Being Open-minded: What is Music?
30/05/07 01:40 Filed in: Music
What is Music?
This is an incredibly difficult question to answer. It's like asking what is food? or what is amazing? Neither of which can draw on definite definitions. However, we can apply meaning to certain things about music. First off, music is an art, and we all know that art is incredibly subjective, so it's not hard to say music is subjective. People listen to music everyday, but is that all the music in the world? Of course not. Does music even have to be from human beings? Couldn't someone just admire the music of a storm? or the rain forest? or whales? What I'm trying to say is that music is everywhere if you listen to it in the frame of 'music.'
Like splattered paint against a canvas, there are regions of music that are not meant to be pretty or pleasing. Some is actually quite irritating or tense, causing an audience to cringe or even frown at the music. This brings us to the first counter question; does music have to be pleasant? The answer is no. In fact, some of the deepest music is rooted in harsh melodies/ sounds. What do you think would convey the blues more? A man playing the 12 bar blues chorus after chorus? or a man that just plays two notes, that sound like weeping? Even the simplest melodies can have the most profound impact on the listener. Of course, the 12 bar blues are pleasant, fun to dance to, and even great to listen to, but the sadness can't be felt as hard as something that is definite and genuine.
Popular music says a great deal about our culture and our society. Simplicity sells. Not minimalism, but simplicity (ohh, we're not there yet). 5 note solos over three chord pieces seem to be the magic numbers. Any less and it's 'annoying,' any more and it's 'just too much.' Most people like music they can dance to and have fun listening to. Whether the lyrics are interesting, the music behind it is interesting, both, or there's something about the artist that attracts them to it, people who listen to popular genres of music are truly missing out on the wealth of music that's out there. Of course, this isn't a music appreciation course, this is just some understandings towards some age-old questions.
This brings me to my second counter question; what makes music 'valid' in the ears of a listener? Most often, people are expecting music to have a refreshing melody, pleasing harmony, a set rhythm, a cool groove, correct intonation, and image (from the band members). However, music doesn't always have these qualities. Is it still music? Of course it is. From my understanding, if any music can convey a complete thought either within the structure of the piece (harmony, melody, form, line, process etc.) or within the idea of the piece (sadness, a great structure, bugs etc.), then the piece is definitely music. And yes, a song completely composed of incomplete thoughts is, in that of itself, a complete thought, so it counts too.
What I'm getting at is that it is not the instrumentation, the era, the genre, the sound, the prettiness, its acceptance in society, or even the instruments that define 'Music' from 'Sound,' but the presence of a complete thought within the piece, somewhere that validates it. In a way, one can say that "Music, is the discipline of Sound."
More to follow in the coming weeks...
This is an incredibly difficult question to answer. It's like asking what is food? or what is amazing? Neither of which can draw on definite definitions. However, we can apply meaning to certain things about music. First off, music is an art, and we all know that art is incredibly subjective, so it's not hard to say music is subjective. People listen to music everyday, but is that all the music in the world? Of course not. Does music even have to be from human beings? Couldn't someone just admire the music of a storm? or the rain forest? or whales? What I'm trying to say is that music is everywhere if you listen to it in the frame of 'music.'
Like splattered paint against a canvas, there are regions of music that are not meant to be pretty or pleasing. Some is actually quite irritating or tense, causing an audience to cringe or even frown at the music. This brings us to the first counter question; does music have to be pleasant? The answer is no. In fact, some of the deepest music is rooted in harsh melodies/ sounds. What do you think would convey the blues more? A man playing the 12 bar blues chorus after chorus? or a man that just plays two notes, that sound like weeping? Even the simplest melodies can have the most profound impact on the listener. Of course, the 12 bar blues are pleasant, fun to dance to, and even great to listen to, but the sadness can't be felt as hard as something that is definite and genuine.
Popular music says a great deal about our culture and our society. Simplicity sells. Not minimalism, but simplicity (ohh, we're not there yet). 5 note solos over three chord pieces seem to be the magic numbers. Any less and it's 'annoying,' any more and it's 'just too much.' Most people like music they can dance to and have fun listening to. Whether the lyrics are interesting, the music behind it is interesting, both, or there's something about the artist that attracts them to it, people who listen to popular genres of music are truly missing out on the wealth of music that's out there. Of course, this isn't a music appreciation course, this is just some understandings towards some age-old questions.
This brings me to my second counter question; what makes music 'valid' in the ears of a listener? Most often, people are expecting music to have a refreshing melody, pleasing harmony, a set rhythm, a cool groove, correct intonation, and image (from the band members). However, music doesn't always have these qualities. Is it still music? Of course it is. From my understanding, if any music can convey a complete thought either within the structure of the piece (harmony, melody, form, line, process etc.) or within the idea of the piece (sadness, a great structure, bugs etc.), then the piece is definitely music. And yes, a song completely composed of incomplete thoughts is, in that of itself, a complete thought, so it counts too.
What I'm getting at is that it is not the instrumentation, the era, the genre, the sound, the prettiness, its acceptance in society, or even the instruments that define 'Music' from 'Sound,' but the presence of a complete thought within the piece, somewhere that validates it. In a way, one can say that "Music, is the discipline of Sound."
