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CafeSaxophone Forum
Tone or Sound Dynamite tone, quicker than you think!!!
A note of encouragement to all beginner and intermediate players who think their tone is way off. After a long period of disatisfaction with my tone, I have really tried to work on the exercises that can improve It. Long Tones and Harmonics (incl. mouthpiece only). Wow! Since I have tried to do it really properly as described by Pete here Exercises for Saxophone Tone & Sound
and Kelly Bucheger here
Kelly Buchegers Saxophone Pages: The Daily Grind
the rate of progress is amazing. Kelly's check-list was very useful and the key items for me for rich, smooth and punctual low notes were *open throat and *strong diaphragm support.
Along with this I am next doing overtones off Bb.
After these two exercises are complete it seems so effortless to run up and down scales with a smooth, rich and consistent tone. This fades away through my practice, especially when getting to some difficult exercises, where the natural propensity is just to get through the fingering.
I just want to reinforce what everyone says about Long Tones and Harmonics. They really really do improve your tone very quickly. The trick is to carry everything you learnt in the first 10-15 minutes of practice through to all your practice and playing, that is what I am working on now. I believe even the best players do this very often. I guess its like 100m sprinters. If they become the champion, they don't stop training their muscles and doing exercises if they want to continue being a fast runner.
Rest assured this kind of practice will bear fruit very quickly. From a very happy, forward moving sax beginner.
Al
and Kelly Bucheger here
Kelly Buchegers Saxophone Pages: The Daily Grind
the rate of progress is amazing. Kelly's check-list was very useful and the key items for me for rich, smooth and punctual low notes were *open throat and *strong diaphragm support.
Along with this I am next doing overtones off Bb.
After these two exercises are complete it seems so effortless to run up and down scales with a smooth, rich and consistent tone. This fades away through my practice, especially when getting to some difficult exercises, where the natural propensity is just to get through the fingering.
I just want to reinforce what everyone says about Long Tones and Harmonics. They really really do improve your tone very quickly. The trick is to carry everything you learnt in the first 10-15 minutes of practice through to all your practice and playing, that is what I am working on now. I believe even the best players do this very often. I guess its like 100m sprinters. If they become the champion, they don't stop training their muscles and doing exercises if they want to continue being a fast runner.
Rest assured this kind of practice will bear fruit very quickly. From a very happy, forward moving sax beginner.
Al
3 Replies
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3349 views
Cafe Moderator
Cafe Announcements 📣 Testing new feature: Social Feed
As some of you have noticed we are testing a new forum feature that may or may not be made permanent. It is still under development so any critique, bug reports are welcome.
This is a different way of viewing recent posts, in a social media type view. This is never going to replace the existing traditional forum / subforum and new posts view, rather it's an alternative if you like that kind of view. So we don't need need an opinion on the feature itself. In fact I don't really like it myself. The reason is to make the forum more familiar and hopefully less perplexing for new users who may be used to this type of view but not the traditional forum format.
Currently the access to Social Feed is a sub menu item of New (along with the various different New views). You can also switch back and forth between the SF view and trad view via a link at the top of each thread. Social Feeds shows the latest started or replied to threads showing the first post and latest two or three replies. The Load More Replies link opens up each thread to show all replies (but we may reduce that to 10 or so at a time)
If you reply to a post in SF format it will show as "nested" but when viewing the same post in traditional view it will have the post it is replying to as a quote. (or rather, it should do with any luck)
Please supply any comments in this thread, so not interrupt normal threads with comments about the Social Feeds system.
Again: this is totally optional and will not replace any current view so we won't be taking a poll on whether you like/want it or not.
What will be most useful is if those of you who are used to this kind of feed with social media can comment in this thread which may be sticky for a while
This is a different way of viewing recent posts, in a social media type view. This is never going to replace the existing traditional forum / subforum and new posts view, rather it's an alternative if you like that kind of view. So we don't need need an opinion on the feature itself. In fact I don't really like it myself. The reason is to make the forum more familiar and hopefully less perplexing for new users who may be used to this type of view but not the traditional forum format.
Currently the access to Social Feed is a sub menu item of New (along with the various different New views). You can also switch back and forth between the SF view and trad view via a link at the top of each thread. Social Feeds shows the latest started or replied to threads showing the first post and latest two or three replies. The Load More Replies link opens up each thread to show all replies (but we may reduce that to 10 or so at a time)
If you reply to a post in SF format it will show as "nested" but when viewing the same post in traditional view it will have the post it is replying to as a quote. (or rather, it should do with any luck)
Please supply any comments in this thread, so not interrupt normal threads with comments about the Social Feeds system.
