Writing for Saxophone Quartet 101

I am undertaking my first composition in writing for Saxaphone Quartet. Its for a project which is going to take several months and which will be roughly 7-10 mins in length.

As I have never written for one Saxaphone before let alone a quartet of them so I reckon its going to be a fun challenge. I, orginally applied to be a pupil of Robin's, but given that he, and I quote, said "it would be a bit out of [his]league." He recommended that I post in here as there are "experienced saxophonists" here.

So "experienced saxophonists", please spill the beans on the following,

• what are your ranges?
  
• which ranges do you like playing in?
  
• which ranges would you faint at if you saw them?
  
• are there any limitation - for example can you demi-semi quaver runs at fast tempos?
  
• what do you like to play?
  
• what keys do you like?
  
• which of you blend well together when doing duets, which combos are best avoid, if any?
  
• how long can you blow for?
  

if you can think of anything else I *must* know, please let me know.

Ok raining hail, I will assume the role of the "experienced saxophonist" :) I assume you are writing A A T B quartet so I will answer based on that.

First, I'll answer your questions.

1.) The range of the saxophone. If you are going to write for any saxophone on a computer program, I suggest you activate the transpose button. It will be so much easier to write if you have that activated. The range of the alto and tenor saxophone instruments is from their Bb below the staff to the F# above the staff. Experienced alto and/or tenor players can usually play the G above the F# I mentioned earlier. Some can even play the A above that G. The G and the A are pretty difficult for intermediate and early advanced students. The baritone saxophone has a range from low A below the staff and high F above the staff.

2.) Each saxophone has a different "power range". The alto saxophone has a power range between its C in the staff to the G on top of the staff. It is easiest to play there. The tenor saxophone has a range from its C in the staff to the D below the staff. The baritone saxophone has a range from its G in the staff to the B below the staff.

3.) Most experienced saxophonists are not "afraid" of the low range of their instruments. It can occasionaly be difficult to hit the lowest note in the saxophone's range especially if the saxophone is playing a fast run. Many tenor and baritone saxophone players dislike playing above the A above the staff because their tone quality is reduced slightly.

4.) If saxophonists are using their tongues as in single tonguing, the maximum that they can usually do is sixteenth notes at 175. I can do, on a good day, sixteenths at 167. It is initially difficult to double tongue (as in strike the reed twice for every tounge), but advanced players can do it. If the notes are slurred, there really isn't a "limitation" per se. It is really the limitation of the fingers and how fast they can move (I would estimate... sixteenths at 220, but I don't know for sure).

5.) Never ever give saxophonists sitting lines. Always give each saxophone direction. I, personally, hate the ravel saxophone quartets because they are not very technical. High-school saxophonists usually play bach music for their quartets. I personally favor the transposition of string quartets onto saxophones.

6.) This is the only question I will answer using concert key (key of C). Saxophones usually like Concert Bb major (full sound), Concert Ab (covered sound), Concert F major (bright sound), Concert C major (even more bright than F major), and Concert G major (dark sound). Minor scales with the same key signatures as the above keys will produce an identical sound.

7.) For a duet section, obviously, you can meld the two alto saxophones together. As a reccomendation, I suggest that you instruct the first alto to have a bright tone, while the second alto should have a dark tone. This will create contrast. The baritone and alto sax 1 work well for call and response techniques. The saxophone family is nearly homogenous, so each saxophone can easily work with another type.

8.) Heh. Well, that is probably more of a mental issue than a mechanical issue. Like I said, if you give us boring music, our breathing will occur at a faster rate. If you give us exciting or very lyrical music, then we tend to be able to hold out longer. I can breathe once every 13 bars. That extra bar is there so that I don't chop the phrase at the end.

The real challenge is writing something interesting to hear while being interesting to play as well. IF this will be a jazz style piece, then you can utilize other saxophone techniques such as: slap tounguing, scoops, bends, and seamless glisses. The seamless glissando is VERY difficult to do.

I hope this works for you and I want to hear what you come up with! :)

Ok raining hail, I will assume the role of the "experienced saxophonist" :) I assume you are writing A A T B quartet so I will answer based on that.

Thanks for that lovely little lot. I can used an combo of S A T B for the piece so if you mind providing info on the Soporano that would be useful. I am guessing A A T B is the most common combo, what other combos work?

I am not sure what mood my piece will be in yet because its early days but your input will be helpful.

The soprano has the same range as the alto. Its power range is between its G and High C. Sopranos sound good at the whole range except for the very high range. Their tone deteriorates there. Sopranos work well with the alto and the bari sax. The rest of the answers already represent the soprano pretty well. SATB and AATB are the most common, but you could have a ATTB quartet too. SATB and AATB work the best

Cool. I am going to have fun. :thumbsup:

I am not going to explore Jazz fully but you mentioned techniques on the saxaphone - could you explain this a little further?

well for saxophone, there are many techniques that only the saxophone can do.

1.) slap tounging: a very hard strike on the reed that makes a popping noise at the beginning of the note. Very characteristic of swing and jazz.

2.) scoops: using a change in the embochoure to lower a note up to 1.5 steps (what I can do) and back up to the base pitch to create a scoop effect.

3.)falls: using the same change of the embochoure except very pronounced and lasting a long time creates a falling effect

4.)seamless gliss: using the above mentioned technique, except in an alternating pattern, and fingering downwards so that you can create a sliding (violin terminology) effect on the saxophone.

5.) growl: can be done on clarinet. Humming in the back of the throat to create a distortion of the sound to make a growl.

