Beginner Bending Notes

[Saxissexy]

Can any one help? I have purchased Pete Thomas Learning the Sax Video. One question. He has a tune on the video as a practice tune No.2 Bending Tune. When bending does the note raise in pitch ? may be Pete if you view this you may be able to answer?
Cheers

 

[kevgermany]

You can bend a note in either direction. Tighter embouchure is sharper, looser is flatter. Have a go.

 

[Pete Thomas]

You can bend a note in either direction. Tighter embouchure is sharper, looser is flatter. Have a go.

Bending up is possible, but not very much and only if you have a cvertain relaxed embouchure to begin with.

It's much easier to bend down, and possible to bend a lot further. I haven't watched that DVD (I know), but from what I remember I demonstrate bending down then up.

To bend up significantly, you have to start with the note already bent down. This is tricky unless you've first of all practised a lot of bending down then up. You will gradually get the hang of how to start a note with the relaxed embouchure so it's under pitch (flat) and bend it back up to pitch.

This is the opposite to what a guitarist does, you can't bend a string and make it go down, when you push the string it gets tighter and so the pitch raises.

To make a downward bend on a guitar, you start with the string already pushed sideways to tighten it, then relax back down to pitch. (Or you can loosen it with the machine head)

 

[dooce]

To make a downward bend on a guitar, you start with the string already pushed sideways to tighten it, then relax back down to pitch. (Or you can loosen it with the machine head)

Or you get a guitar with that lever thing - tremolo arm is it? Shame someone can't invent something like that for a sax - a device that temporarily lengthened or shortened the crook.......

I'll get to work on it straight away - I can almost count my first million quid ))))

 

[kevgermany]

Some Conns already have it, but it means taking a hand to the neck to wind the thing around a lot. ;}

Perhaps a trombone style mouthpiece mounting would be more effective, but with a retainer to stop the mouthpiece falling off... so you'd just move your head backwards and forwards to get the bend.... Hmmm I can see this spawning bawdy jokes about lady sax players...

 

[Pete Thomas]

Or you get a guitar with that lever thing - tremolo arm is it? Shame someone can't invent something like that for a sax - a device that temporarily lengthened or shortened the crook.......

Or just get a slide saxophone.

 

[Sunray]

Or you get a guitar with that lever thing - tremolo arm is it? Shame someone can't invent something like that for a sax - a device that temporarily lengthened or shortened the crook.......

I'll get to work on it straight away - I can almost count my first million quid ))))

Sunray watches to see if dooce changes his on-line name to Dosh [or loads o money] ...

 

[Young Col]

Johnny Hodges was a master at bending up (as he was master of all things alto of course...). He would attack a long note from below and gradually bend it up to where it was expected. Did he do it all with embouchure, I wonder, or with careful use of keys?
YC

 

[dooce]

Bugger! Beaten to it.

Is that Tom Mapfumo in the video?

http://www.nununugent.com/Triborg.htm

 

[Nick Wyver]

Johnny Hodges was a master at bending up (as he was master of all things alto of course...). He would attack a long note from below and gradually bend it up to where it was expected. Did he do it all with embouchure, I wonder, or with careful use of keys?
YC

True. But, as Pete said, bending up from a normal embouchure position is somewhat limited even for Mr Hodges. So if you want, say, to bend from an E to an F then you have to start by playing the E whilst fingering an F. It takes practice.

 

[old git]

It's even easier on a banjo. Just fit Scruggs pegs. Fit four and you can play Auld Lang Syne in open position or in every key if you use a barre or capo. Make sure you buy the expensive set as the cheaper ones are not that accurate.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Isn't mentioning b***os a banning offence on this forum?

 

[kevgermany]

Isn't mentioning b***os a banning offence on this forum?

I guess it's in the same league as 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon'....

Trouble with banning OG would be the threat of his heavies - the C&SLM.... Better to put up with it I guess.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Isn't mentioning b***os a banning offence on this forum?

banjos

 

[kevgermany]

Just fit Scruggs pegs.

? Anything to do with Boz Scaggs?

 

[Young Col]

Don't worry chaps, I'll try to assuage Banjo Bill. Some pics of steam locos might help.
Nick, that sounds right. Interesting you should pick E to F as Mr Hodges' (yes, he should have some kind of title especially with his Ducal connections; I always thought Rabbit was a bit frivolous) upward bends usually sound like a semitone - or less. It's just that he managed to hold it and the gradual bend so long, often with vibrato, and to a crescendo. One of the glories of jazz.
YC

 

[Pete Thomas]

Don't worry chaps, I'll try to assuage Banjo Bill. Some pics of steam locos might help.

How's this:

 

[old git]

Sorry Pete, has to be a Spam Can. Used to travel on The Man of Kent.

Kev,
Scruggs as in Earl Scruggs, he of the Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Invented them for rapid changing from open G to open D tuning. Now made by two companies, the cheapies were usable, just, but the expensive are kosher. There are at least seventy known tuning systems for the banjo, some used for only one tune. And you thought that saxophones were complicated.

 

[kevgermany]

OG, thanks. Are these steamers any better (Manchest built Garratt's operating at Victoria Falls in 1985). There were also some narrow gauge (2') ones built that operated in South Africa for quite some time. Not sure if any are still running.

http://www.kevsgallery.com/cafesax/garret(136).jpg
http://www.kevsgallery.com/cafesax/garret(156).jpg

Probably bring back a couple of memories for RogerB as well...

 

[old git]

Sorry Kev, got to be Southern Bulleids. :crying:


Edited to addete is it possible to remove the "Thanks" attributions. They imply weakness, not appropriate in the Croydon and Sarf Lundun Massive? ;}