Again: this is totally optional and will not replace any current view so we won't be taking a poll on whether you like/want it or not.
What will be most useful is if those of you who are used to this kind of feed with social media can comment in this thread which may be sticky for a while
Do you use the social feed?
9 votes total
29 Replies
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2054 views
Tech/maintenance Super glued pads - a cry for help
Hello, folks. Many of you may know me from that other site.
A while back, I bought a nice, shiny purple logo Yts-32 from a guy in Japan. It arrived unplayable due to leaks. No prob, I think. I'll fix 'er right up. Wrong again.
The pads are glued in with ca glue. Lots of it, filling the cups. It is very hard and thick. I have scraped out a couple of pad cups. It was a long, tedious drudge. Acetone barely softens the surface.
Is there a better way?
A while back, I bought a nice, shiny purple logo Yts-32 from a guy in Japan. It arrived unplayable due to leaks. No prob, I think. I'll fix 'er right up. Wrong again.
The pads are glued in with ca glue. Lots of it, filling the cups. It is very hard and thick. I have scraped out a couple of pad cups. It was a long, tedious drudge. Acetone barely softens the surface.
Is there a better way?
26 Replies
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328 views
Miscellaneous Old Saxophone Advertisements or Case Emblems ?
Anyone have vintage catalogs, advertising or case emblem pictures / copies to share ?
Store emblems make for some fascinating historical research.
This sax below came from Smarts Music Shop. Could it be the one in display case ?
Store emblems make for some fascinating historical research.
This sax below came from Smarts Music Shop. Could it be the one in display case ?
70 Replies
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1738 views
Saxophones Pork Tales: Saxophone Repair DIY Adventures.
Tales from a pig that likes to stick his nose into everything.
Paint that S. How difficult could it be ?
1) Search the net.
2) Find the color.
3) Order color.
4) Study task on University of YouTube, aka; For destruction by DYI presented by pro tech.
Do the cleaning & prep.
Paint and cleanup / detail the edges with hard cotton swabs. Sounds easy……
Yeah tha guy Matt makes it look easy.
Anyone remember your first experience cooking bacon crispy while still in the frying pan !
Paint that S. How difficult could it be ?
1) Search the net.
2) Find the color.
3) Order color.
4) Study task on University of YouTube, aka; For destruction by DYI presented by pro tech.
Do the cleaning & prep.
Paint and cleanup / detail the edges with hard cotton swabs. Sounds easy……
Yeah tha guy Matt makes it look easy.
Anyone remember your first experience cooking bacon crispy while still in the frying pan !
1244 Replies
·
73591 views
Great Players Who sparked your love of Sax music
As an aside to Bobby's "first album' thread... I am curious to know which golden moment made you think "Now there's an instrument I fancy having a go at"
For me it was Tex Beneke. My parents used to play a lot of Glenn Miller when I was growing up. It was the only music I knew as a kid: big band stuff. Then I became a teenager and discovered Dick Parry's voice on Dark Side of the Moon, and thought "ok, this might be fun" After Dick it was Didier Malherbe from Gong and then my mate played me Charlie Parker and I was fully hooked!
For me it was Tex Beneke. My parents used to play a lot of Glenn Miller when I was growing up. It was the only music I knew as a kid: big band stuff. Then I became a teenager and discovered Dick Parry's voice on Dark Side of the Moon, and thought "ok, this might be fun" After Dick it was Didier Malherbe from Gong and then my mate played me Charlie Parker and I was fully hooked!
624 Replies
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114643 views
Cafe Moderator
Café Supporter
Miscellaneous Daily Check In
Good morning,
We thought it might be good to have a thread where you can just come and say hi, tell us what you are doing today, have a moan, share an idea that you wouldn't necessarily start a thread for ( we can always create a new thread from posts here if it became a substantial discussion).
It doesn't have to be sax related🙂
Basically an easy way to connect on a daily basis.
So to kick us off, I am writing this whilst prepping a casserole for the slo cooker as I am playing sax today with café sax and need a quick easy tea when I get home.
I am still suffering with a cough which will impact my playing today and I am worried as we are playing our first care home gig next Sunday!!
Have a lovely Sunday
Jx
We thought it might be good to have a thread where you can just come and say hi, tell us what you are doing today, have a moan, share an idea that you wouldn't necessarily start a thread for ( we can always create a new thread from posts here if it became a substantial discussion).
It doesn't have to be sax related🙂
Basically an easy way to connect on a daily basis.
