Tech

Welcome to my tech department!

Here I speak about the basics involved in saxophone playing, but also about more advanced techniques like circular breathing and quarter tones. 

An important part of this page deals with posture and the mechanics of musical movements. 


Please click on one of the topics below to scroll to it…

⫸ French Fingering System for Saxophone

⫸ Top Tone Fingerings for the Saxophone

⫸ Quarter Tone Fingerings for the Saxophone

⫸ The basics of circular breathing

⫸ Shibashi 18 Exercises for Nerve Control and Mobility

⫸ Posture - Balance - Breath Control: The Pyramidalis Muscle - what on earth is it, and why can it be helpful for instrumentalists?

French system for key names for the saxophone  

Top-tone fingerings for saxophone

Quarter tone fingerings for the saxophone

Circular breathing basics

Shibashi from the Qi Gong tradition

Qi Gong is a form of meditation in movement.
The Qi Gong tradition can be traced back about 2500 years, but is believed to be older still. 
Shibashi is a series of 18 exercises taken from the vast collection of Qi Gong exercises. 

Qi Gong in Video

There are many videos about Shibashi practise to be foind in the internet. I like this one, because it manages to stay calm and just shows the necessary movements.

7 PDF documents: 
The pyramidalis muscle and its importance for musical execution, breath control and balanced posture. 

all page background photographs by Paolo Galletta