When to step-up mpc?

[frankb]

The reeds discussion in this forum prompted me to wonder -

If one was playing a YTS275 tenor with a Yamaha 4C mpc and RJS 2M filed reeds (purely hypothetically, you understand...!), what would be a good step up mpc for all round use and what would be the signs of being ready to make the leap?

I (er, I mean "one"!) keep looking at the Jody Jazz Classic 6 and the ESP 6 (mainly the ESP!)... ...and then sanity (temporarily) prevails!

Background - I've been playing for a 2 months, practising an hour a day (2 at weekends) religiously (I keep praying that I'll get better!), an hour's lesson a week. Fast middle-B to middle-D transitions kill me every time (Somewhere Over The Rainbow, anyone?!), but other than that I seem (i.e. my teacher reckons) to be making good progress

 

[philthd]

im sure many people here would disagree (saxlicker im looking at you here) but...

basic yamaha pieces are very playable and quite versatile - a lot better than what comes with a lot of horns - so if you are producing a tone you are happy with you should not need to change.

if you find that the piece is holding you back in a specific aspect of playing, or that you would prefer the change in colour another piece might bring - those are the signs you need a new one and they themselves will point you towards the type of piece you want



[EDIT:] mind you, just because you dont NEED new gear, doesnt mean it dont feel GREAT when you get it

 

[frankb]

Thanks Phil. I have a sneaking feeling that this may just be a GAS attack!

 

[Rogerb]

I'm on my 5th mpc in 18 months 😱

The first change (from the supplied ESM to a Selmer S80) was not successful, but the others( > Vandoren V5 A25 > Lamberson 6M > JJDV) have definitely been 'progressions' in the direction *I* desire(a bright, edgy sound!).

Serious mpc GAS! ..... but I am happy with the horn, and mpcs are less expensive, and more easily re-sellable!

 

[Linky Lee]

I've only ever tried the one Yamaha 4C, and on Soprano.

I thought about upgrading it maybe 2 months ago now. I tried out about 8 different mouthpieces. Everything from Selmer S80, Yanagisawa Ebonites, Ottolink ebonite and metal models, whatever was in stock basically.

The only mouthpiece that was an improvement was the Yanagisawa mouthpiece and it's quite a bit more than a Yamaha 4C. I decided it wasn't worth it.

I would stick to your 4C for as long as you can bare it really. You'll have that one more thing which is consistent and allow you to build your chops better. Wait until you're hitting a 3 strength reed I'd say before getting a new mouthpiece with a more suitable sound for you and a larger tip opening, then you'll probably be back down to the 2 or 2.5 strengths.

By all means do what you want, but I'm saying this from experience. Keep as much stability in your set-up as you can, especially at the beginning when the muscles are developing at their fastest. It's very important not to pick up to many bad habits early on.

 

[Pete Thomas]

A 4C is a great mouthpiece. You only need to change once you've tried something you like better, even then you need to play a mouthpiece for more than a couple of hours to evaluate properly. You also need the confidence in your own ability to evaluate mouthpieces, only you will really know when that is.

 

[Pete Thomas]

A 4C is a great mouthpiece. You only need to change once you've tried something you like better, even then you need to play a mouthpiece for more than a couple of hours to evaluate properly. You also need the confidence in your own ability to evaluate mouthpieces, only you will really know when that is.

 

[rs2sensen]

I actually did have a noticeable improvement on alto when I moved to an S80 C* than when I was on the 4C. I know a lot of people don't, but for the kind of playing I do, it made a noticeable difference. However, as has been said, the 4C is a very capable mouthpiece.

Most of the sax players I've been around have been students. And unless students get really really good really quickly, it's most common to wait until the 4th year or so of playing to upgrade mouthpieces. There's no laid out logical reason for this, I think it's just because it usually coincides with students moving from Middle to High School, so the kids use it as an excuse to get their parents to shove out the cash.

 

[frankb]

Bottom line - I think at the moment I need to spend time rather than money.

My tone has come on really well over the last couple of months. When I started I said that my teacher's bottom notes sounded like butter and mine sounded like sandpaper. Now mine sound like that cheap cooking margerine - you wouldn't want to spread it on bread but it's a damn sight more palatable than wet 'n' dry!

Now, my problem is that a sax should sound *horny*. Mine sounds more "French Horny". (This is not the same kind of progression as between "kissing" and "French kissing". Pity!)

Oh well, hopefully it'll happen in time!

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Linky Lee]

Are you trying to say you want to French kiss your horn?

Maybe I got mixed up there. Either way, glad the tone is improving!

 

[frankb]

Lee - Mwah! :laugh:


Just a thought - Maybe it's the subject matter; it's difficult to play raunchy sax to 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and 'Good King chuffin' Wenceslas'! (Not impossible, but difficult.)