More to follow in the coming weeks...
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The Philosophy of Practice
29/05/07 01:43 Filed in: Music
So, you want to learn the saxophone, or any other
instrument? Well, needless to say, you’re going to
have to work hard to get good at it, harder if you
want to be great at it, and you have to live, eat,
and breathe it if you plan to master it someday.
Well, how do we work on our mastery of our
instruments, you say? Practice, Practice,
Practice....
There is much philosophy to the often tiresome and difficult ritual of practicing, but it must be done to progress in any idiom. A few rules to live by:
1) “Are you practicing as hard as your competitors?”
Don Jaramillo
2) “The only shortcuts in life come from doing something right the first time.”
Dr. Bruce Eskovitz
3) “Make music become an art, not a system.”
Sean O’Kelley
Each of the following rules are thus explained. Rule number one explains the sincerity of the competitive spirit between you and your fellow players, if you aren’t working harder than they are, they have an advantage over you, and will probably get more gigs than you and perhaps make more money than you. But rather than spying on your competitors, spend that time evaluating yourself and practicing. Rule number two refers to the common routine in practicing of trying to cut corners and make shortcuts. Well, in the long-run, that is not the least bit productive or efficient. Simply because learning something the right way first means taking special care and giving attention to what it is to be learned. Eventually you will be tried for your knowledge, and if you don’t know something as well as someone else, this puts YOU at a disadvantage. Lastly, music is art, if you are not being creative with it or trying to make a statement with it, you are merely being technical and lifeless. Bring something of your own to each and every practice session.
Learn to question yourself all of the time: Is this what it’s supposed to sound like? Am I in tune? Am I in the right tone color? Am I in time (good pulse?)? Is this the easiest I can play this? What do I need to do to play this better than before?
Practicing versus Performing
When you practice, you are working on things that you otherwise don’t know... so don’t play the things you do! So what if it sounds bad, that’s the point! You play the things that sound bad and work on them in order to make them sound good. When everything starts to sound good, you are ready for rehearsal. At rehearsal, before the director (or your boss) comes up to the stand, you should go through your proper warmups and then maybe hit the spots that you want to be sure will be flawless (a.k.a. the harder parts). However, once the director is on the podium, you are performing and you must know how to play everything correctly. After a successful rehearsal or so, with regimented practicing, you are ready to perform. When you perform, you are playing the things you know very well, don’t try to play things you don’t know (that was what practicing was for). Countless people (myself included) have mistaken practicing for performing on numerous occasions. Avoid it at all costs.
Approaching the dreaded ‘Warmup’
You’ve just gotten your horn out of the case, it’s all put together, you put it to your mouth... what’s the first thing you do? Of course, you play the hardest lick you know. However, once you’ve gotten your jollies from that, now what? The best things to do sound the simplest and impress your friends the LEAST, deal with it.
1) Get air in the horn by playing some major and minor scales. A neat trick is to pick a random Key (A), play all the scales, modes, arpeggios, patterns and sequences that you can in major and all three minors (harmonic, melodic, natural). Then follow that up with the same exact thing in the key above it (A#) and the key below it (Ab). When you’ve finished, you will have trained your fingers in such a way that they feel as though you were playing all 12 major scales. Randomize the keys though, don’t keep playing in any particular key (strive for the one’s you don’t know so well).
2) Play long tones. Starting on the lowest note, play until you run out of breath, getting louder and softer as you go. Then do the same thing on the next note up. Repeat until you are at the highest note you know of. Play in front of a tuner and really strive to keep each tone in tune throughout the crescendo and decrescendo. Play from Bb to C (Altissimo) sax players since you will use these notes for the majority of your playing.
3) Play over tones. Finger low Bb and make the saxophone play an octave higher, a fifth higher than that, a fourth higher than that, a major third higher, a minor third higher, and a perfect second higher. Do the same on B natural, C, C#, and if you can, D. Then, match the overtones to their corresponding pitches and tones. That full-bodied sound you eventually hear is the true sound of your instrument, if you match that, you will have great tone and your tuning will become more consistent as you learn to alter pitch with your tongue and throat, not your lips and teeth.
4) Sight-read something. Find a jazz etude book or the Charlie Parker Omnibook, open up to a page, take a deep breath, set the metronome to about 2/3 the actual tempo, and play through it, making mental notes of places you falter. Keep going! When you’re finished, assess the problems (if any), and read it again. If successful, read it again at tempo, if not read it at the reduced tempo.
Practicing Material
Focusing on the Jazz idiom, there are several ‘sure-shot’ methods to practicing effectively when you’re finished with warmups and scales:
1) Song Transcription: Take a favorite song (preferably the type of music you like to play or want to learn), listen to it over and over again, be able to sing it (with or without lyrics), transcribe the solo and make it so that you sound just like the person on the recording.
2) Internalization: Even I have difficulty with this, but play the song to the point where you know the changes in and out, you can solo on quarter notes or longer and can hear the rhythmic harmonies in perfect pulse (a capella). The point is to gain the deepest understanding of a song. Having this understanding, it becomes difficult to solo poorly.
