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Need help bending

2K views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  JL 
#1 ·
Not really sure where this goes, I think here, but I need help bending. I understand that it is a combination of the oral cavity, throat, and jaw but that's about it. Say I start on an A I can some go down 2-3 half steps down but my lip is nearly off the reed when I do it. I need help because next year for college auditions I'm playing in Hot Sonate by Schullhoff and in movement 3 there are these crazy bendings on this recording I'm using as a reference and I think it would be really impressive if I can get it that good. It is around the 6 min mark.
 
#3 ·
If you can bend a note down a minor 3rd (3 half steps) without changing fingering, that's pretty good. I can't imagine needing to bend a note more than that. If you're talking about a gliss, where you 'bend' down chromatically, then you finger down (or up) the chromatic scale. Is that what you're talking about?

I know nothing about playing classical music on the saxophone, so I'm not familiar with the recording you cite or the specific technique you are calling 'bending.' Surely you don't mean to bend a single note more than a minor 3rd (unless you're up in the altissimo register)? I guess it might be possible in the normal range of the horn, but don't know for sure.

Hopefully someone can give a better answer.....
 
#4 ·
I'll just shadow what JL said. If you can already bend a minor 3rd down you're in really good shape. Any bends further than that would probably require you to finger a different note at some point.

It's almost impossible to bend up. If you ever hear it happening it's because the person is starting bent all the way down and then just going back to the regular position. Causing the bend up effect.
 
#6 ·
Well, here's what littlewailer just said: "It's almost impossible to bend up." So good luck with that.

However, it depends on how far up. I can bend up to sharpen a note to where it's out of tune, but probably not more than a half step, if that. Or do you mean to start the note flat and bend it up??

We still don't know exactly what you're after. Are you talking about a gliss? Up or down?
 
#7 ·
I didn't mean bend up, I meant starting down and bending up to the actual note, sorry for the poor wording. I think what he suggested is what I was looking for. I know what it wasn't a gliss it was just the slow raising of pitch that I assume came from starting extremely flat and coming up to the pitch from what you guys told me.
 
#9 ·
Hey thanks for posting that John.

I really like that part starting just past 6:08; best part of the whole thing, imo. Kind of a Johnny Hodges effect.

Josh, I call those 'scoops.' If I'm hearing it right, the note first bends downward, then back up. At least for some of them. Do you know how to play vibrato? It's a similar technique in terms of bending the note up and down (or down and back up), but more exaggerated.
 
#10 ·
It's in the second measure of movement 3 or when the sax comes in, and I can play vibrato without a problem. I think I understand now. I just have to really exaggerate it. I didn't know that it is called a scoop, learn something new every day. Thank you guys for the help and advice it really is helpful.
 
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