Multiphonic
Encyclopedia
Multiphonics is an extended technique
in instrumental music in which a monophonic
instrument (one which generally produces only one note at a time) is made to produce several notes at once.
Multiphonics in wind music are primarily a 20th century technique, first explicitly called for in the Sequenza for solo flute by Luciano Berio
and Proporzioni for solo flute by Franco Evangelisti
, though the brass technique of singing while playing has been known since the 18th century and used by composers such as Carl Maria von Weber
. Commonly, no more than four notes will be produced at once, though for some chords on some instruments it is possible to get several more.
s, or voicing the throat with conventional fingerings. There have been numerous fingering guides published for the woodwind player to achieve harmonics. Multiphonics on reed instruments can also be produced in the manners described below for brass instruments.
It is said to be impossible to recreate exactly the conditions between one player and the next, due to minute differences in instruments, reeds, embouchure
, and other things. This, however, is not entirely true; the multiphonic will depend on the room temperature and other such things, but essentially multiphonics sound the same due to the harmonic structure of the multiphonic. A multiphonic fingering that works for one player may not work for that same player on a different instrument, or a different player on the same instrument, or even after switching reeds. This often results from slightly different construction of two instruments from different makers. The tone quality of brass multiphonics is influenced strongly by the voice of the player.
of the played note), several new notes that are the sums/differences of the frequencies
of the sung note and the played note are produced; leading to the popular term trumpet
/trombone
/horn
growl. This technique is also called "horn chords". The tone sung doesn't neccesarely have to be in the played tone's harmonic series, but the effect is more audible if it is. (Singing while playing is also possible for flute
and recorder
, though not as common.) Another method is referred to as "lip multiphonics", in which a brass player alters the airflow to blow between partials, in the harmonic series of the slide position/valve. The outcome is just as stable as any multiphonic and perfectly structured. When the frequencies add together or subtract from each other (essentially merge), the fundamental is recreated. For example; A 440 and A 220, this would combine to make 660. Creating a new fundamental of the second lowest B of the piano.
A third method, known as 'split tones' or double buzz
, produces multiphonics when a player makes his/her lips vibrate at different speeds against each other. The most common result is a perfect interval, but the range of intervals produced can vary broadly.
nodes. This works best on larger instruments like double bass and cello. Other multiphonic extended techniques used are prepared piano
, prepared guitar
and 3rd Bridge
.
.
There is another technique done in whistling, where the whistler hums in their throat while whistling with the front parts of their mouth.
multiples of the frequency of the fundamental. (Only pure sine wave
tones lack these overtones.) Normally, we perceive only the fundamental pitch as being played.
By controlling the air flow through the instrument and the shape of the column (by changing fingering or valve position), a player may produce two distinct tones not part of the same harmonic series
, and thus perceive them independently.
notation to designate acceptable ranges of sound. There is, however, a wide range of notation used to designate multiphonics, with several individual composers preferring notations not in common use.
used this technique in horn
compositions, leading up to his well-known concertino for horn
of 1815.
Woodwind multiphonics and brass lip multiphonics did not make appearances in classical music until the 20th century, with pioneering compositions such as Luciano Berio
's Sequenzas for solo wind instruments using them extensively.
The technique is used in jazz
as early as the 1940s, with Illinois Jacquet
an early proponent of the practice. Multiphonics were also widely used by John Coltrane
; and jazz flautist Jeremy Steig
uses multiphonics extensively.
Some composers who use multiphonics are:
Some musicians who use multiphonics are:
Extended technique
Extended techniques are performance techniques used in music to describe unconventional, unorthodox, or non-traditional techniques of singing, or of playing musical instruments to obtain unusual sounds or instrumental timbres....
in instrumental music in which a monophonic
Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
instrument (one which generally produces only one note at a time) is made to produce several notes at once.
Multiphonics in wind music are primarily a 20th century technique, first explicitly called for in the Sequenza for solo flute by Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
and Proporzioni for solo flute by Franco Evangelisti
Franco Evangelisti
Franco Evangelisti , was an Italian composer specifically interested in the scientific theories behind sound.-Biography:...
