Please help me decide!! but be quick ..

[vakosel]

Ok this is the story. I have no idea about saxophone market. I never played one. But i must learn to play in 10 days!! :? What?? Yeap is a must . Why ? 2 reasons :
1) i always loved the saxophone ( some magic in the air.. ) but didnt have time or the right " impulse"
2)
I FOUND THE IMPULSE.. She is a very remarkable and beautiful lady. I am in crazy for her and i would like to impress her in our first date. She told me that she melts with the sound of a saxophone!
So as you see the motivation is huge~!
I think i can manage to play something in 20 days ( she is abroad till then) as i have advanced studies in music therory and finished my piano studies with 1st prize in music academy .
Ok definitely i will stick to saxophone if everything goes fine for me. Its not only for one go !
So what to buy?
1) alto or tenor? Its a matter of taste i know but i tried to find sample sounds on the internet and i think tenor is my choice.. but i cant really tell because of no live experience
2) i think i have to buy it from the internet as my local store is a "yamaha " fan. It sells the YST 275 yamaha and Amati AST 33 as and Selmer TS700 as beginner saxophones.
I checked the forum for nobes like me and i came up also with Hanson, Walstein ( good for its price). So these must be my choices as i dont have time.. 😉
I can afford up to 1000-1200 euro for now and definitely more in the future ..
The only plus of the local store is that i will "feel" them but i find your community here more friendly ( from what i read so far) than the advice of a unknown seller..

Dont know what else to say .. i feel a little idiot but i like that feeling
if you know what i mean.. 😉

Cheers,
Kostas

 

[Linky Lee]

I had a Selmer Prelude, enjoyed playing it.
I think the Walstein is much better though.

Best of luck.

 

[Rogerb]

Welcome, Kostas....what a great story!

My first choice for you would, of course be a Hanson tenor (I have one of their altos), but they are in short supply..... they are very popular.
Give Maria a call on +44 777 960 4692 and see whether they can help. (Tell her your story and say Roger told you they will help if they can!!) They may have just got some in.
If you can get an ST-5 or ST-8, you shouldn't need to buy 'more later' 😀
(I am not on commission 😉 .... I just think they are a super company to deal with. )
Have a look at saxophonesdirect.com

If Hanson can't help, a Walstein does seem a good choice, although I have no experience of them.

Good luck with the sax and the lady 🙂

 

[vakosel]

Thanks for your immediate feed back gents! I appreciate your concern
about my "problem". I definitely call Maria and see what i can do..

And of course i will tell you how the story will end ! Stay tuned 😉

Cheers,
Kostas

 

[frankb]

Lust, I mean er, "true love" is a powerful motivator, but that's a seriously high bar you're setting for yourself! :S I'm not saying it's not do-able, but it's not going to be a piece of cake!

I have a YTS275 and like it very much. Haven't tried a Walstein or a Hanson but they are also very well thought of around here.

I recommend you sort yourself out a teacher pronto to maximise your results in your compressed timescale. As to subject matter... How about "Summertime"? Nice and straightforward and makes the most of the sax's gorgeous sound.

Good luck and tell us how it goes.

 

[vakosel]

Well Frank i think 'Summertime' is an excellent choice ! If everything goes fine you will be my best man !

Cheers!

 

[frankb]

Does she have a sister?

Pretty bridesmaid?



On second thoughts, it might be a bit far for me to travel. From the looks of your avatar, you don't live anywhere near Manchester! 😉

 

[Linky Lee]

You need to get a teacher to give you a well structured very focussed practise plan and schedule.

You then need to be motivated enough to work to it correctly. The better the quality and efficiency of the practise, the easier it will be to get your goal.

 

[frankb]

vakosel wrote:
She is a very remarkable and beautiful lady. I am in crazy for her...
...She told me that she melts with the sound of a saxophone!

He sounds motivated to me! 🙂

Completely agree with you about the teacher and well-structured practice plan, though.

 

[Bobby G]

Yep, it would certainly help having a teacher if you're working to such a deadline (that's if you can find one and get a saxophone). On the other hand, I am self-taught and Summertime was about the second tune I managed - like you Kostas I had been playing other instruments for about 35 years so I had a good ear for the tune.

The first tune I learned was Madness' "One Step Beyond", but that might not go down too well on a first date >.<

If you do need to get hold of a saxophone very quickly, and it's the only one you could go out and buy immediately, there's nothing wrong with the Yamaha horns in my opinion.

All the best to you Kostas!

