Altissimo Fingerings for Tenor and Alto Saxophone

Like everything else on saxophone, playing in the altissimo range is really hard until one day it’s not so hard.

Today I’m going to show you all of my fingerings from high F-sharp up through high C in the altissimo range for alto saxophone and tenor saxophone.

But more importantly, I’m going to show you what I practice everyday that allows me to get these notes out when I need them.

Click below to watch the video version of this post:

YouTube video

Everyone’s always asking for altissimo fingerings, but the truth is it’s not the fingerings that you need, it’s the preparatory work. It’s the sound work like the long tones and overtone exercises that really make a difference.

Those are the things that are going to get the altissimo notes to come out for you consistently, in tune and with a good sound.

I’ve got a link for you to download all of my altissimo fingerings on alto and tenor saxophone, but if you think that just putting your fingers in the right spot is going to get these notes out for you, you’re wrong.

Why Altissimo Fingerings Don’t Matter That Much

Most altissimo notes have several different possible fingerings. Why is that? It’s because the fingerings don’t really matter so much.

It’s what you’re doing in your throat and what you’re doing with your embouchure and what’s going on in your head that’s going to help you get those notes out.

What You Do (and Don’t) Need to Play in the Altissimo Range

It’s also important to note you don’t need some special mouthpiece to play altissimo notes. With a well-balanced reed I can get all of my altissimo notes out on any of my mouthpieces and they’re all different — metal, hard rubber, large chamber, small chamber, baffle, no baffle.

It doesn’t matter, so before we get into the fingerings, check out these warm-ups that I’m doing every day.

And you need to understand that if you don’t put in the preparatory warm-up work on a very regular basis, you’re not going to have success in the altissimo range regardless of fingerings.

Altissimo Warm-Up Exercises

I start off all of my practice sessions with long tones and I play long tones over the entire range of my saxophone.

I like to start in the middle, like middle C, and play a long tone on every note all the way down chromatically to low B-flat. Then I go back to the middle and do the same thing all the way up to my highest altissimo note until I don’t have any more notes.

Once I’m done with that I take my mouthpiece off and I practice with just the mouthpiece on its own. I just do some simple exercises. I play a major scale and some arpeggios.

Really I’m on the mouthpiece for about a minute or so. Then I put my mouthpiece back and I get into playing my overtones.

How to Play Overtones

Overtones are when you finger one note, like low B-flat, on your saxophone, and you’re able to play several different notes in partials above the note with the same fingering. (It’s similar to how trumpet players get several different notes out of the same fingering.)

If you don’t yet know what overtones are then you really shouldn’t be working on your altissimo yet.

I play my overtones over about three octaves on low B-flat, B and C and sometimes I go up to C-sharp and D.

I play a couple exercises and a couple melodies just with overtones. Again, I’m only spending a few minutes on these exercises, but I’m doing it every day. You don’t need to spend half an hour on this every day.

You just spend a few minutes working on overtones, but if you do it every single day, overtime you’re really going to reap the benefits. It’s playing long tones, on the mouthpiece all by itself and overtone work.

Click below to find out if you’re practicing the right things:

YouTube video

Why It’s Important to Practice These Fundamentals

If I don’t do that warm-up I’m going to get into all sorts of bad habits where I’m trying to force notes out with my embouchure by squeezing really hard.

My throat is going to be closing off. I’m going to be dropping my jaw to get the low notes out. All of those things are typical bad habits and ways we cheat to try to get the extreme registers out.

You want your air to be doing the work. Not your mouth, not your jaw, not your lips, your air stream does all the work.

Click below for a video to make sure your embouchure is solid:

YouTube video

How to Keep Your Throat Open and Relaxed

While you’re working on all these sound exercises, you want to pay careful attention to the shape of your throat. You want it to be open and relaxed.

Also pay attention to the position of your tongue. You don’t want your tongue to be closing off your throat. Try to get your tongue to relax and lay down flat.

Altissimo Fingerings for the Saxophone

Now let’s get into the fingerings. It’s important that we start out by using our front E, front F and front F-sharp fingerings first. Then we’ll be ready to slide on into altissimo G.