So to kick us off, I am writing this whilst prepping a casserole for the slo cooker as I am playing sax today with café sax and need a quick easy tea when I get home.
I am still suffering with a cough which will impact my playing today and I am worried as we are playing our first care home gig next Sunday!!
Have a lovely Sunday
Jx
2985 Replies
·
95981 views
I found this ancient Otto Langey Saxophone Fingering Chart, circa 1890, inside the case of a 1921 C Melody sax. The condition is poor, but it's still a cool find. I gather it's a fingering chart for those transitioning from the "older" 12-key saxophone to the "newer" 15-key layout. I don't see a date on this anywhere, so the 1890 guess came from the PC.
12 Replies
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238 views
Saxophones Alto for warm tone
Me again!
I'm curious to know - what alto do you think produces the warmest, most mellow tone?
No particular reason for asking just pure curiosity........
I'm curious to know - what alto do you think produces the warmest, most mellow tone?
No particular reason for asking just pure curiosity........
17 Replies
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327 views
The dates have been announced for the 2027 International Saxophone Symposium hosted by the Navy Band at George Mason University: January 8-9.
Plan your trip now if you're coming from afar.
Plan your trip now if you're coming from afar.
70 Replies
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2608 views
Cafe Moderator
Saxophones Low Bb vs low A baritones.
This came up in another thread. Obviously low A is better if you need or want to play the extra note, but is there something that makes one better or worse than the other in general?
197 Replies
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5532 views
Saxophones Lucky me!
Had a new client come over from France yesterday to drop off a horn for a fast turnaround job.
Very interesting chap! Ex aircraft engineer, racing car mechanic, Jaguar nut - and one of those all-round interesting people. That's always a treat in itself - but what he brought in was the icing on the cake.
Look at this little beauty! A somewhat tarnished but surprisingly serviceable Couesnon Monopole alto. And by serviceable I mean that the action has almost no wear on it at all. Couple of minor dings - but the bell key guard is mint.
Best of all it's got the original factory test certificate. Now how lovely is that? And there's a vintage short shank metal Selmer C piece with it.
My brief is to do a mechanical overhaul (there are a few rusty screws) and get it up and running - and the client's non-too-fussed about the tarnish...which is just as well because I hate polishing silver horns 🙂
Very interesting chap! Ex aircraft engineer, racing car mechanic, Jaguar nut - and one of those all-round interesting people. That's always a treat in itself - but what he brought in was the icing on the cake.
Look at this little beauty! A somewhat tarnished but surprisingly serviceable Couesnon Monopole alto. And by serviceable I mean that the action has almost no wear on it at all. Couple of minor dings - but the bell key guard is mint.
Best of all it's got the original factory test certificate. Now how lovely is that? And there's a vintage short shank metal Selmer C piece with it.
My brief is to do a mechanical overhaul (there are a few rusty screws) and get it up and running - and the client's non-too-fussed about the tarnish...which is just as well because I hate polishing silver horns 🙂
20 Replies
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391 views
I'm wondering if anyone's noticed a change in the consistency of Vandoren Java Red reeds recently? My last two boxes have been noticeably substandard, with the last box not having a single, decent reed in it. Resistance has increased noticeably and the sound is much less bright. I swapped in an old Red and it was great.
It feels like they've changed how they gauge the Reds, or changed the design slightly. Is it just me or has anyone had this recently?
It feels like they've changed how they gauge the Reds, or changed the design slightly. Is it just me or has anyone had this recently?
15 Replies
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297 views
Miscellaneous Photography - all aspects
Following various recent posts, I thought I would create a thread specifically for photography. Somewhere to talk about equipment, experiences, processing...
To start off, I was a Nikon user for over 40 years, but had to 'down size' as handling full-frame cameras and lenses was getting to be too much like hard work and giving me shoulder issues. My current digital camera is a mirrorless Fuji X-T5.
For film cameras, I have a Pentax MX, Mamiya RB67, and a Sinar F2.
To start off, I was a Nikon user for over 40 years, but had to 'down size' as handling full-frame cameras and lenses was getting to be too much like hard work and giving me shoulder issues. My current digital camera is a mirrorless Fuji X-T5.
For film cameras, I have a Pentax MX, Mamiya RB67, and a Sinar F2.
420 Replies
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16410 views
Animals Show us your Wildlife
Inspired by the convolution of the Show us your pet and Help a Hedgehog threads...
Here's one from another thread;
Red Squirrel
(They exist in Norway)
Here's one from another thread;
Red Squirrel
(They exist in Norway)
918 Replies
·
46858 views
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