Finger a low b flat and play long tones up the overtone series while holding this note. Change low fingerings and repeat. Seems easy enough... Not!

Sigurd Rascher's book is essential because it teaches you embouchure control and ear training. An added bonus is that you get to extend your effective range on the instrument by an octave or so.

In my view, intermediate players should start this type of training as soon as they conquer the basic tone production challenges. I have seen many a player literally "take-off" as a result of time spent in this book.

While it may seem tempting to just the learn the fingerings and skip the exercises, don't do it. I tried the same thing years ago and picked up bad habits as well as out of tune fingerings.

Pay your dues and follow the book. Ted Nash and Larry Teal have written books which also address the "falsetto" range of the saxophone.

Get them...

31 of 31 found the following review helpful:


The bible of tone and altissimo development.  Nov 06, 1999 By stengel99 "stengel99"
This is a must for any serious saxophonist. A large portion of the book focuses on playing overtones from the harmonic series, which is an essential exercise for tone development, embouchure control, and altissimo playing. There's enough material here to keep a serious player busy for a long time.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


essential  Nov 10, 2006 By M. Widzinski
This book is a must for any saxophonist with intent of improving tone quality and centering pitch throughout the entire range. I have found that the overtones section is the best way to warm up in any situation. If your aim is to develop the upper range and altissimo, then get this book! Be sure to read the notes by Rascher!

16 of 19 found the following review helpful:


For those who are serious about the altissimo range  Jan 05, 2003 By Evan Tate
This book provides a very good introduction to the overtone series in general on the saxophone, and the altissimo (flageollet) range in specific. Discussion on the usage of imagining the tones before playing them is excellent. Some of the later tonal exercises lack a good pedagogical focus but are useful. Some of the altissimo exercises incorporate too many overtone partials that are typically NOT in tune with Well-tempered tuning. This can cause learning to hear these tones out of tune. Overall, the best book on the market on this subject!

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


"Top Tones" tops in my book!  Mar 16, 2011 By Charles Jennison
Sigurd Rascher's treatise on the altissimo register is a classic in the field of saxophone technical instruction. Very detailed exercises and fingering charts reveal the secrets of extending the saxophone range another full octave! Don't expect, however, to achieve results overnight. A lot of study and careful practice precedes accuracy in producing these tones at will. If you are initially unable to produce the entire harmonic series as he suggests, don't despair, as everyone's physical setup is different and some players find this step easier than others. Try the fingerings anyway - you might get lucky with the right breath support, throat opening, and embouchure pressure! Work with the hardest reed you can handle, as more resistance yields more consistent results. Consider as well the changes that have been made since Rascher's time in mouthpiece and instrument construction. Not all fingerings will work on every instrument, and some experimentation will be necessary to find the compromise between response and intonation. Nonetheless, this little volume comes highly recommended, and with persistent application, you too will succeed in mastering the altissimo register of your horn!

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