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.

One of the undisputed giants of the tenor saxophone was John Coltrane. His total dedication to the mastery of his instrument of choice and his immense, innate talent made him a formidable force in the world of jazz during the 50's and 60's. It has been rumored that he would spend 12 hours practicing just one scale until he exhausted all possibilities with it and that 24 hour practice sessions were not uncommon.
Brotherly Love
John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina into family life full of music. After graduating from high school in 1943 he moved to Philadelphia where he enrolled in the Ornstein School of Music where he was known for his unrelenting work ethic. In 1945 Coltrane was called to military service by Uncle Sam where he performed with the US Navy Band.
With his military obligations fulfilled Coltrane returned to Philadelphia where he played with jazz greats such as Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, and Ray Bryant. In 1948 Coltrane played tenor saxophone with Eddie 'Cleanhead" Vinson followed by a stint as alto saxophonist with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band.

The most popular sellers for a Saxophone are Yamaha and Jupiter. Of course, Saxophones are really expensive, so you need to look out for the one that fits your budget. You can either pick up a popular brand like Yamaha or choose a Chinese make which would be less expensive. The quality of the Chinese make wouldn't be the same as Yamaha. But for a beginner, it is good and reasonable, and can be used for a short period of time.
If you want to buy a Soprano Saxophone or the Soprano Saxophone, you will need to remember that they are difficult to learn. Since the Soprano Saxophone is heavy, it is advised to purchase it after you've mastered the smaller ones. You will also need to know the type of music you will want to play on your Saxophone. If you want to learn to play Jazz music as a beginner you can buy an Alto or Tenor. If you want to play Rock and roll, you can buy a Tenor, and for playing classical you can buy the Classical Tenor Saxophone.

Here are a few typical comments I hear on a very regular basis:

"It puts me in the mood, and helps me to remember how lucky I am to have someone to love."

"...it is soothing and healing to my heart and soul."
"The sounds just captivate and take the mind to a beautiful day."
"The music actually helps me to purge the day's stresses and cleanse the thoughts that I don't want to carry over into the next day."

"...it put me into a trance. In my mind I was transported to a Paris street side café looking into the eyes of my wife; it was a magical daydream - the air was filled with love."

Before I go any further, I should point out that I've been playing the saxophone for 43 years and I do have some modest talent on the instrument. I do know how to play the saxophone in just the right way so people react as in the examples above.

However, the point I'm making in this article has nothing to do with me specifically. It has to do with the saxophone itself, and how the very sound of the saxophone effects the human nervous system.

The point is that people love the saxophone!
Why? What it is about the instrument that inspires such reaction? Why is it such an attractive, compelling, magnetic, and powerful instrument?
My answer? Because the saxophone loves you.

Think about it. The saxophone has a warm, sensual, romantic, embracing sound, the very sound of love. It relaxes the mind and uplifts the heart. It inspires thoughts and feelings of love and romance. In some very real way, our psycho-chemical reaction to the sound of the saxophone is the same psycho-chemical reaction that takes place when we are actually experiencing love.

Admittedly, the conclusions I am drawing here are not scientific. I am not aware of any studies that have been done regarding the physics of the sound of the saxophone and how it effects human body chemistry. Nevertheless, it seems obvious from the extraordinary popularity of the instrument and how passionately people react to it that the saxophone has a powerful and profound effect on the human nervous system.
It is said that the saxophone sounds more like the human voice than any other instrument. Perhaps this is part of the mystique and power of the instrument.

But one thing is clear: certain tones made by the instrument resonate in a very specific way with the vibration of the human beingness. If played just right, the sound of the saxophone causes a powerful sympathetic vibration with the human nervous system.

So next time you hear a saxophone played just the way you like it, and you start thinking to yourself, "Ooh, yeah, that sounds nice!" remember this: the saxophone doesn't just sound good. The saxophone loves you.

