talk about sax if you play(ed).
Iv'e been surprised how quickly my embouchure, range, and jazz skillz (soloing on jazz scales) have returned after several months of very infrequent practice... when I started I was at a loss for one or two of the 3rd fingerings, but the rhythm in the fingers and hands is almost all there.
I have a 1930s (within the first 10,000 of its brand made) Martin Handcraft tenor and metal Otto Link 5* mouthpiece, it produces a low end that is the sound of sex.
I'm thinking next time I'm bored and none of my friends are free I'll drive out to a barren landscape and blast away, for the sunlight and weird echo
edit: if you play another woodwind seriously then fine, I have a feeling there will be some clarinets. start another thread for stupid brass discussion
here is my sax (not mine, same model/engraving/mechanics though), because you want to see it
(http://www.themartinstory.net/version7/models/Handcraft%20Committee-124999-alto-5.jpg)
I played sax from 5th to 11th grade. I was pretty good at it but my improvisational skills were terrible. I never had any really decent equipment. I played on size 3 because I'm hardcore like that.
Yup.
Quote from: Man of Popsicle on June 28, 2010, 11:51:05 PM
I played sax from 5th to 11th grade. I was pretty good at it but my improvisational skills were terrible. I never had any really decent equipment. I played on size 3 because I'm hardcore like that.
Yup.
3's not really hardcore, try playing on a 1 or 1.5 and you'll see how much work your mouth and throat should be doing. (Vandoren V16 2.5 are the long-standing superior reed, though)
I never liked band or reading sheet music, I could never use my big jazzy metal mouthpieces because they were too loud and brilliant
I played clarinet from 6th-8th grade. I kinda wish I didn't quit band or at least kept my clarinet to keep playing just on my own. I was pretty good at it. I got to skip the entire first year of band cause I basically memorized the book in a night.
Quote from: wziard on June 28, 2010, 11:54:41 PM
3's not really hardcore, try playing on a 1 or 1.5 and you'll see how much work your mouth and throat should be doing. (Vandoren V16 2.5 are the long-standing superior reed, though)
I never liked band or reading sheet music, I could never use my big jazzy metal mouthpieces because they were too loud and brilliant
I played on Vandoren 2.5s for a long time, but eventually switched to 3s. I couldn't imagine playing on a 1.5, let alone a 1.
I could basically sightread sheet music well enough for my high school conductors, and I really only did normal concert band so I could do jazz band. I don't think I was ever satisfied with my sax's tone at any point ever.
Quote from: Man of Popsicle on June 29, 2010, 12:28:02 AM
I played on Vandoren 2.5s for a long time, but eventually switched to 3s. I couldn't imagine playing on a 1.5, let alone a 1.
I could basically sightread sheet music well enough for my high school conductors, and I really only did normal concert band so I could do jazz band. I don't think I was ever satisfied with my sax's tone at any point ever.
3 would be fine for concert band, since it would very rarely be necessary to eke out the higher ranges where soft reeds help (pitch-bending would also be unimportant)
were you playing a shitty student model or something? I know what you mean about never satisfied with the tone, I went through a few varieties and makes/vintages of saxes before settling on this old tenor. I think the mouthpiece is even more key for how it accents the sax, I found mine after much experimenting (my ideal is a deep, gruff but smooth, clear, bright but not piercing just full, vintage-type 40s big band sax sound.)
I played the flute in 5th grade. :(
I have a bamboo sax. jackodood; jackodood;
i fail at instruments that require blowing
and regardless sax is hard as balls
but i sure wish i could play it
Quote from: Stagger Lee on June 29, 2010, 11:36:12 AM
i fail at instruments that require blowing
and regardless sax is hard as balls
but i sure wish i could play it
if you think playing saxophone is hard then i urge you to never pick up a brass instrument
Quote from: wziard on June 29, 2010, 01:05:16 AM
3 would be fine for concert band, since it would very rarely be necessary to eke out the higher ranges where soft reeds help (pitch-bending would also be unimportant)
were you playing a shitty student model or something? I know what you mean about never satisfied with the tone, I went through a few varieties and makes/vintages of saxes before settling on this old tenor. I think the mouthpiece is even more key for how it accents the sax, I found mine after much experimenting (my ideal is a deep, gruff but smooth, clear, bright but not piercing just full, vintage-type 40s big band sax sound.)
