Multiphonics

What it is: Producing two or more pitches simultaneously on a single wind instrument by using a special fingering combined with a specific embouchure and air pressure. Normally a wind plays one note at a time — multiphonics break that rule.

What it sounds like: Rough, complex, sometimes buzzy or beating. Can range from a clean dyad to a rich chord-cluster. Not "in tune" in the traditional sense — multiphonics live in their own harmonic world.

When to use it: 20th- and 21st-century composition. Color effects, climactic shock moments, sound-mass passages, ambient/textural writing. Heard most often on saxophone (where it's almost a standard jazz extended technique), bass clarinet, flute, and bassoon.

Notation: Written as a chord on the staff with the specific fingering noted below — usually as a fingering diagram, not standard notation. Composers reference fingering catalogs (Heinz Holliger for oboe, Bruno Bartolozzi for general woodwind).

Tip: Multiphonics are fingering-specific — the same multiphonic isn't available on every instrument or every player's setup. Consult a real player before specifying exact pitches. Reed players have many more multiphonic options than flutists.

Listen:

Bartolozzi — New Sounds for Woodwind (the foundational catalog, 1967)
John Coltrane — Ascension (saxophone multiphonics in free jazz)
Heinz Holliger — Studie über Mehrklänge (literally "Study in Multiphonics" for oboe)
Berio — Sequenza VII (oboe) and Sequenza IXa (clarinet)