Jake Dester - Saxophonetics

Welcome to Saxophonetics!

Developing an Authentic Jazz Saxophone Style
with a Focus On Articulation

It's a big part of my mission to offer students and teachers simple easy ways of mastering authentic jazz saxophone style, especially when it comes to articulation. My concept involves basic saxophone phonetics, "Saxophonetics", that have greatly helped myself and my students to improve their technique.

"Blue for Alice" Solo Transcription is Now Available for C Instruments

12/1/2022

By popular demand, I have uploaded a Concert version of the "Blues for Alice" solo transcription. Link to download in video description.

I intend to also create B-flat and Bass Clef parts. It is time-consuming to create transposed parts on account of the articulations, but I'm getting faster at it!

Dester

Ghosting Up A Rip, Part 2

11/29/2022

Today's post is a followup to my previous one about a common jazz articulation technique I refer to as "Ghosting Up A Rip".

You'll find this throughout the recordings of Bird, Cannonball, Stitt, etc. It involves ghosting a group of ascending notes (usually a fast ascending line), leading up to the peak of a line.

Typically, the starting note of this ascending line is attacked and the "rip" (by rip I mean two or more fast ascending notes leading up to an intended note) is ghosted.

There are two methods of applying this technique. This post will be focusing on the Method 2.

Method 2

Ghost every note of the "rip" but take your tongue off the reed for the next-to-highest note, and accent the top note: D-N___-E T

Practicing This Technique

Example 2 from "Blues for Alice"

Here we have Bird ghosting many consecutive notes, in this case 4 in a row. This is not rare in Charlie Parker's playing, but it's a bit more common in the double-time lines of Sonny Stitt.

"D-N___-E TEET"

We have a total of seven notes in this line.
The first is attacked unaccented "D",
then 4 in a row are ghosted "N___",
the next note the tongue comes off the reed but it is not re-attacked (you can think of this as "NEE"),
and the the last note is accented and short "TEET".

Vocalizing the Articulation

To really feel the sensation of leaving the tongue on the reed, keep the rhythmic proportions the same, but think of it as quarter notes rather than sixteenths.

Sing/speak the articulation in time:

Then take it to the horn and apply it to single pitches:

Applying the Articulation to Diatonic Shapes

Next, take the shape of the original line and run it through scales as quarter notes. The shape is essentially 123579, approached from a half-step below whatever the "1" is.

Through the key of D Major, for example:

Advancing the Rhythm

Once you're comfortable thinking of and playing it in terms of quarters, set your metronome to a pretty slow tempo (30-40bpm) and start working the articulation up as sixteenths.

*IMPORTANT NOTE*
You need to be able to play the following shapes all-slurred with an even tone before adding any articulation. If you are unable to play through these lines with a solid tone and an even airstream with no articulation, that needs to be practiced separately first.

Then, apply it to the shape of the line:

Ghosting Up Rips In Eighth-note Lines

In the previous example, the rip is very double-time oriented and pretty isolated from everything else in Bird's solo. It's also very important to have examples of how this technique applies to lines made up of mostly eighth-notes.

Below is a typical Charlie Parker line which includes a sixteenth-note rip surrounded by eighth notes.

Taking the rip out to practice it by itself, we get this shape/articulation:

The articulation by itself, as quarters:

And broken down into quarters, running it through a scale:

With the rhythm of the original line:
Again, start very slowly and work the pattern without articulation first.

This particular line is great as an approach to 3579 over various chords, and should be practiced (and sounds really nice) moving around by 4ths:

Another Variation: Ghosting Up Rips In Eighth-note Lines

And another variation, this one comes from Bird's solo on "Groovin' High" live at Carnegie Hall.

The shape/articulation by itself:

And as quarters, on a single pitch:

And as quarters, through a key:

And sixteenths, through a key:

That's all I have for now on "Ghosting Up A Rip". I hope you try playing through these exercises; doing so will help you develop a more intentional articulation style.

