12 Moons Solo Saxophone Project Day 314
Date: 11/10/2013
Instrument: Soprano saxophone
Location: The rec room of my childhood home in Edmonds, WA
Notes:
This morning on our way out of town, I stopped by my families house and recorded a short improvisation. We work up early to get a jump on the day, and my wife and I had several hours of driving ahead of us. Today is her birthday, and with a busy day planned there was very little for me to practice. These days are rare as I almost always carve out a good chunk of time to practice regardless of the day’s obligations, but now and again a day of little playing can be good medicine for an overworked mind. I came to the horn very easily and quickly settled on what was to be recorded. My mind was already prepared for a long day, and my improvisation reflected not impatience but urgency of thought. Also of note, today’s post was written in Portland, Oregon. It’s often the case that my descriptive post is written in a different location than my improvisation is performed, but today’s geographical distance is the furthest since documentation during my Bad Luck band tour last Spring.
In today’s improvisation I worked with the phasing of sound from the extreme altissimo register into the mid register, back to the upper register, and finally an equal balance of both registers. I used both standard breathing and circular breathing during this piece. There was no particular key center or fingering model followed, but rather I used a very loose embouchure and articulated gently but deliberately against the reed with my tongue while exploring this phasing model.
-Neil
The image “Body Echo 26” accompanying today’s post by Hugh O'Donnell (1990).