, though the brass technique of singing while playing has been known since the 18th century and used by composers such as Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
. Commonly, no more than four notes will be produced at once, though for some chords on some instruments it is possible to get several more.
Woodwind instruments
On woodwind instruments - for example saxophone, clarinet, oboe and flute - multiphonics can be produced either with new fingerings, by using different embouchureEmbouchure
The embouchure is the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments or the mouthpiece of the brass instruments.The word is of French origin and is related to the root bouche , 'mouth'....
s, or voicing the throat with conventional fingerings. There have been numerous fingering guides published for the woodwind player to achieve harmonics. Multiphonics on reed instruments can also be produced in the manners described below for brass instruments.
It is said to be impossible to recreate exactly the conditions between one player and the next, due to minute differences in instruments, reeds, embouchure
Embouchure
The embouchure is the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments or the mouthpiece of the brass instruments.The word is of French origin and is related to the root bouche , 'mouth'....
, and other things. This, however, is not entirely true; the multiphonic will depend on the room temperature and other such things, but essentially multiphonics sound the same due to the harmonic structure of the multiphonic. A multiphonic fingering that works for one player may not work for that same player on a different instrument, or a different player on the same instrument, or even after switching reeds. This often results from slightly different construction of two instruments from different makers. The tone quality of brass multiphonics is influenced strongly by the voice of the player.
Brass instruments
In brass instruments, the most common method of producing multiphonics is by simultaneously playing the instrument and singing into it. When the sung note has a different frequency than the played note (preferably within the harmonic seriesHarmonic series (music)
Pitched musical instruments are often based on an approximate harmonic oscillator such as a string or a column of air, which oscillates at numerous frequencies simultaneously. At these resonant frequencies, waves travel in both directions along the string or air column, reinforcing and canceling...
of the played note), several new notes that are the sums/differences of the frequencies
Combination tone
A combination tone, also called a sum tone or a difference tone , can be any of at least three similar psychoacoustic phenomena. When two tones are played simultaneously, a listener can sometimes perceive an additional tone whose frequency is a sum or difference of the two frequencies...
of the sung note and the played note are produced; leading to the popular term trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
/trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
/horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
growl. This technique is also called "horn chords". The tone sung doesn't neccesarely have to be in the played tone's harmonic series, but the effect is more audible if it is. (Singing while playing is also possible for flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, though not as common.) Another method is referred to as "lip multiphonics", in which a brass player alters the airflow to blow between partials, in the harmonic series of the slide position/valve. The outcome is just as stable as any multiphonic and perfectly structured. When the frequencies add together or subtract from each other (essentially merge), the fundamental is recreated. For example; A 440 and A 220, this would combine to make 660. Creating a new fundamental of the second lowest B of the piano.
A third method, known as 'split tones' or double buzz
Double buzz
Split tones are a multiphonic effect on the trumpet or other brass instruments. During normal play, the upper and lower lips will vibrate together at the same speed. If, however, the lips are set to vibrate at different speeds two pitches may be perceived...
, produces multiphonics when a player makes his/her lips vibrate at different speeds against each other. The most common result is a perfect interval, but the range of intervals produced can vary broadly.
String instruments
String instruments can also produce multiphonic tones when strings are bowed between the harmonicHarmonic
A harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency, i.e. if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies 2f, 3f, 4f, . . . etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic at the fundamental...
nodes. This works best on larger instruments like double bass and cello. Other multiphonic extended techniques used are prepared piano
Prepared piano
A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sound altered by placing objects between or on the strings or on the hammers or dampers....
, prepared guitar
Prepared guitar
A prepared guitar is a guitar that has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instrument's strings, including other extended techniques...
and 3rd Bridge
3rd Bridge
The 3rd bridge is an extended playing technique used on some string instruments , that allows a musician to produce distinctive timbres and overtones that are unavailable on a conventional string instrument with two bridges...