No, it was my sax, but it just wasn't great and I didn't care enough to do much about it when it got worn out. Honestly I was never that passionate to begin with.
Quote from: Travis on June 29, 2010, 11:39:14 AM
if you think playing saxophone is hard then i urge you to never pick up a brass instrument
wat
I never had much trouble with trumpet or euphonium, but I imagine sax is harder because of all those keys.
Quote from: Claquesous on June 29, 2010, 06:47:59 PM
wat
I never had much trouble with trumpet or euphonium, but I imagine sax is harder because of all those keys.
it's not especially hard when you're a beginner, but to play any instrument well it takes a lot of skill
Quote from: Claquesous on June 29, 2010, 06:47:59 PM
wat
I never had much trouble with trumpet or euphonium, but I imagine sax is harder because of all those keys.
If you can play recorder, you can play saxophone.
A friend of mine is very good at tenor. I asked him what transposing was and why saxists need to do it. I still don't get it, I think it's magic.
Quote from: Martin on June 29, 2010, 11:40:23 PM
A friend of mine is very good at tenor. I asked him what transposing was and why saxists need to do it. I still don't get it, I think it's magic.
An alto sax is an E-flat instrument and a tenor sax is a B-flat instrument. Compare this to a piano, which is in C. A C played on a piano would be an E-flat on alto sax, and B-flat on tenor sax. It's all the same note, just notated differently to accommodate the ranges of the instruments. For that reason, when playing something that wasn't written for the key that your instrument is tuned in, you need to transpose it so that you play the proper notes.
Hopefully that clears things up a bit.
Quote from: Man of Popsicle on June 29, 2010, 11:47:43 PM
An alto sax is an E-flat instrument and a tenor sax is a B-flat instrument. Compare this to a piano, which is in C. A C played on a piano would be an E-flat on alto sax, and B-flat on tenor sax. It's all the same note, just notated differently to accommodate the ranges of the instruments. For that reason, when playing something that wasn't written for the key that your instrument is tuned in, you need to transpose it so that you play the proper notes.
Hopefully that clears things up a bit.
How is C on piano E-flat on an alto? Is there any way you could explain this to someone who is only a guitarist and a bad violinist (i.e. only knows concert instruments)?Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying that the same note will have a different name for a different instrument?
Quote from: Martin on June 29, 2010, 11:52:35 PM
How is C on piano E-flat on an alto? Is there any way you could explain this to someone who is only a guitarist and a bad violinist (i.e. only knows concert instruments)?
Your guitar is also a C instrument. Imagine tuning a different guitar so that if you finger what would be an E flat in standard tuning plays what pitch-wise is a C.
Now imagine this second guitar is a saxophone.
Quote from: Man of Popsicle on June 29, 2010, 11:58:32 PM
Your guitar is also a C instrument. Imagine tuning a different guitar so that if you finger what would be an E flat in standard tuning plays what pitch-wise is a C.
Now imagine this second guitar is a saxophone.
Okay, then why does the notation need to be different? If you know what note needs to be played, should the instrument matter all that much? (be patient with this retard)
Quote from: Martin on June 30, 2010, 12:10:16 AM
Okay, then why does the notation need to be different? If you know what note needs to be played, should the instrument matter all that much? (be patient with this retard)
Imagine playing that second guitar, trying to play all of the original notes (pitch-wise), but with this new fingering. It wouldn't be easy if all you knew how to play was the song on the first guitar. To play it on the second guitar, you would transpose it so that the sheet music (or tablature), so that it has all of the notes corresponding to the fingerings you're used to, and essentially you would have an E-flat guitar.
You see, all fingerings are the same across saxophones just like guitars. The difference here is that the difference in pitch between different types of saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone, etc.) isn't exactly one octave, so they're tuned in different keys, and you would have to transpose the notes on sheet music written for one of them to play it on another type of sax.
