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oliver_bentley
Member
- Messages
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Just tough I'd drop by and say hi, as I'm one happy bunny after yesterday.
As you may know I've spent the last year or so changing my embouchure, and its bin a bit of a trial to say the least. I'd started to get the sound I was after, but my tuning was all over the place.
I was at woodwind exchange yesterday getting a standard service, and just thought I'd mention to Stewart that my tuning especially middle D,Eb,E was sharp and seemingly getting worse. He took one look at it and found that the action was way high, like a semitone way high, on the lower stack, and that it wasnt me at all! So what I'd been told by teachers was my embouchure, and been frowned upon by fellow band members wasnt my fault at all!
At this point I decided to try some tenor's (ooops) as I'd been given some money via a will, and was saving until a time when I'd sorted out the problems with my tuning. And once I'd got a decent mouthpiece on - metal vandoren V16 7 lay, I was having a wail of a time. Settled on a very nice mk VII (cant affod a VI. yet) and I'm loving it! (my ears, less so. eeeeeeeeee :S on that front I;ve orded some pro ear plugs btw)
Turns out I take to tenor quite well, all the breathing and diaphragm exercises/sit ups etc I've been doing have paid off loads, and I'm getting a HUGE sound out of it. its so much fun. And with me having big hands, fit better on a tenor. its great!
On another topic, naming of saxes, never thought i'd do it, but in this case that thread got me thinking. I've called it Val, after the lady who left me the money. (only met her once, how very nice of her)
Hope your all well, and all have a happy xmas. I'm at home now, so cant get on here as much, but I'll try get on again soon. Best (festive) wishes,
Oli
As you may know I've spent the last year or so changing my embouchure, and its bin a bit of a trial to say the least. I'd started to get the sound I was after, but my tuning was all over the place.
I was at woodwind exchange yesterday getting a standard service, and just thought I'd mention to Stewart that my tuning especially middle D,Eb,E was sharp and seemingly getting worse. He took one look at it and found that the action was way high, like a semitone way high, on the lower stack, and that it wasnt me at all! So what I'd been told by teachers was my embouchure, and been frowned upon by fellow band members wasnt my fault at all!
At this point I decided to try some tenor's (ooops) as I'd been given some money via a will, and was saving until a time when I'd sorted out the problems with my tuning. And once I'd got a decent mouthpiece on - metal vandoren V16 7 lay, I was having a wail of a time. Settled on a very nice mk VII (cant affod a VI. yet) and I'm loving it! (my ears, less so. eeeeeeeeee :S on that front I;ve orded some pro ear plugs btw)
Turns out I take to tenor quite well, all the breathing and diaphragm exercises/sit ups etc I've been doing have paid off loads, and I'm getting a HUGE sound out of it. its so much fun. And with me having big hands, fit better on a tenor. its great!
On another topic, naming of saxes, never thought i'd do it, but in this case that thread got me thinking. I've called it Val, after the lady who left me the money. (only met her once, how very nice of her)
Hope your all well, and all have a happy xmas. I'm at home now, so cant get on here as much, but I'll try get on again soon. Best (festive) wishes,
Oli
