 The Doublers BBoard
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-05-03 14:15
I usually like to standardize my instrument layout to avoid confusion in the pit, but I have switched things around from time to time just because of having to make quick changes. Anyone else had similar experiences?
For instance, when I was doing The Producers, I had to have my bari on a stand to play at all times because of the rapid changes to bassoon. I also had to have a bari stand with wheels, so I could slide it out of the way to play bassoon.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-05-03 22:36
Merlin, I've played so many combinations/permutations of horns that I don't even have a 'standard' layout. I just make sure the biggest and/or most cumbersome instruments are inboard and on my right (as I'm right-handed), with the smaller/lighter instruments further outboard and/or to my left.
Nothing worse than trying to make a bari sax-to-bass clarinet quick switch in midair and having the horns crash into each other! I very nearly did that once.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2006-05-04 17:55
>>I also had to have a bari stand with wheels, so I could slide it out of the way to play bassoon.
>>
Merlin, you could turn that scene into a flash act! The cable movie channel TCM (Turner Classic Movies) often shows vintage short subjects in between films. I can see it now, as a black and white early talkie one-reeler from about 1931: Swank private nightclub. Men in tuxedos and women in slinky gowns dancing. In the big band up on the stage, everybody in the front row has stands with about five horns apiece. Musician forgets to set the hand brake on his bari sax stand on wheels. Suddenly, the stand takes off rolling, bari and all, camera left--wheeeeee! Doubler leaps up, still holding the bassoon, and chases the bari. Very large tuba player leaps in to...help. KABOOM! Domino effect. Trumpet mutes rolling in every direction, conductor arse over teakettle into the cute little round cocktail table just below the stage, baton flies into full pitcher, splattering tux, and flailing conductor accidentally grabs bodice of sleek matron as cocktail table tips over.... (Production Code not being enforced yet....)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2006-05-04 17:59)
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Author: Markael
Date: 2006-05-05 10:24
Lelia,
Your post reminds me of the time Mickey Mouse conducted the Light Cavalry Overture for a radio program.
Anyone remember that delightful performance?
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Author: johnnymo0829
Date: 2007-01-12 16:27
The way I always set up is to have the horn that I use the most as close to me as possible with then any that are more quick change horns on my right if possibel (i'm a righty)
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2007-01-12 16:50
I am convinced that there is just no good way to make quick horn swaps when there is a bassoon involved. Between reed issues, the problem with putting it up where the stupid bocal does not present a "spear your eyes out" hazard, and the hooking and unhooking of the seat strap (I'm not a neck strap guy when it comes to bassoon) are, on their own, almost insurmountable obstacles to the change. Add in a baritone sax or bass clarinet change and things really get interesting.
Thus far in my life, my musical show bassoon experience has been with two different shows (with multiple productions of one). The first was Cabaret, with bassoon, bass clarinet, some clarinet and baritone sax (many different productions) and the second was that 1920's abomination that had "Tea For Two" reprised about sixty times (playing bassoon, bass clarinet and baritone).
In the case of Cabaret, there was plenty of time for the horn changes each time that they occurred. The one I recall most (because of the extended bassoon solo in the middle of same), the "Schottish" that was part of "A Pineapple For You", gave me at least six bars of light 2/2 time to handle a change from bass to bassoon. The rest of the show was better than that. (And, playing that particular part was better than the time I played the on-stage tenor player - in drag - and half blind to boot!)
On the other hand, the "Tea For Two" show (I should dig out the program and figure out the name - it was about a philandering Bible salesman, not exactly the sort of thing suited for 1920's audiences), there were bassoon to baritone swaps all of the way through it. One in particular remains stuck in my mind: six beats of up tempo 4/4 time to go from baritone sax to bassoon, with the bassoon part being as prominent as you can get.
I would defy anyone, even with both horns mounted on pre-programmed industrial robotic arms and equipped with Fibercane reeds, to pull that one off. No way in hell, not even with one of those abominations unto God roller sax stands. After manfully trying to make it work in rehearsals (and putting a bassoon reed deep enough into the outside of my cheek to cause an interesting puncture wound), I ended up dropping out of the sax chorus a couple of bars early each night, just so as to get the bassoon set up just so.
