How to Play Altissimo on Saxophone (alto and tenor)

BTW - The pentatonics patterns course is great. I'm going through it and really enjoying it. I like the cut to the chase method of getting to where I can play rockin' solos. Thanks bro. Well worth the price of the course.

Hi Jay, my apologies, I tried 5 times to download the altissimo fingerings worksheet, either it wouldn't download or I can't find it. I did download and print succesfully the first time about two weeks ago, but this time I can't do it. Am I doing anything wrong? I have endless trouble succesfully downloading and printing anything on my computer. Any suggestions? Really like your videos. Thanks

Hey I’m trying to download the worksheet but I’m having trouble navigating to the part of the website that has that, I’m currently on the page that has 8 quick altissimo tips and altissimo fingerings one which indeed has the fingerings but neither has the practice worksheets

The lessons have helped so much

This helped so much I can play high f sharp consistently now and I'm getting close to playing g

Am I the only one that sounds like really high pitched? (I’m play alto btw)

I love your lessons, ever since I fell in love with the sax, I have followed your classes. Thank you for all your advice. 😊

Wow. What a great video. I've struggled with these high notes for years! This video really simplified and clarified what I need to do differently! Thanks so much. I'll let you know how it works out for me.

I had no problems playing altissimo on tenor saxophone

The High G and A have always been the easiest to play

where do I find that sheet ?

Hi, New saxophonist here, when I play mine, it sounds different from yours, it’s like I’m playing another key, am I still getting it right?

I always end up going way higher than G for some reason 😢

Im using a Yamaha 4C and seem to be getting no where with altissimo. is the mouthpiece the problem Jay?

That’s the only fingering that works for my mkVI!

Love You , u are wonderful 🎷🎷🎶

I’m confused, when I follow along with the fingerings in the video my sax plays a different note. I’m able to find the matching note but with different fingerings.. I’m new to the sax so I don’t know why this is… I have played clarinet for two years so I know how to make the sound, but am confused as to why my notes are different

I really only have problems with G, but the tricks just don't work. what should I do?

I love your video, but the thing is when i go from F to F# it makes a very annoying screech sound like *DIIIIIIII*, how do i make it go higher?

I love playing D by fingering a G, and blowing to the next harmonic overtone. It's very reliable, and I love the sound.

Thanks Jay!

i need to get to high c in 5 months

wish me luck

Hi Jay,
Thanks for the great video!
Behind the download link you included at the end, there seems to be only a page with fingerings on it, but not a work sheet which you mention in your video. In there a chance to get this work sheet?
Thanks in advance. BR, Michael

Nice balancing between voice and sax. Too many other instructional vids are "(mumble mumble) HONK HONK (mumble mumble) HONK HOOONK" and you're constantly having to swing that volume control.

Overtones help tremendously with throat position etc and pre hearing the tone helps as far as being in tune. Great lesson Jay!

I guess we could consider any note above high F on any of the saxophones is the first altissimo note of that sax. In that case, close to an octave is fairly doable, especially chromatically and slowly (although the G# on tenor is really annoying lol) and oh that god forsaken E and F that are an octave above high E.🤯. I agree that there is so much more to work on than altissimo. If I want to work on playing a tune that hits a few altissimo notes that I feel I could do, I’ll work on consistency for those, but I gave up on serious altissimo work. The altissimo notes Coltrane hits on his So What solo come to mind. And there’s a Lou Donaldson tune that the title somewhat escapes me at the moment, but there’s an arpeggiation lick in the key of A that he works in the altissimo range that’s cool as well.👨🏻

ive been trying to figure out how to play altissimo f# (fourth space above the staff) and my director is brass player so altissimo notes are not his speciality, im really hoping this f# works for my recital coming up which is My Heart Will Go On, scary high notes lol.

I’ve been playing saxophone for a long time maybe 50 years professionally, and I recently changed from a hard rubber to a metal mouthpiece and suddenly I can get all the Altissimo notes but I couldn’t connect them until I did what you suggested of learning the front keys as opposed to the Palm keys. This allowed me to immediately connect all the notes from high E to the C above that. Now I need to check out the more in tune fingerings.
thank you so much, great stuff!

For me it's also depends on the condition of your saxophone and what reeds are you using. Sometimes I hit the G in tenor but I don't know what is the A B but I know the C D E in 4th octave

I can play altissimo on alto quite well. But on the tenor I am really struggling. That fingering you show doesn't work for me. I start with the F# but when I lift the right-hand index finger it still sounds F#.

Thank you sir

Although I'm a total novice with Alto Sax you have a great way of explaining the methods, thanks

I just yesterday learned how to play every altissimo note on my alto sax, and for some reason they are all easier than the front E.

So I play on Tenor Saxophone. I get up to high F and E perfectly fine without the palm keys. High F on the tenor is Concert Eb5 and High F# should be Concert E5. That doesn't happen for me because I go from High F to High F#, but it sounds more like Concert Eb5 to Concert C6. Does this happen to anyone else or am I just really really "lucky"?

Where is the link

What about the Alto sax

i have a tenor and alto sax. i can get up to a G with ease on my tenor but on alto its harder for me. I can do it yes but its quite hefty to do. I also seriously cant get to a G# or above so this video certainly will help me improve. Thank you!

Man, I'm loving this! Thanks, so much!

I hit altissimo G on the tenor for the first time while watching this video for the first time!!! Thank you so much for the insight! Been trying for over a year.

thanks

I don’t see the link for the worksheet in the description

im so confused

Thank you sir.
God bless 🙏

Thank you.

My high G fingering on alto is probably one of the most awkward ones out there. Front F+ Side A# + Side F#. It does seem to be the only one that works for me.

Bite ur Reed and flyyyyyyyyy

Great!! Thank you so much.

thanks, within a short amount of time I have achieved being able to hit e-f (sometimes f sharp and g) whenever and being able to get to a weird in between a and b flat through scale.

Lately ive been having so much trouble play the altissimo range on the clarinet and ive just tried playing the notes on my tenor sax and they seem quite easy 🤷‍♂️