Introduction

Abstract

The goal of this book is to provide a new saxophone method that aims at a novel, versatile performance style by means of different, exchangeable mouthpieces for the instrument. Instead of developing a unitary, iconic sound as existing teaching methods of wind instruments typically do, the approach of this book focuses on the production of multiple, diverse sonic identities. These can be used to adapt to different musical scenarios including performance styles driven by both intuitive and rational thinking processes. When classical orchestras evolved in the 17th century towards a more modern form, musicians started to specialize in a single instrument with strict technical requirements (Spitzer and Zaslaw, The birth of the Orchestra: history of an institution. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2004, [256, p. 21]). These skills were taught in newly-founded conservatories to prepare students in orchestral repertoire performance. Before this era, musicians often played multiple instruments and switched between them during a performance. In the approach described here, the musician can continue to perform on a single wind instrument, but the instrument is drastically expanded through the use of additional sound generators and extended techniques. Through further specialization in this instrument, the performer needs to master it to a level that the instrument takes on additional attributes and characteristics from other wind instrument families. This constitutes the process I call hyper-specialization.