Can anyone suggest some progressive rock / blues tutor books that won't melt my feeble (and inexperienced) brain?

 

[Linky Lee]

unfortunately no, but you could pick out some cool riffs like:

smoke on the water, bad to the bone (and then the solo), Mannish boy and so on. They don't have to be for sax, they'll still sound great.

 

[Bobby G]

4c was fine for me for a while, and would have been if it weren't for a protracted period of GAS, fuelled initially by a cheap Otto Link from the bottom of a drawer in a music shop in Chesham, then a few bits and bobs off ebay (nothing more than 25 quid), plus splashing out on a Selmer soloist. Or two :whistle:

This affliction means I now have 2 Selmer Soloists (D and F), a metal Brilhart, Meyer 6, Otto Link Tone Edge 5, Selmer Super Session E, and a Beechler Diamond Inlay 8, my current mouthpiece of choice.

More than enough for anyone, surely? :erm:

Cheers, Bob

p.s. I'm much more sensible with tenor and sop mpc's, I have only two for each

 

[suethesax]

FrankB wrote:
Can anyone suggest some progressive rock / blues tutor books that won't melt my feeble (and inexperienced) brain?

Frank I haven't seen this so it's not aq personal receommendation but just browsing I found:

Progressive Rock Saxophone Method
For Beginner to Advanced Students
(52 Pages)
Specifically designed for students wishing to play rock sax, either in a group or solo for fun. The emphasis is on making music immediately. Covers a variety of sounds, rhythms and techniques essential to Rock playing. Also contains lessons on transposing, playing in all keys and improvisation. Anyone who completes this book will be well on the way to becoming an excellent Rock sax player.

Comes with Book and Play Along CD.

It is 12.95 on Woodwind & Reed Cambridge website

 

[frankb]

Thanks Sue, I'll definitely give it a look.

 

[Saxlicker]

philthD wrote:
im sure many people here would disagree (saxlicker im looking at you here) but...

basic yamaha pieces are very playable and quite versatile - a lot better than what comes with a lot of horns - so if you are producing a tone you are happy with you should not need to change.

😱 ..... shock horror how very dare you! 😛
I am Saxlicker and I'm a reformed mouthpiece-aholic.

I actually agree and rate the Yam mouthpieces, I concurr that they are much better than other pieces supplied with a horn.
Or at least i'll vouch on alto!
I'm unsure of the more expensive CM range.

On the mouthpiece subject,
Rhysonsax has just pipped me to the post buying an RPC for baritone...grrrr!!! 😡 ...oops OK so I said reformed but this would only be my fourth baritone mouthpiece EVER!

 

[Pete Thomas]

I use the RPC for most baritone work, but I do also have a Yamaha 5C, which is an excellent backup believe it or not.

 

[frankb]

Update - GAS cured and problem solved. It's the subject matter.

Last night I was browsing YouTube and happened across a couple of Offspring videos. This lunchtime I got out the YTS, put *away* 'Team Woodwind' and took a shot at the vocal line from "Why don't you get a job?!" and the guitar riff from "Original Prankster". Both were nice and easy and sounded great on the 4C (by my inexacting standards!).

I've also found the midi from "Why don't you get a job?!" and verified that it'll load cleanly into Noteworthy and play back through my Yammy keyboard. Works like a charm, so that's something to experiment with for the future.

I think all these carols and show tunes are probably very good for learning to sight read and control the sax, but they aren't necessarily a lot of fun!

From now on I'm going to split my sessions in three:

- Long tones / scales / articulation
- Book practice (and I'll be looking for some other books!)
- Playtime! 😛

Sue - Many thanks for the tip but I can only find Progressive Rock Saxophone Method for the Alto and (being my usual awkward self) I'm on tenor. The music would still be okay but the CD wouldn't unless I transpose. I'll still check it out when I'm back in Manchester next week.

Thanks again,

Frank

 

[Bobby G]

Sue, is that Progressive Rock Sax a book on how to progress playing rock sax, or more frighteningly a book on how to play prog-rock on sax? Not that I have anything against some prog you understand, I've been having a bit of a Van der Graaf Generator week, but you know.....

In a sort of similar vein, there is a shop sign in Toddington which is to say the least ambiguous - I don't know whether it's purely the name of the shop, or whether it's an instruction. It reads 'Punch Opticians', or maybe it's a shop where you can actually go in and for a small cost punch opticians on the premises.

Cheers, Bob

 

[frankb]

Hi Bobby,

From what I can see (thanks to my optician! 😉 ) it's one of a series of Progressive music tuition books.

ATB,

Frank