Bottom Bb Ugh!

impulse · May 7, 2007

I have quite large hands and long fingures but getting to that low Bb key (the one in a bunch with C#, G# and B) I find is pretty hard. How the ladies and players with small hands cope I don`t know. Can the note be played with any other keys or in any other manner, or is it just a case of keep stretching and practicing? :S

Saxlicker · May 7, 2007

There is no other way.

I have relatively small hands for man but it doesn't bother me too much. I can remember how it used to though.
Without playing, I used to sit with the horn and practise switching around this whole cluster of keys operated by the left hand little pinky.
Its good to do when its too late to play ....around midnight while watching TV for instance.
(sorry for the jazz pun!)
What horn do you have? there may be something ergonomically quirky that is adding to the difficulty.

suethesax · May 7, 2007

I have small hands but can reach no problem on tenor, alto and sop. Is the roller OK - I had mine loosened off to suit me on the alto so the key is quite loose - wouldn't suit all but works for me.

mfox · May 7, 2007

its all how your hands tendons are wired up. it a completely unnatural action.but with practice and some finger strengthening exercises you should get it..

bobk · May 7, 2007

I'm very much a beginner and have small hands (small enought to be a problem on the guitar) but I can hit the stretch to Bb - I move my hand into the sax a bit. I don't know if this is the right thing to do but this works fine for me in tunes that I feel I can play quite well (so not just in scales - as per other thread). I think I rotate the bottom part of the hand a bit - it is difficult to tell...

cheers,

Bob

impulse · May 7, 2007

Thank you, I`ts amazing what an hour`s concentrated practice does. I think I`m guilty in the past of letting others do a low B and Bb and stop at the C. Should be OK in future provided I can remember which is which in the cluster.

philthd · May 8, 2007

i find that the position of the left pinky spatula is one of the bits of keywork thats most variable between saxes. ive played a couple i had to stretch a bit for, and a couple where i actually found myself too cramped to my g finger.

sometimes you just have to force your body to do slightly unnatural things for the sake of your instrument - but if and when you get a new sax it might be something you think about when testing them out

impulse · May 8, 2007

Good point philthD. All my current saxes are within a year old. They are:
Soprano Yanagisawa 981
Alto Yamaha YAS 475
Tenor Yamaha YTS 62
They all require about the same degree of hand contortion.
So I probably wont be buying anymore for awhile. Cheers, Russ

gordonc · May 8, 2007

Wow
That's a great collection of saxes
Envy
Envy
Envy

chris_j · May 8, 2007

Though far from perfect, the ergonomics of my Couesnon are helped by the shape of the low Bb key.

It is L shaped so is beside the B key as well as below it. It makes it very accessible

impulse · May 11, 2007

That makes sense.

impulse · May 11, 2007

GordonC wrote:
Wow
That's a great collection of saxes
Envy
Envy
Envy
Gordon it was either the new saxes or a trip from here (Aus) to you folks way, way over in the wet country! So I chose the saxes. By the way are you folks still kicking that round thing around.? Not meant to be rude, but why don`t they open the goals up a bit, so the score ends up 6 to 4 or something?
Has`nt really caught on here with scores nil nil or 1 to love after 90 mins(?) since it is the scoring that is exciting. Cheers, Russ

philthd · May 11, 2007

british people crave disappointment

thus its the near misses that are exciting

Pjonah · May 11, 2007

Its bizarre the differences between saxes, my alto has a greater stretch that both my tenor and baritone saxes! In fact the baritone is the easily the most comfortable!

I have average size hands......I'm sure there's a gag waiting to come out there!

Simon :laugh: