Music Voices

I recently bought Yuri Honing and Nora Mulder's Winterreise CD from Amazon. Winterreise recorded on saxophone? How interesting! Unfortunately the let downs began as soon as I flipped the (cardboard) case over. Contrary to what the cover implies the disc does not contain the entire Winterreise cycle performed on Saxophone. The thirteen track disc contains twelve songs for Winterreise, in a seemingly random order, and then ends with Schubert's Der Tod und das Mädchen.
Yuri Honing Winterreise Saxophone
While I bought the album for it's novelty appeal, I must admit that I held some hope that the saxophone would somehow transcend language and cut directly to the heart of the dense music; expressing the lonesome yearning and tender heartbreak. How wrong I was. While I still maintain that such a recording could be made, this album is not it.
Moulder's piano playing is clearly capable and she manages to capture all the notes and the correct dynamics, but it still sounds more like able button pushing than expressive music.
The most bizarre thing about this recording is the metronomic rhythmic accuracy with which it is performed. For a jazz musician, playing on a jazz instrument in a style that is known for it's rhythmic give and take, one might expect that Honing and Mulder would allow the emotional lyrical line to sway, somewhat, the rigidness of the written rhythm. Unfortunately, they do nothing of the kind.

The saxophone is a combination of clarinet (the mouthpiece) the flute (the fingerings) and brass instruments (made of the same material). Although they appear to be a hybrid, saxophones have become very distinct instruments and there are several types of saxophones! The most common saxophone is the tenor saxophone, but baritone saxophone, alto sax, and soprano sax are all used in society. The soprano sax is the only saxophone that is straight (all others have the signature u-bend) and reaches the highest register for this instrument; on the opposite end of the spectrum, the baritone sax is very large and usually only played in professional orchestras. If a person is competent in playing the alto sax, it is usually not difficult to jump from one saxophone type to another type.

If you are extremely tight on cash, then you are going to want to talk to the director of your school music program about different options of getting a saxophone. A lot of times, the public school music programs will have some saxophone models that you can borrow for the year. This is the best and cheapest solution. The school program also has the ability to get a great discount on saxophones from the music stores. That's because they buy such a large volume of instruments, they get a bulk discount. If you can get in on one of these buys, then you will save a lot of money.
Another option is to buy a saxophone that is used. What's interesting about musical instruments is the fact that a lot of kid quit and the parents are stuck with a used instrument. This happens to leave a lot of used saxophones on the market for you to snap up. So, keep an eye out for kids who are quitting the school music program and need to sell their horns. If you're lucky, you can find a saxophone that is practically brand new. Your child will never know the difference. Also, this will allow you to save money for the future, when and if your child advances and needs a more professional instrument down the line.

Charlie Parker was arguably the most influential saxophone player in jazz history. He was born on August 29, 1920 and was fortunate enough to be raised in Kansas City at a time when the music scene was in full stride. He took up alto saxophone at age 11 and was soon sneaking out of his house at night and into the nightclubs and theaters to watch and learn from the jazz greats of the time. Parker claimed to have learn a lot about playing saxophone by watching the fingers of the great Lester Young move up and down on his saxophone keys.
Yardbird
The older jazz musicians would hang out in the alleys during breaks and soon took a liking to this young kid. They helped sneak him into the clubs. Because of his fondness for eating chicken they gave him the nickname Yardbird. This was later shortened to the name he was known the world over for, Bird. As a teenager Parker became a serious musician who practiced 12 to 15 hours per day. He was soon playing in local bands and joined Jay McShann's territory band 1938. This band embodied the Kansas City jump blues style and toured the southwest as well as Chicago and New York.

If you play the saxophone, or maybe you want to learn to play, then the mere mention of saxophone mouthpieces may just peak your interest.
I'll admit right here that the saxophone has always been one of my favorite instruments. I really like the band music of the late 1920's and early 1930's - these guys just got "it" and I listen to this music whenever I can. Especially band leaders like Guy Lombardo, who played for years and always had a bunch of saxophones in most songs. The same goes for Glenn Miller, who used the saxophone along with other instruments in his band to create one of the most unique sounds even developed - bar none! You really should get a CD of either of these famous band leaders and just take an evening to listed. I guarantee - you'll be amazed and extremely satisfied.
Back to the saxophone, in person. If you are truly interested in high quality, free blowing features and a great intonation and, of course, the best quality and rich tone throughout the range of the instrument that you play, these are reasons enough to buy the very best for your precision instrument. And high precision it is. You wouldn't believe that even the slightest quality or design defect in the reed or mouthpiece can have a devastating effect on tonal quality. I've had it happen to me after I bought cheap saxophone mouthpieces. And, I vowed to never let that happen again.

A new saxophone is a better option even if the prices are higher than for a used one. New saxophones use the most modern mechanisms and are made utilizing modern production techniques. The new saxophone also gets support from the factory or the music store where you purchased it. Usually, buying a new saxophone can be very expensive. But sometimes you can get one at a very good price.
Saxophone prices vary according to the materials used. Gold, silver brass and other materials are used to make a saxophone. Soprano saxophones with cases are available from $330 to $4,200. Beginner's alto saxophone with case can be bought for $290. An expensive alto saxophone falls in the range of $5,600. Silver packed tenor saxophones cost $335-$4,600. Baritone saxophones can cost up to $6,500. If the shipping cost is not included, then the overall prices will be higher. Although there is no real "average," in general, saxophone prices range between $200 and $7000.
Used saxophones are a money saving option. They can be found in the desired quality and price range. Used saxophone prices are determined by the brand, age and condition of the saxophone. Hundreds of old saxophones are bought and sold daily on plenty of Internet sites.

The Taiwan saxophone industry dates back to just after World War II when Chang Lien-Cheng, a farmer's son that abandoned the family land to become a painter and musician, created an organized Jazz Band in 1945. Their performances throughout Taiwan were widely acclaimed until the area suffered a great fire and the only saxophone of the band was so seriously damaged that it could not be played any longer. Chang began by making an accurate drawing of the saxophone which contained about 400 components. He then started to transform the drawing into a real saxophone. After 3½ years, the first handmade Taiwan saxophone was made. Due to its very good quality, people all over Taiwan began to be captivated by the saxophone. Until Chang's death several years ago, he trained a number of apprentices, and in the process, launched a lucrative export industry. By the 1980s, Taiwan was churning out so many saxes under contract to labels in the United States and Europe, the government estimates that one out of every three saxophones in the world was made in Taiwan. Later, mainland China began ramping up its saxophone assembly lines, but these instruments were of a much lower quality. Despite the quality issues, the orders in Taiwan dwindled virtually overnight to a fraction of what they had been. During this time, about half of Houli's workshops went out of business.