones - with the use of the little fingers. Such fingerings are used to play the lower register and some individual notes, such as E-flat or D-sharp and A-flat or G-sharp. There is also one note in the saxophone that does not require any button to be pressed - the D-flat or C-sharp note.

And the last step in the study of saxophone fingerings is a group that is played using the side of the right hand and the left hand. Basically, these are notes that are above D-flat or C-sharp of the first octave, as well asseparately the notes of B-flat or A-sharp. Notes that are above D flat and C sharp of the first octave are defined in the instrument as the " altissimo" register.

In the saxophone, in addition to standard fingerings, there are also additional ones. Such fingerings on the saxophone are used mainly for playing trills in fast passages, as well as in the altissimo register.

Technical difficulties

Saxophone is an instrument with a large family. In addition to his most used classifications - soprano, alto, tenor and bass - there are many others that are used much less frequently than these four.

The design of all saxophones is created in such a way that the fingerings of the alto saxophone cannot differ in any way from the fingerings of other saxophones - tenor, soprano or baritone. This simplifies the task for the musician, and he does not need to spend additional effort to master the fingerings for other instruments in this family.

The main difficulty when using fingerings is the big difference between the sensations when playing standard and additional, as well as when playing the altissimo register.

The features of the family instruments themselves also play a big role. On the soprano saxophone, the fingerings are much more convenient than on the baritone. Although the latter has an additional fingering of the note La of a small octave. Only this saxophone has this fingering. The playing of the " altissimo" register can differ in fingering for tenor from alto and soprano from baritone.