.
Vocal multiphonics
The technique of producing multiphonics with the voice is called throat singingOvertone singing
Overtone singing, also known as overtone chanting, or harmonic singing, is a type of singing in which the singer manipulates the resonances created as air travels from the lungs, past the vocal folds, and out the lips to produce a melody.The partials of a sound wave made by the human voice can be...
.
There is another technique done in whistling, where the whistler hums in their throat while whistling with the front parts of their mouth.
How multiphonics work
In general, when playing a wind instrument, the tone that comes out consists of the fundamental—the pitch usually identified as the note being played—as well as pitches with frequencies that are integerInteger
The integers are formed by the natural numbers together with the negatives of the non-zero natural numbers .They are known as Positive and Negative Integers respectively...
multiples of the frequency of the fundamental. (Only pure sine wave
Sine wave
The sine wave or sinusoid is a mathematical function that describes a smooth repetitive oscillation. It occurs often in pure mathematics, as well as physics, signal processing, electrical engineering and many other fields...
tones lack these overtones.) Normally, we perceive only the fundamental pitch as being played.
By controlling the air flow through the instrument and the shape of the column (by changing fingering or valve position), a player may produce two distinct tones not part of the same harmonic series
Harmonic series (music)
Pitched musical instruments are often based on an approximate harmonic oscillator such as a string or a column of air, which oscillates at numerous frequencies simultaneously. At these resonant frequencies, waves travel in both directions along the string or air column, reinforcing and canceling...
, and thus perceive them independently.
Notation
Multiphonics may be notated in score in a variety of ways. When exact pitches are specified, one method of notation is simply to indicate a chord, leaving the performer to figure out what techniques are necessary to achieve it. Common on woodwind music is to specify a particular fingering underneath the required note; as different fingerings produce different qualities of sound, a composer who is concerned about the precise effect created may wish to do this. (It should be noted, though, that the same fingering can cause different result on instruments from different manufacturers, due to variations in construction.) Approximate pitches may be specified by wavy lines or in clusterTone cluster
A tone cluster is a musical chord comprising at least three consecutive tones in a scale. Prototypical tone clusters are based on the chromatic scale, and are separated by semitones. For instance, three adjacent piano keys struck simultaneously produce a tone cluster...
notation to designate acceptable ranges of sound. There is, however, a wide range of notation used to designate multiphonics, with several individual composers preferring notations not in common use.
Use in literature
The first real use of multiphonics in literature are of the brass "horn chord" style. Carl Maria von WeberCarl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school....
used this technique in horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
compositions, leading up to his well-known concertino for horn
Concertino for horn (Weber)
The Concertino for Horn and Orchestra in E minor, J188 , was composed in 1815 by Carl Maria von Weber. It is an extremely taxing work for natural horn or valve horn and small orchestra...
of 1815.
Woodwind multiphonics and brass lip multiphonics did not make appearances in classical music until the 20th century, with pioneering compositions such as Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
's Sequenzas for solo wind instruments using them extensively.
The technique is used in jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
as early as the 1940s, with Illinois Jacquet
Illinois Jacquet
Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo....
an early proponent of the practice. Multiphonics were also widely used by John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
; and jazz flautist Jeremy Steig
Jeremy Steig
-Biography:Steig is the son of New Yorker cartoonist William Steig,At age 19 Steig was involved in a motorcycle accident which left him paralyzed on one side...
uses multiphonics extensively.
Some composers who use multiphonics are:
- Paul Archbold
- Bruno BartolozziBruno BartolozziBruno Bartolozzi was an Italian composer and pioneer in the development of extended techniques for wind instruments.He was born in Florence.-Concerti con orchestra:* Concerto for orchestra...
- Luciano BerioLuciano BerioLuciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
- Glenn BrancaGlenn BrancaGlenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
- Ronald CaravanRonald CaravanDr. Ronald Caravan is an American classical musician. He is a clarinetist, saxophonist, teacher, composer, and arranger....
