PhD defence Don-Paul Kahl

Don-Paul Kahl defended his research project 'Saxophone without mouthpiece'. He conducted this research project between 2016 and 2024 at Leiden University within the docARTES programme of the Orpheus instituut.

Supervisors: Cobussen Marcel (ACPA of Leiden University).

Abstract

This thesis explores saxophone without mouthpiece (SWMP), an innovative approach to saxophone playing that challenges traditional performance practices. In SWMP playing, the instrument’s mouthpiece – an essential component for producing its conventional sound – is removed. Instead, the player performs directly on the neckpiece of the saxophone. This absence of the mouthpiece creates new sonic possibilities, giving rise to a range of relatively new techniques such as air pitch, tongue ram, trumpet sounds, and saxo-flute hybridity. These techniques, which have yet to be fully explored in both performance and academic spheres, prompted my early interest through initial encounters with composers incorporating them into their works. From this curiosity emerged an artistic research project aimed at understanding and refining my own skills with these techniques, contextualizing their origins and aesthetic position within music history, exploring their role in the broader saxophone repertoire, and investigating their potential in such a way that other performers as well as composers could benefit from it.