For example, it is possible to finger a low Bb (the lowest note on the instrument) and by changing the embouchure and air stream to blow the full overtone series of the low Bb (middle Bb, middle F, high Bb, high D, high F, and so on.) This technique can be heard clearly in the well known opening theme to Saturday Night Live.
Lenny passes says this about his equipment, in response to numerous inquiries: "I play a Selmer Paris Mark VI tenor (circa 1970) with a Berg Larsen 130 over 0 (SMS) mouthpiece and a number 3 Vandoren (blue box) bass clarinet reed."

Shortly after graduation, he began to work in earnest on his musical career- with his style on saxophone influenced by Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Earth Wind and Fire, Led Zeppelin, Dexter Gordon, and more. Perhaps one of the most important influences in his music is his father, Dewey Redman, who worked with jazz Great Ornette Coleman. His father was rarely home during Redman's youth due to a grueling touring schedule. A young Joshua spent hours listening to his father playing on records, in the absence of the man himself.

In the early 1800's, Adolphe Sax noticed that there was a bit of a gap between the brass and woodwind sections of the orchestra. The gap was produced because of the relatively quiet sounds produced by the woodwinds and the lack of versatility of pitch range among the brass instruments. Therefore, he developed the saxophone which gave strength of voice to the woodwinds and flexibility to the brass. He developed the instrument in 1841 and actually developed two different groups of the instruments. Between the Sopranino saxophone and the Contrabass saxophone, the one group of these instruments could span the entire range offered by a piano. Many of these are transposing instruments which lend a whole different set of abilities to the saxophones.

Your mouthpiece table should be flat, and the back of the reed should also be flat. If you take your reed and lay it down on a very flat surface, such as a piece of glass, you can gently rock the reed back and forth and see if it is flat. My favorite way to check, is to take the reed, lay it on the flat surface, put even pressure on the entire reed with my fingers, and rub it around in a circular motion on a clean piece of paper. Do this for about 30 seconds, then pick up the reed and look at the back. You will see that some parts of the reed are shiny and some are not. The shinny parts are high spots, and the dull parts are low spots.

Alto or Tenor?

Let's talk about these two since they are the most popular followed by soprano and baritone. Many people wouldn't really know the differences between the alto and tenor saxophones if they glanced at them from a distance but there is a big difference between them.

Soprano-- Most commonly referred to as "the straight one," "the gold clarinet," or my personal favorite, "the one Kenny G. plays." However, a word of caution: not all soprano saxophones are straight! Straight ones are more common but not long ago, curved sopranos were pretty popular as well. A curved soprano is very small... a grown person holding it, in my opinion, looks kind of funny just because it looks like an alto saxophone that got put into a dryer. However, at the very top, where the mouth goes, it is often a bit more straight even if it is a "curved" soprano. If it is really small, assume that it is a soprano (or something even higher pitched... which we will get to later!).

Saxophone Mouthpiece

A professional mouthpiece will improve your sound more than any other part of your saxophone. I recommend that be the first piece of equipment that you buy to upgrade your sound. Mouthpieces will come in two types- Jazz and Classical. For general playing you will want a good classical mouthpiece. These will be plastic looking. They are called hard rubber. There are three excellent mouthpieces I recommend that are reasonably priced. The Rousseau 4R is about $70 and is fantastic. The 4R refers to the tip size. The Selmer S80 C* is another great mouthpiece. It will cost about $100 or so. The Rousseau New Classic plays like a S80 with a little different sound. It costs about $80.00. I recommend these mouthpieces for all of the saxophones.
Jazz mouthpieces are a little more complicated. If you play Alto, most people will go for a hard rubber mouthpiece as opposed to the metal, which tends to be a little bright for the alto. If you are going to play a lot of rock music, you may want that bright sound. My favorite mouthpiece for the alto for general jazz playing is the Meyer 6M. This is a classic that has been around for a long time. I would probably start here before anything else for alto.
Tenor and Baritone saxophones generally prefer a metal mouthpiece. For tenor I really like the Otto Link 7 or 6. This has a good sound and is pretty popular. I won't talk about soprano or Baritone here; most people start on alto or tenor.