Unaccompanied show-off piece recommendation?

[tryinghard]

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone has a recommendation for an easy show-off piece (for Alto) that shows the range of the horn, can be used with expression and doesn't need backing to sound great. The kind of thing you'd play if someone said "So, what's this saxophone thing then, let's hear something".

Currently I'd play C Major :S

Thoughts?

 

[Pete Thomas]

Not sure how easy you mean it to be, but the Harlem Nocturne is a nice one.

 

[spike]

Intro to "Baker Street" gives some people goose pimples when rendered with feeling, D major scale on alto, I think.
"Careless Whisper", perhaps, or the melody to "Morning Dance" shouldn't be too difficult.
A few bars of each, in quick succession should be enough to earn you your first pint.

 

[TomMapfumo]

"Summertime" is the business.

Kind regards
Tom

 

[tryinghard]

Thanks for the recommendations, I think Harlem Nocturne is probably the best for me now.

Summertime and Baker Street are fantastic, but as a relative newby to the Sax, I couldn't make it sound anything like what I've heard played before. A wobbly Summertime or nasal Baker Street is worse than my C Major 🙂

Thanks again for the replies.

 

[frankb]

Depending (very much!) on the audience you've got, "The Stripper" can get a good reaction!

(Like I said, depends very much on the audience! 😛 )

 

[peter_fitton]

Pink Panther theme? Great for tenor but would probably sound pretty good on alto too.

 

[PaulyT]

A bit af an "off the wall" suggestion here but..... How about "Those were the Days" - the old Mary Hopkins song? Not a traditional Sax song but fun to play.
It starts off slowly and can be played with great feeling and expression - and then goes up-tempo to a roister-doister chorus, and almost everyone know the words of the chorus (especially the la la laa laaa lala bit)!!
PaulyT

 

[sharon]

"Moonriver" is one of my favourites, one of the first ones I learnt off by heart as I love the film. It's easy to learn and also pretty easy to fiddle about with, and that makes it sound like you know what you're doing 😉

Sharon

 

[tryinghard]

Thanks everyone, some great suggestions.

So far I've gone with Harlem Nocturne and it's coming along fairly nicely. Listening to it though, it's the high notes that sounds a bit wobbly (yes, I know, long tones - long tones - long tones) but I can get a bit more "depth" or feeling into the lower notes, especially low C, B and Bb. I could happily play around the bottom three of four notes all day 'cause they sound just lovely!

Ok. So, the challenge is renewed, anyone have any unaccompanied show-off piece that doesn't have the screaming high notes of Summertime (though I do love that song and will get to it once my long-tones practice starts paying dividends!) and preferably a piece that has a few slow, dare I say gravelly, low notes included.

Anyone?

 

[frankb]

If you can find "In the Heat of the Night", it's one of my favourites, although it does go high in places. "Black Coffee" is lower and sounds good if you don't play it too 'straight'.

Another good one is the theme from Local Hero a la Dire Straits live album Alchemy (Mel Collins on sax). Finally (and bizarrely!) "Karla with a K", normally played on accordion but somehow it works if you give it enough welly (and a mullet isn't mandatory!)


Edit - What key are you playing Summertime in? I think I start on an A and it doesn't seem to go all that high (although maybe I'm playing it wrong!)

 

[old_git]

If you like the bottom end so much, 'Night Train' lets rip on bottom Bb.

Otherwise 'Over the Rainbow' with differing tempos and volume, makes people think you're sensitive and expressive. Take care to play it to the correct audience or you'll have to make your excuses and leave.

 

[Rogerb]

I have been trying to busk these by ear as I have been reading through them, and think Over The Rainbow is the easiest to make sound as if you are competent (even when you aren't!!).

I am trying to do "All of Me"(starting on G) in the same way....just a coupla B flats in there to remember 🙂
Lots of opportunities to 'jazz it up' a bit, too !

(I didn't realise Harlem Nocturne had lyrics, and never can remember it in full...but I just found it in my 1200-song Ultimate Fake Book! So I am now gonna try it!.........No, that's FAR too hard, Pete 😉
Mind you, some of the songs in there are in very odd keys...and my teacher agrees )

 

[frankb]

One last one: Fly Me To The Moon starting on middle C. If you know your C major descending scale then it's a snap!

 

[old_git]

Good one. Only don't try the trombone solo, (Frank Rehak possibly) from the Sinatra reading, you'll end up with twisted tonsils.

 

[tryinghard]

FrankB wrote:
If you can find "In the Heat of the Night", it's one of my favourites, although it does go high in places. "Black Coffee" is lower and sounds good if you don't play it too 'straight'.

Another good one is the theme from Local Hero a la Dire Straits live album Alchemy (Mel Collins on sax). Finally (and bizarrely!) "Karla with a K", normally played on accordion but somehow it works if you give it enough welly (and a mullet isn't mandatory!)


Edit - What key are you playing Summertime in? I think I start on an A and it doesn't seem to go all that high (although maybe I'm playing it wrong!)

Playing it in A Major, so starts in high C# - High C#(Wobble) that is!

 

[frankb]

Yup, that's high!

Try starting it on an A (either one) and playing by ear.

 

[Taz]

Ok try this old chestnut, How wonderful you are by Gordon Haskell
Slow, moody. and low...........nice 8)

 

[kenk]

Can anyone recommend a good songbook containg some of these suitable for a relative beginner. The tutor books I have often just have small passages of the whole tune.

Thanks

 

[PaulyT]

How about the "101 No1 Hits for buskers" Series from Wise Publications. They have all the words in as well so it all becomes a lot easier if you only half know the song.
PaulyT