Klarinet Archive - Posting 000270.txt from 1998/09

From: "Sherry Katz" <slkatz@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] C Melody sax
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 18:38:11 -0400

My C Melody Sax is a blast to play. I agree - you've got to have an
appropriate mouthpiece; I've still got the original mouthpiece for mine and
the horn was recently repadded and adjusted. Sax, more so than, clarinet,
adapts to playing vocal parts. And, it works great for folk or religious
music. The C melody saxes also have a kind of pre-Mark VI sound which some
people refer to as "stuffy." I happen to like it - it has more of a
woodwind sound - like a clarinet.

C Melody saxes were originally sold as an "easy" way to play vocal music on
a woodwind. It's no wonder they got the reputation as being dreadful
sounding. As far as I can tell, they don't sound any worse than comparable
altos or tenors of the same era.

Sherry Katz
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Fay (LCA) <kevinfay@-----.com>
Date: Tuesday, September 08, 1998 1:43 PM
Subject: RE: [kl] C Melody sax

>I must quibble with the quibble. Not about Bolero--Dr. Lacy's recollection
>squares with mine--but about the C Melody thing.
>
>Now, a lot of that is due to Scott's talent, of which is has much. He's
>pointed out, however, that most of the time when people try and honk away
on
>the C Melody, they use an alto or tenor mouthpiece--both of which are not
>the appropriate size. Not surprisingly, use of the wrong-size mouthpiece,
>usually on a horn that has not been professionally adjusted in half a
>century, gives less than satisfactory results.
>
>I have played his tweaked-up Conn (which, when shined up, is truly a thing
>of beauty). It is a blast and a half! I wonder why the Eb/Bb system we
>have prevailed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------