3) ii-V7-I Transcriptions: Take the transcribed solo and locate the ii-V7-I’s, learn to play and understand them in all 12 keys. Incorporate them in your solos.
The more charts you know, the more versatile you are as a player. As far as learning to phrase your solos, study the Lennie Niehaus Jazz Etudes and pay attention to the articulations while maintaining a good sense of ‘swing.’ As a Jazz Saxophone player, it is necessary for you to listen to music constantly. Go out and buy CDs of artists you want to sound like. Listen and analyze the music; little licks you liked, the tone, artistic style. Be sure to pick the songs apart. Adopt everything you like and incorporate it in your playing.
From the Classical Viewpoint
Familiarize yourself with the Ferling 48 Etudes, buy Marcel Mule books and practice them slowly, working your way up to tempo. Become anal about everything you do with music. Pay strict attention to dynamics, articulation, texture, tone, how the parts blend with other parts (if any), phrasing and especially intonation. Play every note on your saxophone against a tuner and write your own fingering chart according to the most in-tune notes. THEN, practice your scales and arpeggios with the new fingerings. In college, you’ll be expected to prepare ‘Jury’ pieces, which are essentially recital pieces you play in front of faculty members (like a final exam for musicians). You will be expected to know these pieces in your own personal repertoire, should you ever apply to any professional ensembles.
Simply put, it is going to be worth your while to take music seriously. Admit that there will be great weeks and bad weeks, but as long as the overall motion towards success is consistent, you’re doing well. Understand that analyzing your own playing and comparing it to the ideal saxophone sound are key elements in your ‘quest for success.’
There is much philosophy to the often tiresome and difficult ritual of practicing, but it must be done to progress in any idiom. A few rules to live by:
1) “Are you practicing as hard as your competitors?”
Don Jaramillo
2) “The only shortcuts in life come from doing something right the first time.”
Dr. Bruce Eskovitz
3) “Make music become an art, not a system.”
Sean O’Kelley
Each of the following rules are thus explained. Rule number one explains the sincerity of the competitive spirit between you and your fellow players, if you aren’t working harder than they are, they have an advantage over you, and will probably get more gigs than you and perhaps make more money than you. But rather than spying on your competitors, spend that time evaluating yourself and practicing. Rule number two refers to the common routine in practicing of trying to cut corners and make shortcuts. Well, in the long-run, that is not the least bit productive or efficient. Simply because learning something the right way first means taking special care and giving attention to what it is to be learned. Eventually you will be tried for your knowledge, and if you don’t know something as well as someone else, this puts YOU at a disadvantage. Lastly, music is art, if you are not being creative with it or trying to make a statement with it, you are merely being technical and lifeless. Bring something of your own to each and every practice session.
Learn to question yourself all of the time: Is this what it’s supposed to sound like? Am I in tune? Am I in the right tone color? Am I in time (good pulse?)? Is this the easiest I can play this? What do I need to do to play this better than before?
Practicing versus Performing
When you practice, you are working on things that you otherwise don’t know... so don’t play the things you do! So what if it sounds bad, that’s the point! You play the things that sound bad and work on them in order to make them sound good. When everything starts to sound good, you are ready for rehearsal. At rehearsal, before the director (or your boss) comes up to the stand, you should go through your proper warmups and then maybe hit the spots that you want to be sure will be flawless (a.k.a. the harder parts). However, once the director is on the podium, you are performing and you must know how to play everything correctly. After a successful rehearsal or so, with regimented practicing, you are ready to perform. When you perform, you are playing the things you know very well, don’t try to play things you don’t know (that was what practicing was for). Countless people (myself included) have mistaken practicing for performing on numerous occasions. Avoid it at all costs.
Approaching the dreaded ‘Warmup’
You’ve just gotten your horn out of the case, it’s all put together, you put it to your mouth... what’s the first thing you do? Of course, you play the hardest lick you know. However, once you’ve gotten your jollies from that, now what? The best things to do sound the simplest and impress your friends the LEAST, deal with it.
1) Get air in the horn by playing some major and minor scales. A neat trick is to pick a random Key (A), play all the scales, modes, arpeggios, patterns and sequences that you can in major and all three minors (harmonic, melodic, natural). Then follow that up with the same exact thing in the key above it (A#) and the key below it (Ab). When you’ve finished, you will have trained your fingers in such a way that they feel as though you were playing all 12 major scales. Randomize the keys though, don’t keep playing in any particular key (strive for the one’s you don’t know so well).
2) Play long tones. Starting on the lowest note, play until you run out of breath, getting louder and softer as you go. Then do the same thing on the next note up. Repeat until you are at the highest note you know of. Play in front of a tuner and really strive to keep each tone in tune throughout the crescendo and decrescendo. Play from Bb to C (Altissimo) sax players since you will use these notes for the majority of your playing.
