From the Inside Out

One of the most difficult challenges in wind instrument pedagogy is teaching what can't be seen. The external embouchure, hand positions, fingerings, posture, etc., are easy enough, but much of what happens to create saxophone tone is in the vocal tract (from the vocal folds to the embouchure). Through fluoroscopy (x-ray), endoscopy (probe camera), and other means, Dr. Watkins has revealed secrets invaluable to the serious teacher and student. His research into the saxophonist's vocal tract and resultant tried and true application has spanned over twenty years. This book is marvelously laid out with the explanations, exercises, illustrations, and over 100 video clips allowing the saxophonist a deeper understanding and greater flexibility. - Back cover. With a doctorate in five woodwind instruments and decades as both a performer and a teacher, Dr. Mark Watkins has long been interested in the production of sound. What differentiates his book From the Inside Out: An In-depth Resource for the Development of Saxophone Sound from other music reference texts is its focus on fluoroscopy and endoscopy to supersede supposition and speculation. No other book provides both video and hard-copy illustrations of the inner workings of the saxophonist's vocal tract. Since 1995, Watkins has conducted X-ray and probe camera experiments and consulted with music acoustics physicists from around the world. Now, Watkins shares what he has learned in From the Inside Out, which is filled with explanations and exercises for saxophone performers and teachers in areas including range, relations to vocal mechanisms, articulation, jazz, anatomy, the science of the vocal tract, and extended techniques. - Publisher.