For a refresher, check out my first introductory lesson to the altissimo range below:

YouTube video

You can download a PDF version of the altissimo fingerings here. If you’ve got other altissimo fingerings that work for you for any of these notes, please put them in the comments below so everyone else can try them out and see if they work for them.

BetterSax altissimo fingering chart for alto and tenor sax
BetterSax altissimo fingering chart for alto and tenor sax

High Front E and Front F on Alto and Tenor Sax

All of these front fingerings and altissimo fingerings are with the octave key. We’re going to start with the note E, your high front E.

Front E fingering on alto and tenor saxophone
Front E fingering on alto and tenor saxophone

Then we go on to the front F.

Front F fingering on alto and tenor saxophone
Front F fingering on alto and tenor saxophone

Altissimo F-sharp and G on Alto Sax

Now we get into our first altissimo note, F-sharp. On the alto saxophone you leave your F-natural down, add your bottom side-kick, your B-flat side key. That gives you F-sharp.

Altissimo F-sharp fingering on alto saxophone
Altissimo F-sharp fingering on alto saxophone

Then to get to G we put our first finger down in the right hand and lift up the middle finger so now it’s just front F, first finger right hand and the B-flat side key.

Altissimo G fingering on alto saxophone
Altissimo G fingering on alto saxophone

Altissimo F-sharp and G on Tenor Sax

F-sharp is different on tenor and alto saxophone. Sometimes I just add the side B-flat key as with the alto. This works on some tenors.

But normally on tenor I add that side key, lift up my second finger and put down my first finger in the right hand.

Altissimo F-sharp fingering on tenor saxophone
Altissimo F-sharp fingering on tenor saxophone

To get to G from here I lift up the first finger. So G is the front F key plus the B-flat side key.

Altissimo G fingering on tenor saxophone
Altissimo G fingering on tenor saxophone

Altissimo G-sharp on Alto and Tenor Sax

On alto sax, G-sharp is one, three, one plus the side C key (the middle right hand side key).

Altissimo G-sharp fingering on alto saxophone
Altissimo G-sharp fingering on alto saxophone

The fingering I use on tenor is two, three and the middle finger on your right hand, (F-sharp key).

Altissimo G-sharp fingering on tenor saxophone
Altissimo G-sharp fingering on tenor saxophone

Altissimo A for Alto and Tenor Sax

For the altissimo note A I use the same fingerings on both alto and tenor sax — two and three on the left hand, and optionally, one, two and three in the right hand.

Altissimo A fingering on alto and tenor saxophone
Altissimo A fingering on alto and tenor saxophone

Altissimo B-flat for Alto and Tenor Sax

B-flat is also the same on both saxophones. I use the third finger, middle side key in your right hand, and one, two and three.

Altissimo B-flat fingering on alto and tenor saxophone
Altissimo B-flat fingering on alto and tenor saxophone

Altissimo B for Alto and Tenor Sax

To get to B natural for both tenor and alto, I add the D palm key and I lift up two and three.

Altissimo B fingering on alto and tenor saxophone
Altissimo B fingering on alto and tenor saxophone

Altissimo C for Alto and Tenor Sax

The note C is the same on both alto and tenor — one, three, and one, three, E-flat pinkie key.

Altissimo C fingering on alto and tenor saxophone
Altissimo C fingering on alto and tenor saxophone

Finding the Altissimo Fingerings That Work for You

These are my altissimo fingerings that I use. They work on my Yanagisawa saxophones. They also work on my Selmer Mark VI If you are using a different fingering or you find a different fingering that you prefer by all means use that one.

When you’re testing different fingerings, sometimes you have to compromise as well. You want a good sound and you want the note to be in tune but you also want something that’s relatively easy to get to from other notes.

Maybe you’re willing to sacrifice a little bit of intonation for a certain fingering in order to get the notes to come out easier so you can play something a bit faster.

Click below for some tips on how to play the saxophone in tune:

YouTube video

Taking Your Altissimo Notes From the Practice Room to Performance

Another thing to keep in mind is that once you start getting these altissimo notes coming out in the practice room about 99 percent of the time, when you then go and try to use those notes in a performance at first they probably aren’t going to be coming out.

