Saxophone beginners Keeping up while travelling

[Colin the Bear]

What? A box?

 

[Vlad]

Can't see how a little melodica keyboard thing is going to help your saxophone playing at all, any more than a Stylophone would !
Better off even with a treble recorder or something

 

[PiccoloPirate]

"Can't see"
Limited vision for a musician. 🥲

 

[mizmar]

Better off even with a treble recorder or something

Above, I'd suggested some kinda of electronic sax/recorder device. They can be used with headphones, so quite...
... Roland just announced this, which looks sweeeeet (and may presage a new generation of such instruments) (and will probably be very expensive)(and isn't for sale yet)

View: https://youtu.be/h90qWPospLQ

 

[Vlad]

"Can't see"
Limited vision for a musician. 🥲

Yeah, me glasses are covered in grubby fingerprints

 

[Vlad]

Above, I'd suggested summer kinda of electronic sax/recorder device. They can be used with headphones, so quite...
... Roland just announced this, which looks sweeeeet (and may presage a new generation of such instruments) (and will probably be very expensive)(and isn't for sale yet)

View: https://youtu.be/h90qWPospLQ

I mentioned on another thread topic, I got one of the Yamaha YDS 120 digital things, this is imho excellent, as you say can be used with headphones and absolutely silent, you could play at 3am in your hotel room or whatever. it won't help with embouchure but for fingering / reading/ improv / general practice it's great. you can plug external sound sources into it as well so you can play along with stuff on a computer ( or phone ?? )
I checked the Aerophone out, very cool thing, but..seems it costs circa one and a half grand 😱 looks great in the video but quite a bit beyond what I would want to pay for it !

 

[mizmar]

but quite a bit beyond what I would want to pay for it !

Indeed.
It caught my eye because it seems to be a real step-up and Roland's other products are quite old by tec standards - so it may be the first of a next gen series. Maybe a longitudinal device will also be produced?

 

[Vlad]

Indeed.
It caught my eye because it seems to be a real step-up and Roland's other products are quite old by tec standards - so it may be the first of a next gen series. Maybe a longitudinal device will also be produced?

I wouldn't mind the playing of it 'flute fashion' tbh, and the two blow holes for lower/upper octaves is a great idea ( I can't blow conventional flutes, I've tried ! ) if they subsequently do a version for at a third of the price or less, I might be tempted 🙂
Yamaha did this price cut malarkey with the YDS things, the initial model was way dearer than the subsequent version, with little or no reduction in features

 

[PiccoloPirate]

Would be nice if that electronic flute, had a famous player menu.
Just select, Rampal, Moyse, Lateef etc etc.

 

[mizmar]

Just select...

Ian Anderson!
I'm sure I could play it on one leg...

You probably can't growl in it

 

[Vlad]

Or you get a load of rats following you around

 

[mizmar]

Or you get a load of rats following you around

Sure. But a but tuff to get through customs (back on topic!)

 

[Jimmymack]

This is the one I was thinking of. There’s an accessory kit that I think lets you stick a real mouthpiece on although it doesn’t make any difference to the sounds it makes but might help with the embouchure, although that isn’t really what it’s for. The accessory kit is free at the moment.

Travel Sax 2 Digital Saxophone

The world of wind synths and digital saxes climbs to even greater heights with the release of the smallest and lightest electronic sax in the world. The Travel Sax is perfect for sax players as the keywork imitates the layout, feel and action of a real saxophone, making it incredibly intuitive...

sax.co.uk

Jay Metcalfe liked it

Travel Sax 2 - bettersax.com

https://youtu.be/kr1MMaIYhFU Travel Sax2 The Sax Player's Secret Weapon for Ultra Portable, Silent Practice Do you ever wish you could play your saxophone anywhere, anytime without bothering anyone?For years, we’ve been loving this super-fun, pocket sized digital sax.The keys are laid out...

bettersax.com

 

[Vlad]

I think the original Yamaha had a saxophone mouthpiece with a ligature & (plastic) reed.. though I believe it was something of a 'dummy'
I suspect the travel sax is similar.
The current Yam one is just a recorder like mp.

 

[mizmar]

Jay Metcalfe liked it

And is the USofA distributor of travel sax 2...
... Which is fair enough.

 

[skeller047]

This is the one I was thinking of. There’s an accessory kit that I think lets you stick a real mouthpiece on although it doesn’t make any difference to the sounds it makes but might help with the embouchure, although that isn’t really what it’s for. The accessory kit is free at the moment.

Travel Sax 2 Digital Saxophone

The world of wind synths and digital saxes climbs to even greater heights with the release of the smallest and lightest electronic sax in the world. The Travel Sax is perfect for sax players as the keywork imitates the layout, feel and action of a real saxophone, making it incredibly intuitive...

sax.co.uk

Jay Metcalfe liked it

Travel Sax 2 - bettersax.com

https://youtu.be/kr1MMaIYhFU Travel Sax2 The Sax Player's Secret Weapon for Ultra Portable, Silent Practice Do you ever wish you could play your saxophone anywhere, anytime without bothering anyone?For years, we’ve been loving this super-fun, pocket sized digital sax.The keys are laid out...

bettersax.com

I have one of these. It works best with a rather expensive sound library you keep on your phone. It is the most “saxophonic” wind synth/controller out there.

I think the original Yamaha had a saxophone mouthpiece with a ligature & (plastic) reed.. though I believe it was something of a 'dummy'
I suspect the travel sax is similar.
The current Yam one is just a recorder like mp.

The reed on this controls a little lever for pitch bend. Most folks set it up to require a little pressure, so one can bend both up and down. The TravelSax does not do pitch bend, you just blow into it.

Both of these are good for working on music. Both are useless for keeping saxophone chops up.

 

[Vlad]

Both of these are good for working on music. Both are useless for keeping saxophone chops up.

Certainly no good for saxophone embouchure... but i've found it ( the Yamaha) fairly essential often when it's the only viable way to do any form of practice depending on my time schedule. the fingering element certainly crosses over to a real saxophone
Plus the Yamaha has your hands in a rather more natural position pretty much like a soprano, whereas the Travel sax is compacted, for size economy, putting your hands very close together which I'd think a bit odd ?

 

[thomsax]

Looks rather, erm..'medical'

Yes, it does. I used to see a singing/vocal teacher and she told me to blew bubbles while doing breathing excercices and then I tried it with a saxophone + reed. I can reduce the area of the pipe as well.

This is just for the basic embouchure and to built up the airstream.

 

[Grumps]

Two weeks off? Three? Don't worry about it. You'll be fine when you get home. If I'm on holiday or business, I don't want to worry about a horn unless there's a gig where I'm at.