3) Play over tones. Finger low Bb and make the saxophone play an octave higher, a fifth higher than that, a fourth higher than that, a major third higher, a minor third higher, and a perfect second higher. Do the same on B natural, C, C#, and if you can, D. Then, match the overtones to their corresponding pitches and tones. That full-bodied sound you eventually hear is the true sound of your instrument, if you match that, you will have great tone and your tuning will become more consistent as you learn to alter pitch with your tongue and throat, not your lips and teeth.
4) Sight-read something. Find a jazz etude book or the Charlie Parker Omnibook, open up to a page, take a deep breath, set the metronome to about 2/3 the actual tempo, and play through it, making mental notes of places you falter. Keep going! When you’re finished, assess the problems (if any), and read it again. If successful, read it again at tempo, if not read it at the reduced tempo.
Practicing Material
Focusing on the Jazz idiom, there are several ‘sure-shot’ methods to practicing effectively when you’re finished with warmups and scales:
1) Song Transcription: Take a favorite song (preferably the type of music you like to play or want to learn), listen to it over and over again, be able to sing it (with or without lyrics), transcribe the solo and make it so that you sound just like the person on the recording.
2) Internalization: Even I have difficulty with this, but play the song to the point where you know the changes in and out, you can solo on quarter notes or longer and can hear the rhythmic harmonies in perfect pulse (a capella). The point is to gain the deepest understanding of a song. Having this understanding, it becomes difficult to solo poorly.
3) ii-V7-I Transcriptions: Take the transcribed solo and locate the ii-V7-I’s, learn to play and understand them in all 12 keys. Incorporate them in your solos.
The more charts you know, the more versatile you are as a player. As far as learning to phrase your solos, study the Lennie Niehaus Jazz Etudes and pay attention to the articulations while maintaining a good sense of ‘swing.’ As a Jazz Saxophone player, it is necessary for you to listen to music constantly. Go out and buy CDs of artists you want to sound like. Listen and analyze the music; little licks you liked, the tone, artistic style. Be sure to pick the songs apart. Adopt everything you like and incorporate it in your playing.
From the Classical Viewpoint
Familiarize yourself with the Ferling 48 Etudes, buy Marcel Mule books and practice them slowly, working your way up to tempo. Become anal about everything you do with music. Pay strict attention to dynamics, articulation, texture, tone, how the parts blend with other parts (if any), phrasing and especially intonation. Play every note on your saxophone against a tuner and write your own fingering chart according to the most in-tune notes. THEN, practice your scales and arpeggios with the new fingerings. In college, you’ll be expected to prepare ‘Jury’ pieces, which are essentially recital pieces you play in front of faculty members (like a final exam for musicians). You will be expected to know these pieces in your own personal repertoire, should you ever apply to any professional ensembles.
Simply put, it is going to be worth your while to take music seriously. Admit that there will be great weeks and bad weeks, but as long as the overall motion towards success is consistent, you’re doing well. Understand that analyzing your own playing and comparing it to the ideal saxophone sound are key elements in your ‘quest for success.’
Buying a Saxophone
28/05/07 01:45 Filed in: Saxophone-Related
All right, let's get down to business. Saxophones
come in all different shapes and sizes. The four most
common are the Bb soprano saxophone, the Eb alto
saxophone, the Bb tenor saxophone, and the Eb
baritone saxophone. There are other saxophones out
there though ranging from the piccolo saxophone (a
full octave above the soprano) and the tubax
contrabass (rumored to be an amazing two octaves
below Tenor Sax). The only differences between
saxophones are simply shape and pitch. The two most
common in music, specifically the Jazz genre, are the
Alto and the Tenor. These instruments have large
ranges and are surprisingly easy and logical to play,
despite their complex looks.
So you want to buy a saxophone huh? Well, how can you when there are SO MANY OUT THERE? Here are a couple things to keep in mind when looking for a saxophone.
1) Price?
2) Manufacturer?
3) Model?
4) New/ Vintage?
5) Condition?
6) % Original Lacquer (if vintage)?
Price
Price is a huge concern to people who are especially on a budget or are unsure whether they are getting what they want for the money. The horn may cost $800, but is it any good? Maybe if you spent twice that, would you get a horn that is twice as good? Believe it or not, the answer is roughly, Yes. Now, for these estimates, I have personally excluded 'intermediate' horns, because I feel that a student should not have to buy three saxophones to get to pro sounding status. Anyways, the premium range for student Alto Saxophones is between $1000 and $1600. The premium range for student Tenor saxophones is between $1400 and $2100. For professional Alto saxophones, the prices may vary between $2000 up to $7000. For professional Tenor saxophones, the prices may go anywhere from $2500 all the way up to $10,000. If the saxophone you're looking at is out of these ranges you are either getting a horn that was poorly made and will break apart easily, or a total rip-off. Unless it was Charlie Parker's own King Super 20, I wouldn't pay any more than $7000 for an Alto sax.
