Klarinet Archive - Posting 000036.txt from 2005/12
From: "Deborah L. Jenkins" <djenkins166@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] sax
Date: Fri, 09 Dec 2005 04:10:08 -0500
Thanks for answering. =20
Paul Kenward was also helpful in answering this puzzle for me. Somehow he =
guessed correctly, that it was Percy Grainger. He also informed me, as you=
did, that there were quite a few composers who did this at that time. Not=
being from the UK or knowing tons of composers, Percy Grainger happens to =
be the only one I'm familiar with, but now I've got another name to be on t=
he lookout for. I only know a little bit about Mr. Grainger because our ba=
nd director sometimes tells us about the composers if he knows something in=
teresting about them. For instance, he told us about another nameless (in =
my memory) American composer whose "real" job was as an insurance salesman.=
He wrote what seem to me to be some very clashing pieces- atonal, is what=
he's known for, I believe. But he's pretty famous, and of course most fol=
ks on this list could probably come up with his name easily. His name actu=
ally seems almost on the tip of my tongue, but... Good thing I'm not the o=
ne in charge of picking out music. I'd be great- can't remember the compos=
ers names or the titles (of course, I could if they were actually listed in=
a catalog or something)! I am glad we've got a great instructor (PhD- I t=
hink, a little unusual for a community college- good thing for us he likes =
the Monterey, California area here, or he'd probably be off conducting and =
teaching somewhere else.)
Thanks, again. Maybe if I check in on the info here, now that I've joined,=
I'll pick up lots of new stuff- some of which may actually remain in my br=
ain.
Deb Jenkins
-----Original Message-----
From: Nathan Friedman <nathanfriedman@-----.ca>
Sent: Dec 8, 2005 11:04 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] sax
This could be any one of a number of composers. Vaughan Williams, perhaps?
Nathan Friedman
"Music is life, and like it, inextinguishable."
Carl Nielsen's motto for his Symphony No. 4
----- Original Message -----=20
From: "Deborah L. Jenkins" <djenkins166@-----.net>
To: <klarinet@-----.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2005 3:41 AM
Subject: Re: [kl] sax
I don't play sax (yet), but have sat directly next to them or in front of=
=20
them for several years. I play in the local community college. (More like=
=20
a community band since there's so much gray hair and usually only a couple=
=20
of young students- although we really are all band students. Hadn't playe=
d=20
with any group since college for 16 years when I started with them- pretty=
=20
scary- I was sure the conductor would throw me out. Good thing he was=20
desperate for clarinets. There was only one other clarinet. A poor young=
=20
actual college age student who he made sit first chair that night since=20
she'd at least been in his band before. Didn't help me out any, the second=
=20
clarinet part had a short, but very noticeable solo, so I got to make a foo=
l=20
out of myself anyway (but didn't find myself getting kicked out. Actually,=
=20
the beginning of every semester the whole band sounds pretty bad to begin=
=20
with- even worse than I remember in high school, but by the end of the=20
semester it's always amazing how good we sound- not perfect, but I think th=
e=20
band director is probably the best I've seen. He teaches at a community=20
college because he likes the area, but could probably teach about anywhere.=
=20
Think he was president of the California Music Teachers Assn. or whatever=
=20
they call it around here for colleges, etc. All of which is really off=20
topic except to brag about them (not myself) a little and note that it's=20
probably not your typical junior/community college band. We play music tha=
t=20
I'm pretty sure would rival any four year college band's.) The first alto=
=20
sax player is superb. We now have an entire sax section, but periodically=
=20
he's been the entire section, playing alto, soprano, and tenor. One time,=
=20
I think all three, in one concert. I guess the point is that from the poin=
t=20
of view of a fellow band member who listens to him, he makes them all sound=
=20
like great parts. Although, due to the nature of concert band, he obviousl=
y=20
plays mostly alto. He's played some really excellent solos on both alto an=
d=20
soprano, especially of the music of the guy who's name I can't remember at=
=20
the moment (sorry), but who traveled around Great Britain and the United=20
Kingdom early in the last century, cataloging, recording, notating, and=20
composing pieces from the local folksongs he ran across in this quest- whic=
h=20
he wanted to complete before they all died out along with the very few=20
living memories- the singers- of these songs of love, battle, and other=20
tales that had been passed along from generation to generation. He's=20
actually one of my favorite composers. Hmm, maybe I am a student after all=
.=20
I might have actually learned something while playing. (At least more than=
=20
the fact that my memory for names is terrible- which I already know.=20
Hopefully, the poor composer wouldn't be too hurt if he's looking down,=20
since I also forget the names of all his peers. Good thing I'm not a=20
professional. They seem to remember everything.)
Have fun, whichever you choose. And if you were to join a band like mine,=
=20
chances are there'd be a place for you on any of them once you get the hang=
=20
of it.
Deb Jenkins
-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Smith <gary622@-----.com>
Sent: Dec 7, 2005 8:25 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] sax
Ted
I'm a doubler myself, and own an alto and a tenor (and enough bari
parts to play if someone will loan me the actual horn :-) )
I'm not sure I totally agree that tenor is a *better* jobbing horn.
Rare is the job that calls for a tenor and *not* an alto. You may be
more *competitive* in a local situation if there is a hot-shot alto in
town who doesn't want to play tenor, but it could work in reverse,
too.
I agree about concert band. I made myself really unpopular in high
school by taking up saxophone and almost instantly becoming better
than 99%, if not all, of the sax players. I attribute that to the fact
that as a concert band clarinetist, I actually had to contend with
relatively difficult parts, whereas tenors sit around playing half
notes most of the time and altos weren't doing much better. There are,
of course, exceptions - difficult concert band parts for saxophone,
but for the most part sax parts in concert band are kind of dull.
On 11/30/05, Ted Casher <tedcasher@-----.net> wrote:
> Ted Casher here. Most people start w/alto---but tenor is the better=20
> jobbing
> horn, as it gets hired in a good many situations, like swing, bebop,=20
> r&b----
>
> The concert band parts for tenor are not too interesting, in contemporary
> band writing. Better to stay on clarinet. More action for the=20
> motivated
> player!!!!!
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Audrey Travis" <clr91nt@-----.ca>
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 10:34 AM
> Subject: Re: [kl] sax
>
>
> > Some of the differences are:
> > Range - Tenor is much lower pitched than alto - which sound do you=20
> > prefer?
> > Size - tenor is larger and heavier - this may be a factor if you are a
> > small person
> >
> > I don't think one is preferable over another to learn on, but their=20
> > roles
> > may be different in a concert band. Tenor tends to play bass lines,=20
> > while
> > alto plays an inner, sometimes less heard voice. In jazz, both can=20
> > shine
> > equally as solo instruments.
> >
> > Mud any clearer?
> >
> > Audrey
> > On 29-Nov-05, at 5:42 AM, rob wrote:
> >
> >> Can anyone tell me whats the difference between tenor and alto=20
> >> saxophones
> >> and which would be better to start out on to learn sax and why?
> >> Rob
> >
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