For the record and the purposes of this discussion, I rack my horns on a custom setup that my father came up with back in the 1960's and which I have reproduced several times since as new ones were needed. It involves a base of oak milled 2" by 4" members assembled in an "H" shape, with the baritone stand (made of metal strapping bent up and welded into shape) bolted to one of the intersections of the "H" and a flexible mounts at the other (to which can be mounted a bassoon stand or a bass sax stand, or various other sax stands). The bass clarinet (the upper portion of an old Anderson folding stand) goes in the middle of the cross bar of the "H", and there are pegs for flutes, clarinets, altos and tenors and all sechlike elsewhere on the body of the "H".
It's rock solid, almost impossible to tip over even when the horns are all in place, and much more protective than your typical sax or bassoon stands. It does weigh quite a bit compared to your typical folding sax stand, but since everything goes on the cart anyway, that's not a problem. I just throw it on top and that's that.
I'd post a better description of it with some photos here, but I can't seem to get the attachments feature to work.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
Post Edited (2007-01-12 16:58)
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Author: johnnymo0829
Date: 2007-01-12 18:49
Wow, that sounds like a real wall of horns you have! it must be something to see. The couple of times that I had to use a bassoon, which I don't play yet I lucked out and was already playing bari sax or I used my alto clarinet and just did the differance in my head. I have lucked out that I have never had any heavy bassoon parts though and a lot of conductors didn't seem to mind. The bassoon just always looked like a nightmare to try to hop on and off of to me.
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2007-01-29 02:27
My layout depends solely on the amount of space I have, which usually does not amount to much. Generally speaking, if it's a sax show, I have my sax stand to my right so I can pick it up with my right hand. My flute and clarinet are attached to that stand. If I'm playing bass clarinet, it will be right next to my side on its stand, so I can just move it to my mouth; I don't even remove it from the stand.
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Author: wrowand
Date: 2007-02-07 20:25
Could you tell me who manufactures a good bari sax stand on wheels where the instrument is in playing position on the stand?
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2007-02-10 04:18
The only commercially available rolling horn stand of which I am aware is the Harrison one, three legs with weird casters and the straps that are fastened around the ascending portion of the instrument.
They work (as far as suspending the instrument), but they are hard on the horn's finish, and they tend to bend the long rods on the horn. They are the main reason that I would never, ever, under any circumstances, loan out a baritone sax that I own and maintain.
The baritone sax (most of them, anyway) are designed to be suspended from the rear of the rear tube. By carrying them in that fashion, the load on the bell portion of the horn is limited to the metal of the bell itself, perhaps 60% of the instrument's weight. Less weight means less flexing of the horn, and less bending and binding.
Mounting one on a Harrison stand places the majority of the weight of the horn on the two halves of the bell section, with a fulcrum in the middle. This, in turn leads to bending and binding of the longer operating rods.
(One other thing is that the Harrison stands are not all that stable. Three legs means that they can "pivot" on two of the legs and take the whole mess on a short trip to the ground below.. That stability issue the reason that office chairs have five leg spiders instead of three.)
I have seen a custom baritone stand that suspended the horn from the ring on the back of the horn, but I don't think that you could buy one commercially.
I prefer having the bow of the instrument set down low to the ground, rather than having it up higher on your typical baritone stand. It makes for quick horn changes when you don't have to first lift the horn before lowering it into position. I've got a design that I've used for many years that does just that. You will have to have someone familiar with welding and metal bending do the metal work for you, but it should only cost you twenty bucks or so.
I've got a write up of the rack with some photos if your are interested - send me an email and I'll forward it on to you.wrowand wrote:
> Could you tell me who manufactures a good bari sax stand on
> wheels where the instrument is in playing position on the
> stand?
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: davyd
Date: 2007-06-13 04:13
Putting tenor/bari saxes on the right makes sense, since that's where they'll be anyhow. I put the bass clarinet on the left so it's out of the way of the saxes.
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