Manufacturer
Manufacturer is also a good thing to look at since it is, after all, the maker of the horn (duh). Let's say you're on a budget and are not sure as to what to get for your band needs. Some manufacturers I dislike are Jean Baptiste, Buffet, Conn, (Old) Yanigisawa, (New) King, ABI, and Chinese horns like Jinn and many others. These horns are impossible to tune, have very weak tone, and break very often. You will be spending more money fixing these horns than you would if you simply bought one of the big names. Now, unlike clothes, name brand instruments are worthy investments. Names like Yamaha, Selmer, (New) Yanagisawa, Keilwerth, and (Old) King are great instruments that have excellent tone, stay working for near-eternity, are very easy to tune, and are available to those on budgets. You don't have to throw $2000 on the table to get a decent horn. Yamaha makes really good student saxophones and so does Selmer with their Bundy II series. Both are made like tanks and can handle the rigors of Marching Band practices with ease. Yamaha and Selmer, in my opinion, are the leaders in saxophone making. Yamaha used to make very 'ok' horns, but now I have professors claiming that the new Yamaha horns sound as good as Selmer's vintage horns (which were legendary by the way). So the playing field is level now. I would highly recommend any horns from these two companies. The next best manufacturers are most likely Keilwerth and the new Yanagisawa.
Model
Well, now you've selected your price range and the manufacturers that you're interested in. However, there are still so many models to select from. Pretty much any Selmer or Yamaha student/intermediate horn will suit the growing student very well. When it's concerning a student horn, model is not such a necessary guideline as when one is searching for a professional saxophone. If you're going to go pro though, there are a few things you must do in order to buy a pro horn:
1) You MUST bring a tuner, your favorite mouthpiece/ lig/ reed setup, and your patience.
2) You MUST play all your warmups including long tones and overtones, scales and arpeggios on every horn you try.
3) You MUST ask to see a piece of music and sightread it as best you can on every horn you try.
4) You MUST have something prepared to play, preferably with a variety of dynamics, articulations, and difficult licks.
After following these procedures, now you have to think and remember everything about each horn, weigh the benefits and the prices. Example: Sax A has better tone, but costs $1500 more than Sax B, is it worth it? You want to find a horn that is PERFECT for YOU and YOUR MUSICAL PURPOSES. Don't buy a jazz horn if all you do is concert band. Here are a few reasons NOT to buy a PROFESSIONAL Horn:
1) It looked sooooo cool with that silver finish. ** WORST REASON EVER TO BUY A HORN **
2) It's a Mark VI.... gotta have it.
3) This one comes with a reed trimmer.
4) It's only $1000 bucks!
5) It comes with a case that has a hole for the neck.
6) It's the first Pro horn I've touched, therefore I should buy it.
7) I'm paying for it to be in tune, it should be.
8) It's better than my Bundy.
NOW, there are reasons why these aren't credible reasons to buy a saxophone.
1) Looks are a plus, you should not buy a sax based on looks, buy it for what you're using it for; music.
2) I've played Marks that sounded like Student Horns, worse even. Then again, I've played marks that sounded like they could open the gates of heaven. Check out below in the New/Vintage section to see what I mean.
3) Don't buy ANYTHING for what it comes with, even if you knew how to use a reed trimmer, you probably had a better one in the first place, don't be convinced into buying a saxophone solely because it came with a complimentary box of reeds.
4) If it's a truly pro horn, it costs a LOT more than $1000 bucks, and if you did get a sweet deal like that, say, in a vintage situation, you're probably buying a horn that doesn't work or there is something terribly wrong with it.
5) Once again, don't buy anything for what it comes with. This used to be my personal reason for getting a pro horn until I was enlightened just before I bought the worst mistake of my life.
6) You should playtest at least 3 or 4 horns before you decide on which one you're going to use. The odds of you finding the exact horn you want on the first go-around are so slim it's unreal.
7) SURE, you're paying a lot of money for these horns, but most of them were handmade, and have many flaws in them.
Here is a list of all the Pro Saxophones I highly recommend, in no particular order:
Selmer Mark VI Saxophones 1954-1962 *Best Years Made, In My Opinion*
The Mark VI has always found a place in my heart as one of the greatest vintage horns ever made. Make sure you read my section on buying vintage horns below for my full take on these delicate and beautiful horns. The Mark VI is known for its use in the best years of Jazz music and used to be fairly inexpensive. However, since all the makers of the Mark VI have died and never passed a word to anyone as to how to make them, their prices have gone up. They have a truly solid keywork and feature the famous round F# and Fork keys. They were very easy to tune, had excellent warm jazzy tones and yet still are pretty much a dream to play. They were hand-engraved with beautiful french floral patterns. These horns are very rare and hard to find, but worth the hunt!
Selmer Balanced Action Saxophones 1936-1942 *Best Years Made, In My Opinion*
This is the horn I play (jazz). I went through a series of vintage horns and found that this horn had a great amount of potential. The place I bought it at had repadded the horn and fixed all of the problems (there weren't too many) with it. It has about 90% original lacquer and is indeed from 1936. It plays with an extremely jazzy tone and featured a dark and husky sound that truly appealed to me. Altissimo notes not only popped out easily, but in a logical key format, as if it were another scale or so. Now that I've played it for several months, I've noticed that it has a few intonation problems in the higher registers, and I really miss my Bb Spatula Key. However, the Balanced Action was the horn that defined the future of saxophones and was the first of many truly great vintage horns.
