Klarinet Archive - Posting 001180.txt from 1999/03

From: Ken Wolman <Ken.Wolman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Instant Saxophone(was bass cl/sax double)
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 09:38:02 -0500

RxReed@-----.com wrote:
>
> It is possible for a clarinet player to play the saxophone in six minutes or
> six months only if your standards are very low.
> For someone to claim that there are fewer fingerings, just means that the
> person making the claim is ignorant of the vast amount of different
> fingerings available and usually necessary to perform on the saxophone at a
> high level.

This strikes a familiar note (sorry about that). I'm trying to teach
myself the alto. The only thing "easy" about it is that the register
key really allows for real octave jumps. I've already discovered via
trial and error that several notes have a surprising number of
fingerings, and that the "logic" of sax fingerings isn't at all like
that behind fingerings on the clarinet.

Aside from that? The embouchure is different (I know, 10 people will
jump on me and say NO IT ISN'T, but that's MY experience thus far), to
get real low notes I have to use LESS mouthpiece rather than more.
Mouthpiece and reed selection are REAL critical: I never noticed how
much a mouthpiece/reed combination matters until I got extra
mouthpieces: a Selmer C*, Dukoff D7, Berg Larsen (VERY open), and
Vandoren Jumbo Java (even more open and REAL hard to play well on). The
Daniel #2 tenor reed that works beautifully on a bass clarinet, in its
alto version is problematical. Rico Jazz reeds are quite good. But the
best all-around results I've had so far are on the old down 'n' dirty
Rico #2!

But being able to get a few tunes under your belt, even if you're
playing by ear, makes for a nice encouragement to keep with it.

Ken
--
Ken Wolman dbtrader Deutsche Bank, N.A.
1251 Sixth Avenue New York, NY 10019 212-469-6494

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