20 Small Cigars

kilissa · Jul 24, 2008

Hi. Thanks in advance for listening! This is such a cool forum.

The song I am playing is 20 Small Cigars. It's by Frank Zappa, from his album Chunga's Revenge. I was inspired to do a solo sax interpretation. So, here it is--hardly flawless by any account 🙂-). But for every squeak or flubbed note there's also a pricelessly beautiful moment. So... this is the best take I could do overall.

http://www.kilissa.com/pages/20SmallCigars.html

What might help to know about me: I'm a classically trained flutist (and singer/piano player/songwriter)... trying with all my heart to learn to double on sax.

I've been cranking on my long tones and harmonics this week and feel like I am just starting to get some control over my tone. But, still kinda sounds like a clarinet in the upper range. Thin! How do they get that super sweet sound???

Any suggestions or hints will be greatly appreciated!

otherwise, enjoy!!!
Kilissa

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www.kilissa.com

mfox · Jul 24, 2008

great..i don't think you sound like a clarinet but the clipping on the recording dosn't help, just back of the mic a little..
again i really enjoyed it..

Pete Thomas · Jul 25, 2008

Great, it's very interesting because you have a lot of good jaaz/rock feel and inflections in your playing, but it does have a very dark & warm classical sound at times, almost like a cross between clarinet & bassoon. It's a sound I wish I could get sometimes get as it is very unusual.

I imagine this might be partly the mouthpiece - is it a classical type mouthpiece (large chamber, closed tip) ?

Linky Lee · Jul 25, 2008

At the end your vibrato was a 'flute' vibrato. By that I mean you used the airstream to produce it.

This works great on flute, but not quite so well on saxophone, you can hear it lurch a bit for some reason on saxophone. Have a look at Pete's tuition pages for 'saxophone' vibrato done with raising and lowering the jaw/throat. It gives a smoother more controlled vibrato than the airstream one.

The tone really suits the piece, it's kind of haunting because of that clarinet quality to it, and it has that obscurity of the bassoon as Pete mentioned in the lower end, rich and smooth. I really enjoyed it.

artisticlicence · Jul 25, 2008

Im only a lowly beginner but I thought it was excellent Kilisa - I have the same trouble with falling out of the upper register occasionally but I think your rich tone and dexterity outweigh those by far! - so much emotion and variation 8)

My first instrument is flute too (nowhere near your standard though!) and Im making the same mistake with vibrato so must look into that on Pete's site.

keep up the good work 🙂

losaavedra · Jul 25, 2008

I thought that was very very good. Rare to find an unaccompanied piece that stands up well on its own. Technically way beyond what I, as a beginner, can do ... could listen to that for hours! Great.