Yamaha Custom Z and EX Saxophones
Yamahas are the next closest things to Mark VIs, but they are being made nowadays as opposed to Mark VIs which are not. I recommend trying out these beautiful horns for both classical and jazz genres. They are also cost efficient too, in comparison with Selmers. The Custom Z Alto is really solid and actually was so effective that Mark VI aficionado Phil Woods converted and started playing gigs on the Custom Z. They are truly awesome horns that tune easily and produce beautiful tones, from the softest french saxophone sounds to the biggest baddest big band sounds. Custom EX's are a little different though, with a slightly more 'contemporary sound' they can do-it-all. Be proud Yamaha owners, the Japanese have come a long way in their designs.
Selmer Series II and III: Explained
The series two and series three Selmer saxophones were made in an attempt to reinvent the Mark VI, but failed in doing so. HOWEVER, these horns still play beautifully with very rich tones that can melt into any setting. The Series II is more specifically a concert saxophone, capable of rounding a tone so much that it adds a darkened tone to the ensemble it's in. The Series III was designed to be a very Jazzy horn, made with more copper content to warm the sound little by little. Over the two, I prefer the Series II because you can always take a concert horn into the Jazz Genre, but you cant always bring a Jazz Horn into the Concert Genre.
Selmer Reference '36
Overall SOLID horn. I recommend it over any other selmer in the market. Capable of producing a brilliant Jazz tone and if used correctly, has a very deep and resounding tone with a great deal of warmth and projection. I don't own a Reference '36 myself, but I have indeed played them and I consider them one of the best Selmer horns out there. The Reference '36 is part of a series, consisting of the '36 and the '54. The Reference '36 was made to mimic the old 1936 Selmer Balanced Action, which was one of the great legendary saxophones which made history, almost as much as the Mark VI, but not quite so hyped up.
Selmer Reference '54
Another overall SOLID horn. However, I dislike the whole faux-antique finish they tried to spray on there. But hey, it's all about the sound right? It has a really really Jazzy tone and would be difficult to blend in a concert band. There are very few inconsistencies in the general production of tone and its respective intonation. I would recommend this to any Jazz-Studies major or any guy who just wants to do Jazz Band for the rest of his life. Once, again, I don't own this horn, but I have test played it and it plays extremely well. If there is one flaw, it is the price. Any horn that costs more than $3500 and is not vintage should be either EXTREMELY GOOD, or not ever sold... it's a breaking point. If you feel it is worth it, it truly is. If you don't, there are other alternatives.
The new '54 Alto and its 'Hummingbird Collector's Edition' stand as the two "Closest to Mark VI" Saxophones in existence. They have a vibrant tone and have effortless response in all registers. Highly prized and worth checking out!!
New/ Vintage?
Vintage Horns vs. New Horns? The debate remains unresolved. Vintage horns have masterful sound, New horns have easier key action and are consistent. Vintage horns have easier response, New horns have better edge. So many factors to consider when buying a horn, remember, it's all for you and what you want. If you feel that you have to settle for anything, just leave the store, come back when they have something better.
When buying a new horn, it's simple, go to any instrument music store and pick out the ones you want to play test, pick one or none and follow through from there. When buying a vintage, analyze the situation, if you're going to buy it, you should be able to play test it and if you don't want it you should be able to give it back. The eBay horns are not always the most qualifying. I've known people who got royally screwed playing horns they found off of eBay. If you're actually buying one from a store, LUCKY YOU! Be grateful.
Condition
When buying any horn, ask yourself if this horn is in its best condition. Sometimes stores will put out instruments with faulty hardware so you, the consumer, are entitled to go back and pay them for instrument repairs. Make sure there are no leaks, no sticky keys, no bent 'anythings', nothing wrong with the horn at all. Make sure it has a fresh cork on it and be sure to grease it up at least twice a week (should you buy the horn).
A few things aside: Don't eat/ drink anything sugary before you play, you're literally coating the inside of your horn with an abrasive glaze that could be costly in pad replacements or even worse, interior tonal deterioration (the walls start reverberating with sugar crystals instead of metal.
% Original Lacquer
If you're a collector, and you're actually considering selling your horn one day. You must examine the % original lacquer content on your vintage horn. It's not necessary, I know tons of players who stripped their Mark VIs to the bone and they still rock hard on them. So don't think the sound will be bad or that it wont be worth as much. A Mark is still a Mark and is not affected by the % Original Lacquer
So you want to buy a saxophone huh? Well, how can you when there are SO MANY OUT THERE? Here are a couple things to keep in mind when looking for a saxophone.
1) Price?
2) Manufacturer?
3) Model?
4) New/ Vintage?
5) Condition?
6) % Original Lacquer (if vintage)?
