Expanding the saxophone with different tone generators and a foot controller for complementary voices

This paper focuses on expanding saxophone performance practice through exchangeable tone generators and a foot controller utilizing fine motor skills. The combination of both expansions extends the timbral qualities of the saxophone into new territories. The different tone generators turn the saxophone into a flute, a sarrusophone, a modern variation of the Renaissance cornett, and a free-reed instrument with each instrument class's distinct sonic characters. The foot-controller system consists of a trackball operated by the big toe of one foot with separate pedals to simulate the mouse buttons with the other foot. The system also includes a traditional MIDI bass pedal, an expression pedal, and a wide-spaced ASCII keyboard. In particular, the trackball system enables complex timbre changes and a flexible processing flow needed for freely improvised music. It can be used to control a complete personal computer. The learning curve to develop the feet's fine motor skills is comparable to learning new embouchures for the different tone generators.