If you would like to support my work, please make a donation here:
www.jakedester.com/donate.html

Stay tuned, and happy shedding!
—Dester

New Transcription Video: "Blues for Alice"

11/27/2022

It's been quite some time since I've posted any transcriptions, but I'm back on it with a new YouTube page dedicated to Jazz Saxophone Education resources.

Check it out! free PDF link in description.

Ghosting Up A Rip, Part 1

11/5/2022

Today's post is about a common jazz articulation technique I refer to as "Ghosting Up A Rip".

This is used by players such as Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, and Sonny Stitt. It involves ghosting a group of ascending notes (usually a fast ascending line), leading up to the peak of a line.

Typically, the starting note of this ascending line is attacked and the "rip" (by rip I mean two or more fast ascending notes) is ghosted.

There are two main ways in which this is used. I've been working on Bird's solo over "Blues for Alice" so I'll be using two examples of this technique found there.

Method 1

Ghost every note up to the top note of the line, which is attacked: D-N___ T

and...

Method 2

Ghost every note of the "rip" but take your tongue off the reed for next-to-highest note, and accenting the top note: D-N___-E T

In this post, I'll be covering the first type, and some ideas for practicing this technique.

Practicing This Technique

Example 1 from "Blues for Alice"

Isolating this group of notes from Bird's solo on "Blues for Alice", we can slow down and simplify this pattern for practice.

Vocalizing the Articulation

♩= 120
Speak the articulation in time:

Applying the Articulation to Single Pitches

Practice applying the articulation to a single pitch, moving through a Major scale.

G Major scale, ascending:

G Major scale, descending:

Applying the Pattern to Simple Shapes

From here, practice applying it to common ascending shapes, diatonically.

Approaching ascending triads of the G Major scale, moving up by step:

Approaching ascending triads of the G Major scale, moving down by step:

Advancing the Rhythm

Once this is comfortable, try applying the articulation pattern to the rhythm from the original lick.
Start very slowly.

*IMPORTANT NOTE*
You need to be able to play these shapes all-slurred with an even tone before adding any articulation. If you are unable to play through these lines with a solid tone and an even airstream with no articulation, that needs to be practiced separately first.

Adding Melodic Shape to the Advanced Rhythm

Next, take the shape of the original lick, and move it through the key diatonically.

Approaching ascending 7th chord arpeggios of the G Major scale, moving up by step:

Approaching ascending 7th chord arpeggios of the G Major scale, moving down by step:

Shifting from Steps to Other Intervals

Also beneficial is moving shapes around by intervals, diatonically.

For example, shifting the shape up by 4ths (down by 5ths):

Transposing Cells Synthetically

Contained within this diatonic pattern there are Maj7 (I∆ and IV∆), min7 (ii-7, iii-7, and vi-7), ø7 (viiø), and & 7 (V7) shapes. Each of these can be transposed through keys in various ways with different results and possible uses.

For example, the Dominant 7th shape could be shifted around chromatically (aka synthetically) by minor 3rds.
(The following example could then be applied over D7, F7, Ab7, and B7 chords, resulting in a 13#11#9b9 half-whole diminished vibe which resolves nicely to G, Bb, Db/C#, and E tonal centers.)

I hope these ideas open up some new possibilities in your own technique and vocabulary! In my next post, I'll be discussing a second method for "Ghosting Up A Rip".

As always, if you would like to support my work, please make a donation here:
www.jakedester.com/donate.html

Stay tuned, and happy shedding!
—Dester

D D-N_ : Getting Started with Ghosting Pairs of Notes

10/25/2022

Today's post is on an articulation pattern I refer to as "D D-N_". This is a common jazz articulation pattern most often applied to a group of four notes.

The first and second notes are attacked ("D"), and the third and fourth notes are ghosted ("N_").
This means that the tongue must remain touching the surface of the reed (at one side or corner) while allowing it to still vibrate, and you're changing pitch at the same time.

The pair of ghosted notes is usually ascending by a half-step.