Price
Price is a huge concern to people who are especially on a budget or are unsure whether they are getting what they want for the money. The horn may cost $800, but is it any good? Maybe if you spent twice that, would you get a horn that is twice as good? Believe it or not, the answer is roughly, Yes. Now, for these estimates, I have personally excluded 'intermediate' horns, because I feel that a student should not have to buy three saxophones to get to pro sounding status. Anyways, the premium range for student Alto Saxophones is between $1000 and $1600. The premium range for student Tenor saxophones is between $1400 and $2100. For professional Alto saxophones, the prices may vary between $2000 up to $7000. For professional Tenor saxophones, the prices may go anywhere from $2500 all the way up to $10,000. If the saxophone you're looking at is out of these ranges you are either getting a horn that was poorly made and will break apart easily, or a total rip-off. Unless it was Charlie Parker's own King Super 20, I wouldn't pay any more than $7000 for an Alto sax.
Manufacturer
Manufacturer is also a good thing to look at since it is, after all, the maker of the horn (duh). Let's say you're on a budget and are not sure as to what to get for your band needs. Some manufacturers I dislike are Jean Baptiste, Buffet, Conn, (Old) Yanigisawa, (New) King, ABI, and Chinese horns like Jinn and many others. These horns are impossible to tune, have very weak tone, and break very often. You will be spending more money fixing these horns than you would if you simply bought one of the big names. Now, unlike clothes, name brand instruments are worthy investments. Names like Yamaha, Selmer, (New) Yanagisawa, Keilwerth, and (Old) King are great instruments that have excellent tone, stay working for near-eternity, are very easy to tune, and are available to those on budgets. You don't have to throw $2000 on the table to get a decent horn. Yamaha makes really good student saxophones and so does Selmer with their Bundy II series. Both are made like tanks and can handle the rigors of Marching Band practices with ease. Yamaha and Selmer, in my opinion, are the leaders in saxophone making. Yamaha used to make very 'ok' horns, but now I have professors claiming that the new Yamaha horns sound as good as Selmer's vintage horns (which were legendary by the way). So the playing field is level now. I would highly recommend any horns from these two companies. The next best manufacturers are most likely Keilwerth and the new Yanagisawa.
Model
Well, now you've selected your price range and the manufacturers that you're interested in. However, there are still so many models to select from. Pretty much any Selmer or Yamaha student/intermediate horn will suit the growing student very well. When it's concerning a student horn, model is not such a necessary guideline as when one is searching for a professional saxophone. If you're going to go pro though, there are a few things you must do in order to buy a pro horn:
1) You MUST bring a tuner, your favorite mouthpiece/ lig/ reed setup, and your patience.
2) You MUST play all your warmups including long tones and overtones, scales and arpeggios on every horn you try.
3) You MUST ask to see a piece of music and sightread it as best you can on every horn you try.
4) You MUST have something prepared to play, preferably with a variety of dynamics, articulations, and difficult licks.
After following these procedures, now you have to think and remember everything about each horn, weigh the benefits and the prices. Example: Sax A has better tone, but costs $1500 more than Sax B, is it worth it? You want to find a horn that is PERFECT for YOU and YOUR MUSICAL PURPOSES. Don't buy a jazz horn if all you do is concert band. Here are a few reasons NOT to buy a PROFESSIONAL Horn:
1) It looked sooooo cool with that silver finish. ** WORST REASON EVER TO BUY A HORN **
2) It's a Mark VI.... gotta have it.
3) This one comes with a reed trimmer.
4) It's only $1000 bucks!
5) It comes with a case that has a hole for the neck.
6) It's the first Pro horn I've touched, therefore I should buy it.
7) I'm paying for it to be in tune, it should be.
8) It's better than my Bundy.
NOW, there are reasons why these aren't credible reasons to buy a saxophone.
1) Looks are a plus, you should not buy a sax based on looks, buy it for what you're using it for; music.
2) I've played Marks that sounded like Student Horns, worse even. Then again, I've played marks that sounded like they could open the gates of heaven. Check out below in the New/Vintage section to see what I mean.
3) Don't buy ANYTHING for what it comes with, even if you knew how to use a reed trimmer, you probably had a better one in the first place, don't be convinced into buying a saxophone solely because it came with a complimentary box of reeds.
4) If it's a truly pro horn, it costs a LOT more than $1000 bucks, and if you did get a sweet deal like that, say, in a vintage situation, you're probably buying a horn that doesn't work or there is something terribly wrong with it.
5) Once again, don't buy anything for what it comes with. This used to be my personal reason for getting a pro horn until I was enlightened just before I bought the worst mistake of my life.
6) You should playtest at least 3 or 4 horns before you decide on which one you're going to use. The odds of you finding the exact horn you want on the first go-around are so slim it's unreal.
7) SURE, you're paying a lot of money for these horns, but most of them were handmade, and have many flaws in them.
Here is a list of all the Pro Saxophones I highly recommend, in no particular order:
Selmer Mark VI Saxophones 1954-1962 *Best Years Made, In My Opinion*
The Mark VI has always found a place in my heart as one of the greatest vintage horns ever made. Make sure you read my section on buying vintage horns below for my full take on these delicate and beautiful horns. The Mark VI is known for its use in the best years of Jazz music and used to be fairly inexpensive. However, since all the makers of the Mark VI have died and never passed a word to anyone as to how to make them, their prices have gone up. They have a truly solid keywork and feature the famous round F# and Fork keys. They were very easy to tune, had excellent warm jazzy tones and yet still are pretty much a dream to play. They were hand-engraved with beautiful french floral patterns. These horns are very rare and hard to find, but worth the hunt!
