The Concept Of Voicing

SAX  5.1 - The Concept of Voicing  

Voicing is the physical manipulation of the body resonator into a shape that amplifies and enhances the tone produced in the saxophone resonator. 

A good body resonator shape accommodates and enhances the nodes and anti-nodes (loops) of the tone's waveform that reach into the body. 

 As the waveform changes from tone to tone, the body resonator must do the same.

This is illustrated in the following Diagram (after Peter Clinch).

Shape of the upper oral tract (throat and mouth) for notes played on a Bb clarinet.

(After  Peter Clinch, 1980.)

Note the dramatic changes in size and shape of  the mouth and the throat opening. 

The x-rays clearly demonstrate the importance of the shape of the tongue in voicing.
But other parts of the mouth and throat also contribute.
Especially  the muscular wall of the pharynx (throat) and the soft palate (soft part of the roof of the mouth).

The first objective of tone practice is learning to make the right adjustments in your mouth and throat for each tone played. 

This means developing a coordination between the mind the body and the ear.

• The mind imagines the tone,

  
  

• the body resonator manipulates its shape   to enhance the tone,

  
  

• the ear listens to the result and guides the      body resonator into the shape for the best tone.

Gradually mind, body and ear become one united team. Then, when the mind imagines a tone, the body assumes automatically its correct shape.

The second objective is to exercise and further develop the flexibility of the muscles that can manipulate the body resonator.
This will :

1.  improve the tone quality

   
   

2. extend the pitch range, and

   
   

3. lead to the ability to produce greater tonal variety,     depth  and emotions.

The quickest and most effective way  to do this is through Overtone Exercises.

SAX  5.2 - The Overtone Series  

Overtones are the acoustic ingredients of a single tone.

1. When a column of air (or length of string) is made to vibrate it produces a basic pitch, called the fundamental.

   
   

   
   

2. Simultaneously this air column (or string) also vibrates at  half of the fundamental wavelength.

   
   

3. The air column also vibrates at a third of the fundamental wavelength,

   
   

4. at a quarter of the fundamental wavelength,

   and at a fifth,  a sixth, a seventh, of the fundamental wavelength and so on. 

An infinite number of vibrations  divide the fundamental air column into an infinite number of  ever smaller wavelengths. 

Each of these vibrations produces their own pitch. This composite of sounds  accompanies the fundamental and is called the Overtone series.

Audio 5.1 : Alto - Tenor

 The series  continues infinitely.  
 The number of each overtone expresses it's wavelength as a fraction of the wavelength of the fundamental.
Overtone 3 is one third of the fundamental wavelength, overtone 4 is one fourth, overtone 7 is one seventh of the fundamental wavelength, etc.   Overtones are  therefore also called partials.

SAX  5.3 - How Overtone Practice works  

From the above it follows that when you play say a low Bb on the saxophone, the tone produced contains not only the vibrations of the low Bb (the fundamental in case) but also the vibrations of all the Overtones associated with the Bb fundamental.

In Overtone practice the human mind selects and focuses on one of these Overtones and makes it, through manipulating the shape of the body resonator, the dominant audible pitch (while maintaining the fingering for the fundamental, low Bb, note).

What is going on here is a battle of supremacy between the instrument resonator and the body resonator. Which of these two is the boss ?

Through sustained practice of Overtones the body resonator gains more and more flexibility and capability of changing its shape. This leads to more and more control over the tone produced in terms of pitch, projection, quality and depth of emotion.

The instrument resonator is a very able contributor to the tone produced, but ultimately should be the servant and  not the master in the partnership.

SAX  5.4 -  First Overtone Exercises 

Here are the first eight Overtones (the fundamental is indicated as 'Overtone 1') of the four lowest fundamentals on the saxophone : Bb, B, C, and Db.
These are the most commonly used fingered notes for Overtone practice. In some exercises the low D and Eb are also used.

Overtones No. 2 and 3  are usually not to difficult to produce in a first practice session.

Exercise 1

1. • Start by fingering (use the 'button key') and playing the middle Bb.

     
     

   • Maintain the middle Bb pitch while switching to the low Bb fingering.

     
     

   • Keep playing the same (middle Bb) pitch and move back to the middle Bb fingering.

In other words you alternate the fingering between middle Bb and low Bb while maintaining a constant pitch and tone quality.

Audio 5.2  : Alto - Tenor

Start each tone with a "Hooooooo". Do not use the tongue for these exercises.

Exercise 2

1. Now do the same exercises, but start by fingering the low Bb while straight of producing the middle Bb pitch. 

   
   

2. Then alternate between the two fingerings. Again maintain pitch and tone quality throughout the exercises.

Do these two exercises as outlined in Overtone Exercise 1 for Overtones 2, 3 and 4 for the four lowest notes on the saxophone (Bb, B, C, Db).

The pitch of the Overtone and fingered note are not always the same. This does not matter. The important thing is to maintain the same quality throughout and become aware what the shape of the optimum tone  feels like in your throat.
(Some teachers stress the importance of matching the pitch, but that is  really not very relevant.)

 Here a Table showing the first eight overtones for the Fundamentals Bb to Eb.

SAX  5.5 - Further Practice  

First become familiar with the principle of Overtones through Overtone Exercise 1

Then start with the main type of Overtone Exercises whereby only the Fundamental notes are fingered (in red below) and all pitches produced are either Overtones or Fundamentals.

Audio 5.3 : Alto - Tenor

Start each tone with a "Hooooooo". Do not use the tongue for these exercises. 

For each exercise either one fundamental is used throughout, as shown above and in Overtone Exercise 2, or several Fundamentals are mixed within one exercise, like in Overtone Exercise 3 and  Overtone Exercise 4.

SAX  5.6 -  Go for it ! 

We have now reached a crucial point in the Course and a point where you have to make a firm commitment.

Overtone Practice separates the man and women from the boys and  girls.

I recommend that you  throw all your effort into Overtone Practice for a while.
 Practise Overtones for at least 20 minutes each day, preferably more. For professional players and full time music students I recommend 60 minutes Overtone practice.

It is not easy, you may find it boring initially, but the reward for a relentless and sustained effort is enormous and not matched by anything else you can possibly practise. As you get into it the saxophone becomes more and more an extension of your body (or vice versa ?) and Overtone practice becomes a true and marvellous meditation experience. 

The objective is simple :

1. Go after every Overtone you can not play.

   
   

2. try to make every  Overtone you can play bigger and better and more under control.

After you done the hard slog, play some slow scales, then a nice ballad.
Even if you could not get a single Overtone right the throat workout will have its effect : you will find much more sparkle in your tone.

SAX  5.7 - Practice Material