To begin, speak the articulation in rhythm:

Next, practice applying the articulation to single pitches:

Once this becomes comfortable and you're able to apply this articulation with rhythmic accuracy, I suggest these common patterns to practice this over.

Each involves ghosting a pair of notes that ascends by a half step.

Of course, once you are comfortable playing this articulation as straight quarter notes, the next step is to begin working it out as eighth notes:

Then, apply it to the aforementioned shapes. For example:

Contained within the previous pattern are shapes that work well for navigating ii-V's.

I recommend working out these ii-7 V7 I's in different keys.
For example, moving this pattern around by 4ths:

Lastly, it's highly beneficial to work short cells around your instrument synthetically.

By synthetically, I mean that the cell is moved by a repeated interval, whether or not it fits a specific chord progression or harmonic function.

Here is a synthetic pattern moving a 2-beat shape around by fourths.
(This particular pattern would be useful navigating iiø7 V7b9 sequences like you may find in "Woody'n You", "Stella By Starlight", and "Along Came Betty".)

And another, moving around by minor 3rds.
(Useful over V7, especially V7b9 chords. In this case: A7, C7, Eb7, or F#7.)

Experiment practicing and applying this articulation pattern in your own playing. With focus, you will begin hear it in the playing styles of jazz greats and understand how it is used in the broader context of melodic lines.

As always, any feedback is welcome.
Please support my work here if you can: https://www.jakedester.com/donate.html

In my next post, I'll be talking about a technique I refer to as "Ghosting Up A Rip".

Stay tuned!
Jake Dester

D D-E-N Articulation

10/12/2022

Today's post is about an articulation pattern I call D D-E-N.

This is one of the most common articulations used in jazz saxophone. While it has many applications, it is almost always applied to descending 7th chord arpeggios. Often, the first note (the top note) will be accented "T".

Charlie Parker applies this articulation on the second bridge of his famous 1942 solo on "Cherokee", alternating between descending min7 and min6 shapes.

You will find through practice that this is an extremely common and useful pattern to master. I've been digging on George Coleman's solo over "Autumn Leaves" off of the 2000 Ahmad Jamal record Ahmad Jamal à l'Olympia. George Coleman is using this articulation exhaustively in this solo. Despite it being recorded nearly 60 years after the famous Bird record, it still retains its hipness.

Now, I'm almost certain that Charlie Parker didn't come up with this idea, but because of how clearly he demonstrated it on "Cherokee", he basically stuck a Charlie Parker flag in the thing.

To practice this articulation, implement it over descending 7th chord arpeggios moving down by step like so:

The accent here is optional, but it's best if you practice it both with and without, so T D-E-N and D D-E-N.

This pattern can be moved around the scale based off of any degree, but the first thing to do is practice moving it around by step diatonically.

Another very useful thing to practice this pattern over is minor 7th descending arpeggios shifting down by half-step like so:

The above exercise is extremely useful as it can be directly applied to iii- VI7 ii- V7 progressions, creating an interesting set of extensions where the VI7 and V7 chords occur.

This happens literally at the end of "Four" by Miles Davis, but you can very easily apply it in any iii- VI7 ii- V7 situation such as the third and 4th measures of Rhythm Changes, the last four measures of a Blues, etc.

I hope you find this helpful. I welcome any feedback you may have.

In my next post, I will be discussing ghosting pairs of notes and a shape Charlie Parker frequently applied it to in his playing.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Jake Dester

Tongue One Ghost One D-N: Practice and Usage

9/19/2022

Today's post is a followup to my previous broadcast on what I refer to as D-N articulation. If you're just now tuning in, you can read the archived version here: Foundation for Ghosting: D-N

The basics of playing ghost notes on the saxophone begin with this D-N articulation (spoken "dian" as in "Indian"). This is the most simple ghost note articulation pattern: tongue 1, ghost 1.

In my transcriptions and other materials, I notate it like this:

"D-N"

Getting Started

In my experience, the best place to begin using this articulation is to first sing it on a single pitch:
D N D N D N D N
D N D N D N D N

Keep the sound sustained and allow the tongue to naturally dampen the "N" notes.

