Mastering Challenging Intervals Part II – Whole Steps

IntervalsThis article is the first part of a series on challenging saxophone intervals. To see the other articles which comprise this series to date, please click here.

In our first installment of this series, we established the importance of practicing transitioning between notes that are difficult to move between. Since last time we covered half steps, this time I’d like to share my findings with regards to the most challenging whole step intervals on the horn.

Just like with every interval group, not all pairs of notes are equally difficult to master. For example, going from middle Eb to F isn’t anywhere in the stratosphere of difficulty as moving between low B and C#. Master these challenging whole step pairs and you’ll have kicked your technique up by quite a few notches.

Here’s the sheet music for the whole-step intervals I’ve isolated as being particularly challenging.

Image by Ethan Hein