The Clarinet BBoard

Re: TENOR SAX mpc

Author: Steve Epstein  Date:   2005-06-10 16:58 I just played my C-mel (Conn, alto-style neck) for the first time in an electric blues jam last night. "Electric" means playing with screaming electric guitars ala Jimi Hendrix, guys who haul in enough sound equipment to stock a store, all sorts of pedals on the floor, etc. I had used previously my modern, student model alto, believing it was the most appropriate horn I have for this sort of venue, as I don't own a tenor, which is the "standard". I've even played clarinet. I was actually (with a microphone) quite loud enough on clarinet, but a bit out of character. So, last night I brought my soprano (a WW and BW store model) and my C-melody and tried them both. To my surprise, the soprano wasn't any better than the alto. It sounded "lost" like my alto does, even though it was miked and loud enough. And the uncomfortable position of holding it near the microphone plus my nerves kept making my thumb slip off the octave key, so I couldn't take real advantage of the higher register, while losing the bottom of the alto's lower register. Then I tried my C-melody. Boy did that turn heads, literally! I had to back away from the mike. I grunted as well as any tenor. I had a full, sonorous tenor sound. I got genuine complements from the veteran guitar players, instead of the usual just friendly encouragements. And, I used the mp I always use: my Brillhart #3 tenor mp. Hard rubber with a white patch (that I've had to cover up with a black mp patch to keep my teeth from sliding). No metal. No special C-mel mp, either. No problems with volume, tone or intonation. Tenor reeds, of course. So my real point (other than to tell this story) is not to obsess over how to equip your horn, just go play it. Certainly, if I were a pro, I couldn't get away with a C-mel in place of a tenor, but I was able to fool some hard-drinkin', hard-smokin' amateur but highly skilled rock and blues guys along with an equally hard-drinkin', hard-smokin' audience. Don't waste your time with special mp's, unless you find you really need to after experimenting with what you have. You probably will need a short shank mp like the Brillhart in order to play in tune, however. You can use an alto mp, but you will likely play sharp unless you pull way out, which will cause the low notes to gurgle. If you find the tenor mp is to wide for the neck, just take some adhesive tape and wrap it around the base of the cork a ways until the mp fits. Hope this helps. Steve Epstein

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