 

[vakosel]

I am amazed with your feed back gentlemen!
I contacted both Mary (Hanson) and a teacher in the music academy i was.
Mary as all describe is excellent and very polite. She said that she hasnt the Eclipse in stock ( new model) but the Classic is there .Meanwhile i have
left a message to the teacher to call me and he did .He is quite good from his CV ( performances, both classic and jazz, CD's, MgGill studies in Sax etc.) . I was about to place my order to Mary when he phoned. So i asked his opinion about what instrument i should buy as a starter
.And as you guess i didnt tell him my story !!!
😉
He said well good sax's are Selmer, Keilwerth , Yamaha, something from B.. i didnt get and Yanagisawa i think.
It doesnt matter if you buy an alto or tenor he said. You end up playing all and buying all !
I only mentioned tha YAS275 and he said :
"isnt that the student moded of Yamaha ?? " . I didnt say anything else . I gave him an appointment next week and now i am on my own again...
🙁
Well at least i am here !
To tell the truth if i really enjoy playing the sax i could make a bigger sacrifice...
Tottaly confused. I should have placed the order to Mary before talking to him..

Cheers,
Kostas

PS: I even checked the Selmer 3 series and the Kleiwerth SX 90 R.. Am i crazy or what.. ?

 

[mfox]

hehe good luck.. 10 days eh..you'll be at the stangled cat stage by then..

 

[frankb]

Hi Kostas,

It's easy to get confused with all the makes, models and opinions floating about. Would it be possible for you to rent a sax to get you going, hit your deadline and give you more time to think? Here are a couple of places that do them, although I have no experience of renting a sax from either -

http://www.sax.co.uk/
http://www.saxhire.co.uk/

Your teacher's comment about it not mattering which one you start on may not be entirely valid. What was it that first attracted you to the tenor? If it still holds true then (in my opinion) start with a tenor and let the future look after itself.

Woodwind and Brass are currently showing out of stock on the Walstein tenor (and the alto), so if you're in a hurry then you're probably going to need to look at something else. Hansons are well thought of on this forum, but again are single-source. If they have a horn that suits you in stock then you're in luck. If not, then you might have to wait...

Yamahas are (I believe) generally thought to be good horns (I like my YTS275 student tenor, but I'm a rank beginner so discount my advice accordingly!) and are readily available from a number of vendors. I got mine from http://www.netmusicalinstruments.co.uk The transaction went well and I'd recommend them.

Try Stephen Howard's excellent site for a good selection of reviews of a good selection of horns. There's some tips on choosing them too. http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk

Best of luck!

Frank

 

[Rogerb]

A few points, Kostas:
1. The Eclipse and Classic are ALTOS, not tenors...is that what you really want?
(I personally have a 'Classic' which I definitely prefer to the Eclipse)... it's a very good instrument, and lots of members of this forum have 'em!
2. Don't listen to those who suggest that only The Big Four make decent (but expensive) saxes...they do hold their value well, though...
3. Hanson's telephone lady is Maria, not Mary!
4. Time appears to be of the essence here, so don't make appointments for next week.... make a decision and order something.... Hanson, Walstein, The Big Four, they are all good saxes, in their own ways.

 

[vakosel]

A simple question :
is the shape of the hand matters? i read that the left pinky Bb is a problem. I can play very fast 9ths in piano and with stretching i can play a 10th. i have good opening but not long fingers. Should that affect my decision?

Cheers,
Kostas

 

[Bobby G]

Hi Kostas - if you can make a 9th on piano you should be ok with the left hand pinky keys on most horns. Having said that I had a Trevor James alto that was a bit of a stretch down to bottom Bb with the l.h. pinky, but I got used to it quite quickly. Every other horn I've played has been fine in that respect, no problem getting to the low Bb.

Also, all the horns I've played (admittedly not many) have been ok for access to the palm keys, except for an old one I have (a Dolnet alto) which needed a bit of adjustment to get the palm keys comfortable

 

[vakosel]

Thanks Bobby !

What a coincidence ! Her name is Artemis .. Like your soprano horn!

I didnt know that an instrument existed with this name. I will keep it in mind in the future.. 😉

Cheers,
Kostas

 

[vakosel]

ok i have rent because of time pressure a Yamaha YAS 275 !

i am really funny with it but i already have my C major done!

On Thursday i have my first lesson!

Now i have the time to choose what to buy.. Most of you have recommended to see , feel or rent an instrument.. Great advice !

Cheers,
Kostas

😉

 

[Bobby G]

Good luck with your saxophone and everything else Kostas, keep us updated with your progress

 

[frankb]

I think you've acted wisely. Saxes aren't cheap items, and now when you feel ready to buy you won't need to rush and you'll have a lot more knowledge to help you.

Best of luck with the YAS and I hope your practices (and the date!) go well!

All the best,

Hint - for Summertime in an easy key, try starting on an A (top two fingers)