Klarinet Archive - Posting 000217.txt from 1994/02

From: "Michael B. Favreau" <MFAVREA1@-----.BITNET>
Subj: Re: Clarinet and soprano saxophone? (no problem - go for it!)
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 1994 22:15:31 -0500

I obviously love the soprano saxophone but, I do disagree that the
soprano is any easier to play unmusically than the alto or tenor are. Also,
the soprano player in the Amherst Saxophone Quartet (a fine quartet) is also
the principal clarinet player in the Buffalo Philharmonic and he plays
soprano with a clarinet embouchure and sounds FANTASTIC. If you try this on
alto or tenor you'll end up sounding like a clarinet player but, on
soprano you can get away with it.

I personally HATE the Mark VI sopranos (no, they didn't make a Mark
VII) because of their notoriously bad intonation and crappy key layout
(palm keys especially). I find the new ones to be fine but, I much prefer
the new Yamaha YSS-62 (with straight and curved necks) for its singing
tone as much as precision crafting. Watch out for curved sopranos!!!!
They are notoriously very hard to play in tune (that's why they began to make
them straight, they were originally curved) and I find the tone to be stuffier
than a Buffet R13 A clarinet (OOPS, I hope I didn't start trouble).

As long as we keep talking about saxophone I'm fine.........

Michael B. Favreau
Ithaca College