Playing the saxophone Doubling instruments - straight AND chaser

[Linky Lee]

If needed I could double on flute or drums. What I'd loveto be ableto double on is trombone though... I have a strong desire to play trombone, and I think it'sprobably something I'll pick up in later life as I'm still very happy playing my saxophones, guitars and flute.

I dabble in a bit of blues harp now and then, but it's not something I'm good enough toplay publicly, though I did record a tune once, a bit rolling strones influenced in feel and instrumentation whichI really enjoyed doing.

 

[Bobby G]

Oh Lee, the trombone, a marvellous instrument, but I'm not sure I could master the mouth part of playing one. Similarly the trumpet. I've been at a few sessions where a trombone player has turned up, there's something about the warmth of the sound and the way its sound sits in among the saxes that really appeals to me.

The only other family of instruments I've never dabbled with is anything that is played with a bow - even when my daughter was having violin lessons I never felt the urge to play it. Other than that, any musical instrument, bring it on 🙂

 

[jools]

-trombone? - bah. Melt them all down and make horse brasses or something useful, I say 😡

 

[old_git]

Bob,
No problem with trombone embouchure. One of the funniest things on the box was a scene involving Ted Heath, the bandleader not the Morning Cloud owner, orchestra conductor and something else, probably very minor. His band was a good one and he had an equally famous slushpumper on and it was the usual exchange of "Love your tone.", "Love your technique.".
Ted, who had a wonderful tone had to take his falsies out on TV. His embarrassment still causes out bursts of laughter, inconvenient at funerals that at my age, are becoming increasingly regular.

 

[jools]

Q.E.D. - comedy instrument.

 

[Bobby G]

Two words Jools. Glenn Miller.

 

[jools]

Ha. Yup, and look what happened to him. Hmmm, conspiracy theory or what!?


:laugh:

 

[frankb]

You mean, he got the pilot in the back of the neck with the slide and opened the spit valve and...!

Suddenly it all becomes clear!


Next instalment - the man on the grassy knoll holding a trombone...!

 

[jools]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
and cabin crew were alerted when he brandished his 'offensive weapon'

 

[jools]

anyway - getting back to the thread LOL...

Nachoman (and all) about these harmonicas. I gleaned the following info from Ebay:
---
"available in:
Major Diatonic
A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, Low F, F, F#, G, High G
Harmonic Minor
Abm, Am, Bbm, Bm, Cm, Dbm, Dm, Ebm, Fm, F#m, Gm,
Natural Minor
Am, Bm, Cm, Dbm,Dm, Ebm, Em, Fm, F#m, Gm
Melody Maker
A, C, D, E, G
"The Major Diatonic harmonica is the most commonly used tuning for playing Blues, Rock, Country Folk & Jazz. "
---
It said.

So, I understand that position 1 is 'blow' (usually major diatonic) and position 2 is 'suck' (minor modal) is that right? So why have them already set in "natural" and "harmonic" minor? what's the 1st and 2nd position there? AND which out of that lot (above) should I try, to play blues licks over a guitarists A minor, D minor and E minor? etc. I could (at a push) get a handful of keys that will serve me well for a bunch of popular tunes. I'm guessing that is what you do - have a selection. But (as a beginner) which do I go for ?

 

[Jules]

Not quite- First position is playing in the major key of the harp, Second positon- playing 12 bar blues in the 4th, Third postion- fully minor. Hence - second position isn't a specific scale, but is setting yourself up to be able to work the 3 chords in a standard 12 bar sequence.
Minor key harps are a bit of a rarity- most players seem locked into the feel of the major diatonics. When you start bending notes on a minor harp things get very odd indeed... swooping bends and howls that push things into a major.. not right.... I want to howl into... er... minor-ity(?).
The default starters harp is C- gving you C major, you're also set up for blues sequences in G and an easy D minor....
I usually seem to end up with a C, D, G, A and occassionally F or Bb in my blues gigging set up.

 

[jools]

wow. A whole new world is opening up. Cool.
-and at the price, mistakes are not bank-busting.

 

[Bobby G]

I tried to play blues harp many years ago in one of my folky guises, rack-mounted while strumming an acoistic geetar. I made Bob Dylan sound good.

 

[philthd]

i thought that it was some form of tremelo harmonica played with rack, rather than a blues harp

am i totally out on this?

 

[Jules]

I'd always reckoned they need a pair of hands rounds them to fatten up the tone... never been convinced wit the Dylan harness approach (though there are those tubes to fit over a harmonica in a holder to boost the tone- neat trick).

 

[helena]

I have just purchased an acoustic guitar, and I am adding 30 minutes to the end of my hour sax lesson..everyone esle in my hous eplays the guitar (electric and bass) so I thought I would have a go.....although I was a little concerned at my first lesson when I realsied I would have to keep my nails very short...

Helen

 

[Pete Thomas]

helenA wrote:
I have just purchased an acoustic guitar, and I am adding 30 minutes to the end of my hour sax lesson..everyone esle in my hous eplays the guitar (electric and bass) so I thought I would have a go.....although I was a little concerned at my first lesson when I realsied I would have to keep my nails very short...

Helen

Only on one hand, you can have them long on your strumming/picking hand

 

[helena]

yes...but that would just look odd.......

Helen
ps and don't get me on toughening up my fingertip skin...

 

[jools]

Guitarists are 'odd'

They have volume controls that go to 11.



😡

 

[jools]

Oh cripes... here we go. I have bids on a Shure Bullet mic and a couple of Lee Oskars. All at very reasonable prices so far.

Thank god my paypal can stand the impact. SO much cheaper than saxes.

....and Bobby- yeh, you should go for a plastic YAMAHA (woohoo) fife. Then you can master the blowing business before you get a metal and expensive flute. Fingering's pretty much like a recorder and the blowing's like a flute.