Once you are comfortable singing this pattern on a single pitch, take it to the saxophone. Start with the notes in the staff, for example:

Then get comfortable with it in the different registers of the horn:

When is this basic "D-N" articulation pattern commonly used by jazz saxophonists?

The "D-N" (tongue one, ghost one) articulation is most often used when tonguing a pair of notes in which the second note is lower in pitch than the first note by an interval a minor 3rd or more, and the note immediately after the ghosted note is higher in pitch.

Scales in descending thirds are an excellent way to master this authentic jazz saxophone technique.

If you run through all of your Major Scales like this, using this articulation, you will soon be ghosting notes with ease.

I suggest that you try this through the keys going around the cycle of fourths first:
C Major (above), F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat, G-flat/F-sharp, B, E, A, D, G

Then, reverse the order to move the pattern through the keys by fifths: C, G, D, A, etc.

The Benefits of Practicing Ghost Note Articulation

Moving articulation patterns through the keys builds independence between the mental work of transposing the sequence of the pitches and the physical work that the tongue is doing.

Naturally, you will find this articulation technique working its way into your playing style. You will also be able to hear when your favorite saxophonists use this technique.

All of the greats, from Lester Young to Charlie Parker to Rollins and Trane and beyond, use this technique in their playing and it will become more apparent to you with practice.

In my next post...
I'll be covering another common and useful articulation pattern used in bebop and jazz saxophone:
D D-E-N

Thank you for reading. If you find this information helpful, I encourage you to donate here if you can: https://www.jakedester.com/donate.html

Stay tuned!
Jake

Foundation for Ghosting: D-N

9/15/2022

Today's post is about GHOSTING aka:
doodle tonguing
dooden tonguing
dawdle tonguing
deedle tonguing
half tonguing
side tonguing
swallowing
muting

Before I share with you what is anatomically a better way of thinking of this technique, I need to mention one very important thing about it.

What you are doing when you ghost a note is using the tongue to cover one side or corner of the reed while allowing it to still vibrate. Because of this, jazz saxophonists all the way from Charlie Parker to Kenny G play with the mouthpiece slightly off-center or at an angle to make this happen.

Check it out.

Now that I have forced Charlie Parker and Kenny G to exist in the same space, let's move on. I hope this wasn't triggering for anyone.

Ghosting: L Is Dumb and N Is Better

Often, teachers will refer to this technique as "Doodle Tonguing".

It's called "Doodle" tonguing because one note is attacked (the syllable "Dood-") and the next note—or group of notes—is ghosted or dampened/muted (the "-le" syllable).

Why L Is Dumb
To use an "L" tongue shape for ghost notes is very inefficient and requires the tongue to move far out of position to make this sound happen.

The tip of the tongue is in a ready position to tongue the next note, but the back of the tongue must come up to achieve this "L" sound. This means the actual tone you're producing (as well as intonation and voicing) shifts just to ghost the note(s).

Specifically called a "Dark L" sound, this tongue shape is illustrated in the image above.

from Cal Learning:

"Dark L
The /L/ at the end of the word. This is difficult to pronounce.
Dark L is produced after a vowel (or schwa): call, school, tell, people.
The tip of tongue touches the alveolar ridge, and stays there.
Dark L has a “uh-l” sound.
The back of the tongue is raised toward the soft palate."

I used to believe this, and if you've seen some of my older stuff then you know I used to teach it but...

N Is Better

"N", I have found, is better than "L" for articulating ghosted notes.

You can see clearly in the diagram above that the tongue position for "N" is very close to the "E" position I mentioned previously: the throat is not blocked, and the evenness of the tongue is preserved.

↑ The simplest articulation pattern using ghost notes: "D-N" ↑

D-N Is the Best Option

As I have been teaching more and more one-on-one lessons, it's become very clear to me that the conventional ideas about ghosting on the saxophone are flawed in one simple yet significant way.

