Growling is a musical technique where the instrumentalist vocalizes into the instrument to alter quality of the sound. Growling is used primarily in rock and blues style playing, it is also frequently used in klezmer music; it is popular in the
woodwind
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...
family of instruments, especially the
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
, though it is also commonly used on brass instruments, as well. It is commonly used by mainstream artists such as
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Career Early life and career
A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...
,
Illinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo.
Although he was a pioneer of t ...
and
Earl Bostic
Eugene Earl Bostic (April 25, 1913 – October 28, 1965) was an American alto saxophonist. Bostic's recording career was diverse, his musical output encompassing jazz, swing, jump blues and the post-war American rhythm and blues style, which he ...
. Outside of these styles and instruments, it is often considered a
novelty effect
The novelty effect, in the context of human performance, is the tendency for performance to initially improve when new technology is instituted, not because of any actual improvement in learning or achievement, but in response to increased interes ...
.
The growl gives the performer's sound a dark, guttural, gritty
timbre
In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or musical tone, tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voice ...
resulting largely from the
rustle noise and desirable consonance and
dissonance effects produced. The technique of simultaneous playing a note and singing into an instrument is also known as horn chords or
multiphonics
A multiphonic is an extended technique on a monophonic musical instrument (one that generally produces only one note at a time) in which several notes are produced at once. This includes wind, reed, and brass instruments, as well as the human voi ...
.
Method
The most common and effective method of woodwind growling is to hum, sing, or even scream into the mouthpiece of the instrument.
Saxophone Growl effect, how to growl on Sax to get that dirty sax sound
/ref> This method introduces interference within the instrument itself, breaking up the normal quality of sound waves produced. Furthermore, the vibration of the vocal note in the mouth and lips creates rustle noise in the instrument.
The vocally produced note can be the same note (though this is believed to be less effective), a natural third or perfect fifth, or any random note, usually from a different octave than the note the instrument is producing. The latter choice is believed to cause the most interference and yield the darkest, grittiest timbre.
Alternate methods
A woodwind growl can also be produced by allowing air to escape from around the corners of the mouth, causing a vibration in the lips and mouthpiece. Although this method does not set up patterns of interference, it does produce the characteristic rustle noise of the growl.
Alternately, it is possible to use multiphonic
A multiphonic is an extended technique on a monophonic musical instrument (one that generally produces only one note at a time) in which several notes are produced at once. This includes wind, reed, and brass instruments, as well as the human voic ...
fingering to create a growl-like effects. The performer selects a bizarre or unusual fingering that causes the instrument to attempt to sound on multiple notes. This creates interference, but no beating or rustle noise.
Other methods include constricting the airway to create a "rasp".
Use in other instruments
A "growl" can be produced by instruments outside of the woodwind family such as the trumpet or the trombone. Bubber Miley Bubber is a nickname and surname which may refer to:
People:
* Bubber or Bubba Brooks (1922-2002), American jazz tenor saxophonist
* James Bubber Epps (born 1943), American politician
* Clarence James Bubber Jonnard (1897-1977), American Major Leag ...
is often referred to as "growl trumpeter". A "growl trombone" may be seen in a 1929 film '' Black and Tan Fantasy'' played by Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton.
Harmonica players have started growling as well by using a technique similar to bending notes which causes the reeds to project a raspy guttural sound.
See also
* Wah-wah
Notes
External links
Sample of saxophone growling
{{Musical techniques
Extended techniques
Musical performance techniques