You have to miss about 100 altissimo notes before they start coming out onstage when you want them to.

So that’s it, all the altissimo fingerings for alto and tenor saxophone. Don’t forget to download the free altissimo saxophone fingerings, and let us know how it goes in the comments!

Also be sure to follow BetterSax on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube to stay up to date with us for news, giveaways, and other saxophone tips and tricks.

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31 Comments

kevin doede says:

Jay,
Why cant I download the altissimo PDF. When I try to it says its submitting but just set’s there and does nothing. Thank you for your help

Jay Metcalf says:

Kevin thanks for getting in touch. It appears that you are not receiving my emails and they are getting filtered. You need to whitelist my email address and add me to your list of contacts. Check your junk and spam folders for the missing emails.

Tom Tolruf says:

ThankYou for the excellent study and exercise videos on the saxophone

Alto Sax Fingering Chart | Allpetsdavidking.co.uk says:

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Alto Sax Fingering Chart | MYyeducationsearch says:

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Joshua Healey says:

Are the charts you provided correct?? When I play altissomo ‘A’ on my alto I can play it using the tenor fingering but not the alto fingering…. or am I doing something wrong

Jay Metcalf says:

The fingering in the pdf are suggestions based on what I use. Different instruments will often prefer variations on the fingerings to get the best response and tuning. If you find a fingering that works well, then use it. There are many different possibilities for each note.

Matthew says:

When playing high F# to Altissimo G I get a lot of cracking from one or both notes, ( Using front F#) I’ve gotten pretty good at playing altissimo but am having trouble going from F# to G. Any info on what I’m doing wrong? Thankyou

Jay Metcalf says:

Matthew, perhaps try some different fingerings for those notes. G is one of the most difficult altissimo notes and different instruments and mouthpieces will respond better with different fingerings. On one of my tenors I play just the front F key for G but on another I add the side Bb for tuning. We also have the tendency to bite down in the altissimo range and this can definitely cause the notes to not speak clearly. Try to let the air and throat do more of the work and relax the jaw.

Chris del Camino says:

Great to see this chart, but then also greater to see that, “hey, it’s not even needed!” Out of curiosity, do you hit your altissimo notes with no fingerings at all like you suggest in the article–that is, purely by using voicing with your oral cavity? If so, what do you do, just hit the octave key only and then hit whatever note you want by “aiming” in that way with your oral setup? Great stuff on your page and youtube vids. Much appreciated!!

Jay Metcalf says:

Chris, I always use fingerings for altissimo notes but I’m always changing the fingerings I use. I’m finding more and more possibilities of each note and I’m looking for fingerings that are easier to move around between notes. It’s interesting how many of these notes can be played with just one or 2 fingers down. I’ll be updating this chart at some point with my revised fingerings.

Carter.Yilia says:

Don’t make excuses for failure, just find a way for success

Brett says:

What are different ways to find fingerings for a yamaha YAS-62

Cathy says:

My alto sax is a Buescher True Tone Low Pitch, circa 1920’s, and I don’t think it has “front keys.”
I normally use the palm keys to reach altissimo D, E, and F.
Since my instrument doesn’t have “front keys” for the altissimo range above F, I assume I can’t benefit from your altissimo video?

Jay Metcalf says:

You can still try the fingerings that do not use the front F key.

Kevin Phillips says:

Jay, your material here is priceless and it reaffirms my constant push for the basics with my students. Having them hear you say the same things – long tones, overtones, time keeping- makes me look not so crazy after all. Thanks!

Jay Metcalf says:

great to hear this Kevin. I know a lot of younger students are watching my videos and I’m glad it’s making their teachers’ lives easier.

Ariel says:

Hey Jay, awesome tips! I am able to play all the altissimo notes from high f# to c. The problem is that I find it difficult to get the notes in my head on the regular playing or live. Do you have any other exercises to improve my playing so I can incorporate these notes on a regular basis like they were regular notes? Thank you!!

