12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 311
Date: 11/07/2013
Instrument: Tenor saxophone
Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)
Notes:
In today’s improvisation, I worked with a fingering system that emphasized natural dynamic shifts in volume inherent in the fingerings themselves. I used a series of three fingerings, noted below as Series I, II, III. Within each Series there were two actions, written as Action a. / Action b. In each Action, the fingerings played were identical, but the key being trilled would change. During each Series, I would try to blow into the horn in an identical fashion to explore the inherent differences in sound from fingering Action a. b. In Action a, the dynamic shift was extremely pronounced, with clusters or individual pitches coming out noticeably louder. Despite the fact that the fingering were the same, in Action b. the dynamic shifts were far less noticeable. Again, the only difference between Actions a. and b. was the key being trilled.
The fingerings used were as follows:
Series I
Action a.)
(Left Hand) 1, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
For the duration of the above fingering series, trill the F key in the right hand constantly.
Action b.)
(Left Hand) 1, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C.
For the duration of the above fingering series, trill the F key in the right hand constantly.
Series II
Action a.)
(Left Hand) 1, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 1-2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
For the duration of the above fingering series, trill the F key in the right hand constantly.
Action b.)
(Left Hand) 1, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 1-2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 1-2, Low C.
For the duration of the above fingering series, trill the D key in the right hand constantly.
Series III (Same root fingerings as Series II)
Action a.)
(Left Hand) 1, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 1-2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
For the duration of the above fingering series, trill the F key in the right hand constantly.
Action b.)
(Left Hand) 1, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 1-2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
(Left Hand) 2, Octave, Low Bb, Palm F only // (Right Hand) 2, Low C.
For the duration of the above fingering series, trill the D key in the right hand constantly.
-Neil
The image “The Confrontation” accompanying today’s post by Sylvia Plachy (1965).