- Elliott CarterElliott CarterElliott Cook Carter, Jr. is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1930s, and then returned to the United States. After a neoclassical phase, he went on to write atonal, rhythmically complex music...
- John CoriglianoJohn CoriglianoJohn Corigliano is an American composer of classical music and a teacher of music. He is a distinguished professor of music at Lehman College in the City University of New York.-Biography:...
- Sofia GubaidulinaSofia GubaidulinaSofia Asgatovna Gubaidulina, is a Russian composer of half Russian, half Tatar ethnicity.Gubaidulina's music is marked by the use of unusual instrumental combinations...
- Paul KeenanPaul KeenanPaul Keenan is a songwriter and producer based in Dumbarton, near Glasgow in Scotland. He is best known as being one half of successful UK dance act Uniting Nations along with Daz Sampson, who have had four hits singles to date "Out of Touch", "You and Me", "Ai No Corrida" and "Do It Yourself"...
- Christian LindbergChristian LindbergChristian Lindberg is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer.As a youth, Lindberg learned to play the trumpet, and subsequently began to learn the trombone at age 17. He originally borrowed a trombone to join his friends' Dixieland jazz group, inspired by records of Jack Teagarden...
- Drake Mabry
- Aleksandar ObradovićAleksandar ObradovicAleksandar Obradović was a Serbian 20th century composer and professor at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. He was a Chancellor of the University of Arts in Belgrade .-External links:***...
- William O Smith
- Toru TakemitsuToru Takemitsuwas a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu possessed consummate skill in the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre...
- Iannis XenakisIannis XenakisIannis Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek ethnic, naturalized French composer, music theorist, and architect-engineer. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
- Isang YunIsang YunIsang Yun was a Korean-German composer originally from Korea. According to his official publisher's Boosey & Hawkes biography of him, he was granted political asylum by West Germany, eventually becoming a naturalised German citizen, following his abduction and torture in 1967 by the South Korean...
- John ZornJohn ZornJohn Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
Some musicians who use multiphonics are:
- John ColtraneJohn ColtraneJohn William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
- saxophone - Pharoah SandersPharoah SandersPharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...
- saxophone - Mario Caroli - flute
- Robert Dick (flautist) - flute
- Anne La BergeAnne La BergeAnne La Berge is a flautist, composer and improviser, currently resident in Amsterdam. Her most recent performances bring together the elements on which her reputation is based: a virtuosic command of her instrument, a penchant for improvising microtonal textures and melodies, and an array of...
- flute - Ronald CaravanRonald CaravanDr. Ronald Caravan is an American classical musician. He is a clarinetist, saxophonist, teacher, composer, and arranger....
- clarinet, saxophone - Theo JörgensmannTheo JörgensmannTheodor Franz Jörgensmann is a jazz and free-improvising Basset clarinet player and composer. He has been a professional musician since 1975.-Activities:...
- clarinet - Csaba Klenyán - clarinet
- Joe ManeriJoe ManeriJoseph Gabriel Esther "Joe" Maneri , was an American jazz composer, saxophone and clarinet player. Violinist Mat Maneri is his son....
- clarinet, saxophone - Philip Rehfeldt - clarinet
- William O. Smith - clarinet
- Milenko StefanovicMilenko StefanovicMilenko Stefanović is the most famous Serbian and Yugoslav clarinetist: a prizewinner in the international competitions in Moscow, Munich, Geneva and Prague, soloist who has achieved significant international career, long-time principal clarinetist of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and...
- clarinet - Heinz HolligerHeinz HolligerHeinz Holliger Heinz Holliger Heinz Holliger (born 21 May 1939 is a Swiss oboist, composer and conductor.-Biography:He was born in Langenthal, Switzerland, and began his musical education at the conservatories of Bern and Basel. He studied composition with Sándor Veress and Pierre Boulez...
