A Good, Sometimes Overlooked, Altissimo Resource Book
Author: Helen
A couple of years ago I happened to come across a good book that I hadn’t seen before, for learning the altissimo range. Beginning Studies in the Altissimo Register by Rosemary Lang, is a book that I wish my teachers would have used with me when I learnt altissimo (it was available at the time). It would have made life so much easier!
When I started learning the altissimo range, I was given the staples of the day: Top-Tones for the Saxophone by Sigurd M. Rascher and Ted Nash’s Studies in High Harmonics. Both of these used in combination were OK, but tended to leave the student struggling for a fairly long period of time on a single page, without seemingly making progress through the books (which I personally found frustrating).
With Lang’s book, each set of 2 pages is dedicated to a particular note. This way a student can actually gauge their progression through the altissimo range better.
I find that Lang’s book is a good compliment to those of Rascher & Nash, and works well when used in combination with them.
I personally like using the Lang book to work on specific notes that might be giving me problems. For example, if I want to work on my G3 or Ab3, I use the exercises specifically dedicated to those notes.
The only drawback of the book is that its fingerings, like those of Ted Nash’s book, are only for alto and tenor saxophone. However unlike 20 years ago when I learnt altissimo, we now live in the Internet age, and fingering charts for altissimo notes are all over the web.
Baritone and soprano altissimo fingering charts are not hard to come by, and there are also countless options for alto & tenor, including horn-specific ones, available through saxophone discussion boards as well. All you need to find them, is your search engine of choice.
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A new edition of the Rosemary Lang, “Altissimo” studies is now available. If can be purchased through Hickey’s Music (Ithaca, NY).
Hello Gail. Welcome to my site.
Thank you for that update on this really valuable resource book. Until I read the review of the new edition on the Hickey’s Music site, I had no idea the old book was out of print. My local brick & mortar store where I buy my books was still selling them as recently as a couple of years ago! (I must admit I was a bit curious about the old type face… Now I know why.)
Thanks again Gail.
Regards,
Helen