Jay Metcalf says:

Try playing scales up there and simple melodies.

frederick says:

Mr Metcalf my name is Fred Marsh from Australia, I have retired from actually performing just on 2years in 2/3/4/6/ piece bands
supporting Artists, and travelling around the country, and abroad, I am turning 75 in a couple of months, have 10 Grand Children, and both my Wife and I still kicking a long lol! I have a 1959 Selmer Paris Tenor, a 1936 Dolnet Paris Alto
both given to me by my Father a long time ago, i have a lot of time on my hands now, that’s how I found out about you, and as you can imagine, these Horns mean so much to me, In one of your links you said you worked on Horns, and noticed you knew what you were doing, the question I’d like to ask you, in a complete overhaul, every shaft that work the Keys, should be tightly screwed in, other words no play (movement), including the shaft that
works the Octave key? is this correct? Cheers

Jay Metcalf says:

Some keys work with hinge rods and some work with pivot screws. But yes, after an overhaul, there should not be any excess movement in the keys. Even the ones that do not have a pad attached to them. The excess movement will be noisy on those keys like the octave key you mention. Having said that, the octave key mechanism is different on various models and there are parts of those mechanisms that sometimes require a bit of play in order to function properly.

Miguel Mora says:

Jay,

Could you send me the exercises and the fingering chart for altissimo. I play on a Selmer MVI alto and tenor and a King Super 20 tenor. I have my own fingerings that I use for F#, G, G#, A, A#, B and C. Nothing figured out for C# but can reach D fairly easily…that’s as far as I’ve gotten. My main goal is to incorporate (wire-in to my memory bank) the chromatic pattern into my playing.
Really enjoy your You Tube instructions. Now that I’m retired, I finally have the time to dive into my sax.

Ben H says:

Thanks for the altissimo charts Jay. I’m a ‘true beginner’ (retired now, so I’ve got time at long last). I’ve been trying to play some of the higher notes using charts I found online. Now they are different, possibly still correct, and go up to a ‘high F#’, probably the bottom of what is called ‘altissimo’ here. I’ll make a start on your versions and see where I end up. Those previous charts ended up giving me a lot of ‘the same’ sounding notes, but I must admit I may be interpreting the charts wrong.

Dylan says:

Thanks Jay, love your radical realism about altissimo! The exact opposite of most of the fakery we are surrounded by these days.

bhowani says:

Sir, bravo for your clear pedagogic explanations :

But I’m lost!
I hav a wonderful alto KING20 and as you know there is no F# key…so your soluces are not always working fine.

Do you know a site, a blog, equivalent to yours where I can find explantions and graphics like you’ve done?
I would be so helpful to me, you can’t imgine? I’ve been searching and searching and searchin….in vain! I can’t find satisfactory answers…

Thank you so much if you can help me!
Bhowani!

Jay Metcalf says:

There is no F# key necessary to do any of these fingerings. I am using the Front F key which you should have on your saxophone.

Ray Palfreyman says:

Thanks for all the great information and especially the last part about how , even if you can get some altissimo notes it takes a lot of work to get them out when playing an actual song or improvisation. I constantly miss them in the heat of battle… ah well more practice 🥴
Ray

Franz KARITNIG says:

Hi Jay.My name is Franz Karitnig from Austria.I started playing tenorsax two yoers ago and enjoy it .Now I am 72 and try to study playing altissiomo.I enjoy watching your videos

Jay Metcalf says:

Thanks Franz!

alan perry says:

Jay like some other people its a nightmare to try and download the altissimo pdf and no, my emails are not being filtered.
I love your teaching and have purchased many of your courses . However I have to be honest and say when i waste a lot of time trying to download a simple pdf chart and have to go through just a heck of a process , is really disappointing to say the least . There’s got to be an easier setup to get this pdf than trailing all the courses to find out were it is .
kind regards Alan

Marcy Lyzun says:

Hello Alan,

Apologies for the difficulty with the PDF. The PDF is part of the BetterSax Shed, which you can sign up for here. Once you’re in the Shed, you can find the Altissimo Fingerings in the “All” tab or also on the “Advanced” tab. Also, apologies for the delay, I responded to this previously but just realized that my comment didn’t post. I will also send the link for the Shed to you via email.
-Marcy (BetterSax Operations Manager)

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