Saxophones Is yours a sitter?

[kevgermany]

Have been struggling with the bari since I got it. Sounds wonderful, but a big stretch to the RH keys, resulting in great difficulty getting the angle of the mouthpiece right. Net result was many octave jumps/squeaks, sore neck/jaw, much frustration.

Although I'm 6' 2", I couldn't get the mouthpiece in my mouth properly without major contortions when the strap was adjusted so I could reach the RH keys. Mouthpiece was too high. Looked as if a previous owner had pulled the neck down to compensate. Net result was that to get much out of it, I had to transform myself into a contorted Quasimodo...

Mentioned this to JonF and he kindly measured his baris for me. We found that mine's a lot longer (about half a hand) in the mouthpiece tip to low F key dimension.... He suggested it muight have been designed to be played sitting.

I was sceptical, cos my bari has LH bell keys and I thought they'd be interfering with my leg. These were stoppping it from swinging properly back when I play standing. But I tried it anyway. What a difference. The bell keys sit below my leg, top of the bell rests nicely against my thigh and suddenly everything lines up and it's a pleasure to play. Tried standing from there and it back to being a tall Quasimodo again.

Is this a fiendish french plot to turn all would be bari players into standby companologists for a well know Parisian cathedral? Who knows, but without JonF's help, I'd have been queueing up for the post.

So a big thanks to JonF and remember - when life's bad in the sax world, ask yourself - is mine a sitter?

 

[Jeanette]

When I went to Hansons to try a tenor got talking woth Alistair about someone who was struggling and Alistair advised him to play bari seated.

Jx

 

[kevgermany]

I'm just wondering how Mandy manages...

 

[Taz]

I find mine very comfortable standing, in fact I hate sitting and playing any of my saxes, although if I'm searching for backing tracks on the pc I do tend to sit until I've found a track I like and I'm up again!

 

[jonf]

I also much prefer to play standing. The suggestion that Kev try playing sitting was not really an original thought on my part. It had been mentioned to me that some saxes were designed to be played while seated when I was in a discussion about my C mel, and how odd that felt to play. I ended up making some mods to the C, and now it plays fine.

 

[MandyH]

I'm just wondering how Mandy manages...

I play both sitting and standing with no problems, certainly not for my right hand.
I have extended the Bflat little left finger key with some sugru, as I struggled to stretch to reach it consistently.

However, inspite of my 5ft6 stature, I have remarkably long arms and legs (32" inside leg), my finger tips come to about 3" above my knees when standing straight! This is the cause of the name calling when I was in secondary school (those grammar school boys were just too clever for their own good), so I may be just the shape my bari needs! ))

 

[Rikki]

Bari is obviously a lucky guy!!!

 

[MandyH]

I play both sitting and standing with no problems, certainly not for my right hand.
I have extended the Bflat little left finger key with some sugru, as I struggled to stretch to reach it consistently.

However, inspite of my 5ft6 stature, I have remarkably long arms and legs (32" inside leg), my finger tips come to about 3" above my knees when standing straight! This is the cause of the name calling when I was in secondary school (those grammar school boys were just too clever for their own good), so I may be just the shape my bari needs! ))

thought I'd attach a couple of photos:

the first of me playing my bari, the second showing my right arm straight down my bari, as you can see, I have more than enough arm length :welldone

View attachment 2165

 

[kevgermany]

Ta. Another difference is immediately obvious - your neck has a tighter bend, mine must be about 70 degrees, not the right angle I see on yours. So as soon as I try to get the mouthpiece angle right in my mouth, the base of the sax has to push away and this increases the right arm stretch. If that was my bari, the mouthpiece would be up by your nose.

Another pointer towards a sitter...

 

[Ivan]

A very useful discussion and yet another bit of information to fill my gulf in sax-related knowledge

 

[dooce]

Ta. Another difference is immediately obvious - your neck has a tighter bend, mine must be about 70 degrees, not the right angle I see on yours. So as soon as I try to get the mouthpiece angle right in my mouth, the base of the sax has to push away and this increases the right arm stretch. If that was my bari, the mouthpiece would be up by your nose.

Another pointer towards a sitter...

So wouldn't replacing your shallow angle neck with a standard 90 degree one just solve your problem?

 

[kevgermany]

So wouldn't replacing your shallow angle neck with a standard 90 degree one just solve your problem?

Good idea, may well do, and I'm thinking about it. I think I'll have a word with the instrument builder. Neck socket needs a bit of attention, so it's probably a good time to do it.

 

[gladsaxisme]

I thought that problems like these were easily remedied by moving hanging ring but what do I know...john

 

[kevgermany]

I thought that problems like these were easily remedied by moving hanging ring but what do I know...john

It's mouthpiece to right hand distance that's the problem. Sitting puts the sax at a completely different angle and it all works well then.

 

[Colin the Bear]

It would appear that like the sop with two necks there's an alternative for the baritone a sitting neck and a standing neck. Who'd a thought. More bleedin' kit to buy. I wonder if it affects the sound.

 

[kevgermany]

It would appear that like the sop with two necks there's an alternative for the baritone a sitting neck and a standing neck. Who'd a thought. More bleedin' kit to buy. I wonder if it affects the sound.

Yes, must try and find a silver one, bound to sound better

 

[Profusia]

Oh go on then, since no-one has said it yet...


Suddenly everything is clear. My tenor, alto, and sop are clearly all sitters!

 

[gladsaxisme]

Yes, must try and find a silver one, bound to sound better

Best we don't go down that road

 

[Chris]

Yes, must try and find a silver one,

With a polished bore.

Chris..

 

[Bari+sax=awesome]

It might be with the neck. Get a smaller neck (one not as long) and try it. It gives the Bari sax "more room", and it won't be jammed up in your face, no mater how tall one is. It also makes the right hand, especially the right pinky on a low c, more easy to reach. So if you want, try that and see what happens