Quote from: Man of Popsicle on June 30, 2010, 12:14:20 AM
Imagine playing that second guitar, trying to play all of the original notes (pitch-wise), but with this new fingering. It wouldn't be easy if all you knew how to play was the song on the first guitar. To play it on the second guitar, you would transpose it so that the sheet music (or tablature), so that it has all of the notes corresponding to the fingerings you're used to, and essentially you would have an E-flat guitar.
You see, all fingerings are the same across saxophones just like guitars. The difference here is that the difference in pitch between different types of saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone, etc.) isn't exactly one octave, so they're tuned in different keys, and you would have to transpose the notes on sheet music written for one of them to play it on another type of sax.
Okay, I get it now. So it's essentially so that you can play by fingering instead of by note, that makes perfect sense, actually.
Hooray, I got through! THE POWER OF GOD
Quote from: Martin on June 30, 2010, 12:10:16 AM
Okay, then why does the notation need to be different? If you know what note needs to be played, should the instrument matter all that much? (be patient with this retard)
Because if a tenor sax and piano (Bb and C keys) both read a D# off the same notation and played it, there would be two different pitches playing.
Quote from: Man of Popsicle on June 30, 2010, 12:14:20 AM
Imagine playing that second guitar, trying to play all of the original notes (pitch-wise), but with this new fingering. It wouldn't be easy if all you knew how to play was the song on the first guitar. To play it on the second guitar, you would transpose it so that the sheet music (or tablature), so that it has all of the notes corresponding to the fingerings you're used to, and essentially you would have an E-flat guitar.
You see, all fingerings are the same across saxophones just like guitars. The difference here is that the difference in pitch between different types of saxophones (alto, tenor, baritone, etc.) isn't exactly one octave, so they're tuned in different keys, and you would have to transpose the notes on sheet music written for one of them to play it on another type of sax.
They're all Eb or Bb at least
Quote from: wziard on June 30, 2010, 12:22:36 AM
They're all Eb or Bb at least
I was only sure of the tuning on alto and tenor. I thought that was the case but I wasn't sure.
You'd be amazed how hard it is to explain transposing to someone who started music by playing a C instrument. I don't know why, but it seems we are never even told that there is anything other than a C instrument (or even bothered with the notion that their instrument is known as a C instrument)
Quote from: Man of Popsicle on June 30, 2010, 12:24:16 AM
I was only sure of the tuning on alto and tenor. I thought that was the case but I wasn't sure.
Soprano Bb
Alto Eb
C-Melody C (they should still make these they're awesome and convenient)
Tenor Bb
Bari Eb
Bass Bb
Quote from: Martin on June 30, 2010, 12:26:47 AM
You'd be amazed how hard it is to explain transposing to someone who started music by playing a C instrument. I don't know why, but it seems we are never even told that there is anything other than a C instrument (or even bothered with the notion that their instrument is known as a C instrument)
I've run into this problem with pretty much everyone I've ever played with (guitars/keys mostly), usually there's success in just mentioning a concert key or the jazz equivalent (shameful that I can't think of the term) to stay within instead of transposing each note onto weird 1/4 steps and shit
Quote from: wziard on June 30, 2010, 12:31:47 AM
Soprano Bb
Alto Eb
C-Melody C (they should still make these they're awesome and convenient)
Tenor Bb
Bari Eb
Bass Bb
You forgot a few, including my favorite: THE ALMIGHTY TUBAX
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/B-flatSubcontrabassTubax.jpg)
Quote from: Man of Popsicle on June 30, 2010, 12:36:27 AM
You forgot a few, including my favorite: THE ALMIGHTY TUBAX
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/B-flatSubcontrabassTubax.jpg)
yeah I don't remember what key contrabass, soprillo, etc are. Probably continues the pattern
Wait, one more question: Does that mean the same note has a different name on a Bb, Eb, and C instrument? Or is the name of a particular note entirely relative to what instrument is being played?
Quote from: Martin on June 30, 2010, 09:52:30 AM
Wait, one more question: Does that mean the same note has a different name on a Bb, Eb, and C instrument? Or is the name of a particular note entirely relative to what instrument is being played?
yes, the different pitches (notes) have different names between instruments, which is why you must transpose. If a piano is playing a C# and a tenor sax wants to match it, it transposes C# from the key of C to the key of Bb and ends up with Eb.