Historically, jazz saxophone teachers will call this "Doodle" or "Dooden" tonguing.

What I struggled with, and what most students who work with me find most puzzling, is the point where the second "D" sound in these 'words' occurs simultaneously with your ghosted "L" or "N" sound: DN/DL.

It's impossible to "D" attack the reed while simultaneously ghosting "N" or "L" and have either the attack or the ghost come out clear.

In my professional experience, I have found "D-N" to be the best way to approach ghosting on the saxophone.

Now here's Mahatma Gandhi to help you remember this.

Gandhi was Indian, and the "dian" (D-N) part of this word is how I consider the attack-one-ghost-one articulation pattern.

That's all I have for you for now. In my next post, I'll be sharing with you how to practice this technique and some practical ways of working it in to your playing for a more authentic style. Hint: start here ↓

Thanks for reading and stay tuned,
Jake

Sax Attacks: D & T

9/14/2022

Following up from my previous post on the "E" throat position, I'd now like to share with you my thoughts on attacking the reed.

By "attack", I mean creating a separation between a given note and the note(s) immediately before it (or, if it's the first note you play, between silence and the start of that note).

I've gotten the best results in my and my students' playing by thinking of just two consonant sounds* to encapsulate almost all of the attacks you will find in jazz:

D ('dee") for an un-accented note and
T ("tee") for an accented note

*there are, of course, a variety of ways to attack or otherwise start a sound on the saxophone: double-tonguing, slap tonguing, and a lot of innovations you'll find in contemporary Classical saxophone, Avant-garde music, and "beatbox" style (see: Derek Brown), but for the most part D and T are sufficient when dealing with classic jazz and bebop

In the chart above, you see the many ways that humans can speak sounds.

In speech, D and T are referred to as the Alveolar Plosives. This means that these consonant sounds are made by touching the blade of the tongue (the part of the tongue just shy of the tip) against the alveolar ridge. See below for the anatomy:

Applied to saxophone playing, these D and T attacks are great because they use the least amount of distance between the tongue and the reed, and they cause the least amount of change from the ideal "E" tongue shape.

You can see below that the throat and body of the tongue remain even and open as the tip of the tongue moves to achieve the D and T consonant sounds:

Applied to learning jazz, I highly recommend using these sounds to "verbalize" (scat) your lines as part of your practice, and to think them when tonguing the reed.

In my next post...
I will be discussing how the D attack mixed with the sound N (to ghost notes) can get you playing with a more authentic jazz articulation style.

If you have any thoughts you'd like to share on saxophone tonguing, please feel free to respond to this email. Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Jake

"E" As A Starting Point

9/6/2022

The first phonetic sound I recommend for building an authentic jazz saxophone articulation concept is "E". I find that this is the best place to start when considering the shape of the tongue for playing saxophone.

It allows an even airflow, from the back of the throat all the way to the embouchure, while leaving the tip of the tongue in a ready position to attack the reed.

Why Not "Ah"?

I used to think that "Ah" was best because I'd had teachers in the past say you need to "open" your throat for a bigger sound. But "Ah", from a physiological standpoint, actually obstructs the back of throat.

In the chart below, we can see the shape of the tongue and throat for all different vowel sounds.

In the first two images on the bottom row—"hod" and "hawed", the "Ah" type of tongue position—you can see that the throat is actually blocked by the back of the tongue.

AND, the tip of the tongue is closer to the lower teeth than it is to the roof of the mouth. In this position, more range of motion is needed for the tongue to reach the mouthpiece. This limits your ability to articulate faster lines with precision and accuracy, and this means that you have less options for style when playing uptempo/double-time.

"E" As the Best Solution

In the diagram above, you can see the shape for "heed"— the "E" tongue position--that the throat is fully open, the curve of the tongue is nice and even, and the tip of the tongue is in an ideal position to tongue the reed.

Please feel free to share your thoughts with me on this and what your experience has been with tongue height, throat shape, and any effects it has had on your playing.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!
—Dester