6.) multiphonics: not used a lot, so don't worry about it

ALSO: the tone of the saxophone changes once the octave key is pushed: the D in the staff for each saxophone.

well for saxophone, there are many techniques that only the saxophone can do.

1.) slap tounging: a very hard strike on the reed that makes a popping noise at the beginning of the note. Very characteristic of swing and jazz.

2.) scoops: using a change in the embochoure to lower a note up to 1.5 steps (what I can do) and back up to the base pitch to create a scoop effect.

3.)falls: using the same change of the embochoure except very pronounced and lasting a long time creates a falling effect

4.)seamless gliss: using the above mentioned technique, except in an alternating pattern, and fingering downwards so that you can create a sliding (violin terminology) effect on the saxophone.

5.) growl: can be done on clarinet. Humming in the back of the throat to create a distortion of the sound to make a growl.

6.) multiphonics: not used a lot, so don't worry about it

ALSO: the tone of the saxophone changes once the octave key is pushed: the D in the staff for each saxophone.

Is there a special way these are notated?

growls, scoops, and falls are notated in a special way. The other ones have to be a written insert into the score.

So "experienced saxophonists", please spill the beans on the following,

what are your ranges?

The written range of the saxophone family is:

The written low A is available on the Eb Baritone Saxophone only.

which ranges do you like playing in?

which ranges would you faint at if you saw them?

Anything above the high F# is much more difficult to play than the standard range. Unless you are an experienced saxophonist (or are closely working with one), DO NOT write anything above the written high F#.

are there any limitation - for example can you demi-semi-quaver runs at fast tempos?

The saxophone is basically as agile as the clarinet.

what do you like to play?

Each saxophone should have an equally interesting part.

what keys do you like?

Doesn't really matter, the saxophone plays equally well in all keys.

which of you blend well together when doing duets, which combos are best avoid, if any?

All saxophones blend together wonderfully. The saxophone family is more timbrally homogeneous than even the string family.

how long can you blow for?

4-8 measures in a moderate time. A good rule of thumb is to sing the phrase, and if you have to breathe, the saxophonist will as well.

if you can think of anything else I *must* know, please let me know.

Please make sure you remember that each saxophone should have an equally interesting or important part. Nothing turns off a player more than having a boring background part while the soprano or alto has all the melody.

P.S. The SATB saxophone quartet is the standard quartet format. AATB is generally used only for high school level players or younger.

well for saxophone, there are many techniques that only the saxophone can do.

1.) slap tounging: a very hard strike on the reed that makes a popping noise at the beginning of the note. Very characteristic of swing and jazz.

2.) scoops: using a change in the embochoure to lower a note up to 1.5 steps (what I can do) and back up to the base pitch to create a scoop effect.

3.) falls: using the same change of the embochoure except very pronounced and lasting a long time creates a falling effect

4.) seamless gliss: using the above mentioned technique, except in an alternating pattern, and fingering downwards so that you can create a sliding (violin terminology) effect on the saxophone.

5.) growl: can be done on clarinet. Humming in the back of the throat to create a distortion of the sound to make a growl.

6.) multiphonics: not used a lot, so don't worry about it

All of these can be accomplished on the clarinet family as well. Unless the composer is familiar with the instrument in question, it's a bad idea to use any of these "effects". In my opinion, most of these "effects" come off as unmusical noise and seldom produce what the composer had in mind.

Also, unlike just about every other instrument, there is a real division between jazz and classical saxophonists. Many classical saxophonists WILL NOT be able or, more importantly,willing to do these effects.

All of these can be accomplished on the clarinet family as well. Unless the composer is familiar with the instrument in question, it's a bad idea to use any of these "effects". In my opinion, most of these "effects" come off as unmusical noise and seldom produce what the composer had in mind.

Also, unlike just about every other instrument, there is a real division between jazz and classical saxophonists. Many classical saxophonists WILL NOT be able or, more importantly,willing to do these effects.

Thanks for replying to this. I know Robin was going to get you to do so.

The ensemble I am writing for are not fully jazz and not classical, they are somewhere in the middle of the two though slightly more jazzy than classical. They are all professional level plays.

Do you have any tips for this sort of work?

Also, I noticed you highlighted a note (timbre change) - what are the timbre like above and below this?

I would recommend picking one style or the other, and not intermixing the two... your work will come off at schizophrenic otherwise (to both the audience and the performers).

If the players are professional, give them some interesting and agile lines to bite into. I've seen too much saxophone works that seem to be afraid to let the saxophonist's fingers fly. Yes, lyrical is nice, but you can give technical lines as well! :-)

Good luck - if you want any feedback, just let me know and I'll be happy to take a look at what you've got.

Good luck - if you want any feedback, just let me know and I'll be happy to take a look at what you've got.

Thank you - I will most definite be taking you up on that offer.

I used to play Sopranosaxophone in a saxophone quartet.

You said the musicians are a bit jazz and some more classical orientated. I'd suggest music like new tango. There are some composers who tried to take over the pen of Astor Piazzolla and continued in Newing the Tango music (nuevo tango). I just went to a concert of the Aurelia saxophone quartet in the Netherlands (the best saxophone quartet that I know of) and some composers really did a great job in Piazzolla's footsteps. In 1994 they had a programme with all arrangements of Piazzolla's work.

Saxophone works pretty well on his music. It has a bit the same soundcolour like the bandoneon: desolate, lyric/romantic, aggressive. A mix between Miles Davis and tango.

Just ask if they can play a glissando or growls etcetera if you come to this idea. Those are sometimes nice effects.

Slap tongue is the easiest on a Baritone sax on low notes. Some Baritonsaxophones only go to the low (written) B-flat. Newer Bariton saxophones have the low A.