Coltrane (1926-1967) is considered one of the most influential saxophonists in jazz and many have tried to ape the piercing, near-scream quality of his top notes.



Now direct measurements from the vocal tracts of professional and amateur sax players show how to do it, an Australian team reports today in the journal Science.



Researchers have long debated how resonances in the vocal tracts of reed instrument players affect the notes of their instruments, as well as shape speech. Different shapes of the vocal tract produce different frequencies of resonance linked with the amplification of specific sound frequencies, or notes.