- oboe - Drake Mabry - oboe and Baroque oboe
- Han de VriesHan de VriesHan Samuel de Vries , is a Dutch oboist and is considered the doyen of the Dutch school of oboe playing.De Vries studied oboe with Jaap Stotijn at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and with his son Haakon Stotijn at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. He won many prizes in his youth,...
- oboe - John Steinmetz - bassoon
- Ned RothenbergNed RothenbergNed Rothenberg is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer. He specializes in woodwind instruments, including the alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and shakuhachi...
- saxophone, clarinet/bass clarinet, shakuhachi - Michael BreckerMichael BreckerMichael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
- saxophone - Frank Gratkowski - saxophone
- Aengus O Maolain - singer
- Edwin Harkins - trumpet
- Rex Richardson - trumpet
- Richard Burdick - horn
- Stuart DempsterStuart DempsterStuart Dempster is a trombonist, didjeridu player, improvisor, and composer.-Biography:After Dempster completed his studies at San Francisco State College, he was appointed assistant professor at the California State College at Hayward, and instructor at the San Francisco Conservatory...
- trombone - Conny BauerConny BauerKonrad "Conny" Bauer is a free jazz trombonist. He is the brother of the trombonist Hannes Bauer....
- trombone - Robin EubanksRobin EubanksRobin Eubanks is an American jazz and jazz fusion slide trombonist, the brother of guitarist Kevin Eubanks and trumpeter Duane Eubanks.-Biography:...
- trombone - Vinko GlobokarVinko GlobokarVinko Globokar is a French avant-garde composer and trombonist of Slovene descent.His work is noted for its use of unconventional and extended techniques, closely allying him to contemporaries Salvatore Sciarrino and Helmut Lachenmann...
- trombone also composition - Christian LindbergChristian LindbergChristian Lindberg is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer.As a youth, Lindberg learned to play the trumpet, and subsequently began to learn the trombone at age 17. He originally borrowed a trombone to join his friends' Dixieland jazz group, inspired by records of Jack Teagarden...
- trombone - Albert MangelsdorffAlbert MangelsdorffAlbert Mangelsdorff was one of the most accredited and innovative trombonists of modern jazz who became famous for his distinctive technique of playing multiphonics.-Biography:...
- trombone - Benny Sluchin - trombone (vocal and lip multiphonics)
- Alain TrudelAlain TrudelAlain Trudel is a Canadian musician, composer and conductor. He began his career playing the trombone, but has more recently turned to conducting....
- trombone - Sasha Koushk-Jalali - tuba
- Øystein BaadsvikØystein Baadsvik- Biography :He began playing the tuba at the age of fifteen at his school in Trondheim, Norway, and won first prize at eighteen in a Norwegian national competition for soloists.He studied under the tuba player Harvey Phillips and with Arnold Jacobs...
- tuba - Nat McIntosh - tuba/sousaphone
- Christopher Redgate - oboe
- Patrick Sheridan - tuba
- Jim PepperJim PepperJim Pepper was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and singer of Native American ancestry.-Biography:...
-saxophone - John GrossJohn Gross (musician)John Gross is a saxophone, flute and clarinet player.Gross is known as a musician's musician, a mainstay, and in 1994, Saxophone Journal called him one of the most meaningful players on the American Jazz scene...
-saxophone - Barry Bergstrom-saxophone
See also
- DidgeridooDidgeridooThe didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
- Singing bowls
- Double buzzDouble buzzSplit tones are a multiphonic effect on the trumpet or other brass instruments. During normal play, the upper and lower lips will vibrate together at the same speed. If, however, the lips are set to vibrate at different speeds two pitches may be perceived...
- Musical acousticsMusical acousticsMusical acoustics or music acoustics is the branch of acoustics concerned with researching and describing the physics of music – how sounds employed as music work...
- Physics of music
- Harmonic series (music)Harmonic series (music)Pitched musical instruments are often based on an approximate harmonic oscillator such as a string or a column of air, which oscillates at numerous frequencies simultaneously. At these resonant frequencies, waves travel in both directions along the string or air column, reinforcing and canceling...