Saxophone altissimo generally consists of the notes above the keyed range. Some instruments are keyed to a written high F, and some to F. Altissimo is usually produced by using a combination of special fingerings and voicing techniques. These can include air stream, tongue, throat and
embouchure variations to disturb the
fundamental of a note, which results in one of the higher
overtones dominating. In classical music, altissimo playing is considered a necessary skill for saxophonists, and much of the modern concert saxophone repertoire utilizes the altissimo range. A notable proponent of the altissimo range was
Sigurd Raschèr, who preferred the term
top tones. Raschèr is the author of
Top Tones For the Saxophone, a method book for learning the altissimo register. In
jazz music, use of altissimo is common, especially among
avant-garde players, though one of its earliest practitioners was the swing player
Earl Bostic. Altissimo technique and the use of
multiphonics are prominent in the influential work of
Eric Dolphy and
John Coltrane during the 1960s, as well as in the work of
Paul Desmond,
Lenny Pickett,
Ron Holloway,
Scott Page,
Michael Brecker and
Chris Potter. ==References==