Selmer Balanced Action Saxophones 1936-1942 *Best Years Made, In My Opinion*
This is the horn I play (jazz). I went through a series of vintage horns and found that this horn had a great amount of potential. The place I bought it at had repadded the horn and fixed all of the problems (there weren't too many) with it. It has about 90% original lacquer and is indeed from 1936. It plays with an extremely jazzy tone and featured a dark and husky sound that truly appealed to me. Altissimo notes not only popped out easily, but in a logical key format, as if it were another scale or so. Now that I've played it for several months, I've noticed that it has a few intonation problems in the higher registers, and I really miss my Bb Spatula Key. However, the Balanced Action was the horn that defined the future of saxophones and was the first of many truly great vintage horns.
Yamaha Custom Z and EX Saxophones
Yamahas are the next closest things to Mark VIs, but they are being made nowadays as opposed to Mark VIs which are not. I recommend trying out these beautiful horns for both classical and jazz genres. They are also cost efficient too, in comparison with Selmers. The Custom Z Alto is really solid and actually was so effective that Mark VI aficionado Phil Woods converted and started playing gigs on the Custom Z. They are truly awesome horns that tune easily and produce beautiful tones, from the softest french saxophone sounds to the biggest baddest big band sounds. Custom EX's are a little different though, with a slightly more 'contemporary sound' they can do-it-all. Be proud Yamaha owners, the Japanese have come a long way in their designs.
Selmer Series II and III: Explained
The series two and series three Selmer saxophones were made in an attempt to reinvent the Mark VI, but failed in doing so. HOWEVER, these horns still play beautifully with very rich tones that can melt into any setting. The Series II is more specifically a concert saxophone, capable of rounding a tone so much that it adds a darkened tone to the ensemble it's in. The Series III was designed to be a very Jazzy horn, made with more copper content to warm the sound little by little. Over the two, I prefer the Series II because you can always take a concert horn into the Jazz Genre, but you cant always bring a Jazz Horn into the Concert Genre.
Selmer Reference '36
Overall SOLID horn. I recommend it over any other selmer in the market. Capable of producing a brilliant Jazz tone and if used correctly, has a very deep and resounding tone with a great deal of warmth and projection. I don't own a Reference '36 myself, but I have indeed played them and I consider them one of the best Selmer horns out there. The Reference '36 is part of a series, consisting of the '36 and the '54. The Reference '36 was made to mimic the old 1936 Selmer Balanced Action, which was one of the great legendary saxophones which made history, almost as much as the Mark VI, but not quite so hyped up.
Selmer Reference '54
Another overall SOLID horn. However, I dislike the whole faux-antique finish they tried to spray on there. But hey, it's all about the sound right? It has a really really Jazzy tone and would be difficult to blend in a concert band. There are very few inconsistencies in the general production of tone and its respective intonation. I would recommend this to any Jazz-Studies major or any guy who just wants to do Jazz Band for the rest of his life. Once, again, I don't own this horn, but I have test played it and it plays extremely well. If there is one flaw, it is the price. Any horn that costs more than $3500 and is not vintage should be either EXTREMELY GOOD, or not ever sold... it's a breaking point. If you feel it is worth it, it truly is. If you don't, there are other alternatives.
The new '54 Alto and its 'Hummingbird Collector's Edition' stand as the two "Closest to Mark VI" Saxophones in existence. They have a vibrant tone and have effortless response in all registers. Highly prized and worth checking out!!
New/ Vintage?
Vintage Horns vs. New Horns? The debate remains unresolved. Vintage horns have masterful sound, New horns have easier key action and are consistent. Vintage horns have easier response, New horns have better edge. So many factors to consider when buying a horn, remember, it's all for you and what you want. If you feel that you have to settle for anything, just leave the store, come back when they have something better.
When buying a new horn, it's simple, go to any instrument music store and pick out the ones you want to play test, pick one or none and follow through from there. When buying a vintage, analyze the situation, if you're going to buy it, you should be able to play test it and if you don't want it you should be able to give it back. The eBay horns are not always the most qualifying. I've known people who got royally screwed playing horns they found off of eBay. If you're actually buying one from a store, LUCKY YOU! Be grateful.
Condition
When buying any horn, ask yourself if this horn is in its best condition. Sometimes stores will put out instruments with faulty hardware so you, the consumer, are entitled to go back and pay them for instrument repairs. Make sure there are no leaks, no sticky keys, no bent 'anythings', nothing wrong with the horn at all. Make sure it has a fresh cork on it and be sure to grease it up at least twice a week (should you buy the horn).
A few things aside: Don't eat/ drink anything sugary before you play, you're literally coating the inside of your horn with an abrasive glaze that could be costly in pad replacements or even worse, interior tonal deterioration (the walls start reverberating with sugar crystals instead of metal.
% Original Lacquer
If you're a collector, and you're actually considering selling your horn one day. You must examine the % original lacquer content on your vintage horn. It's not necessary, I know tons of players who stripped their Mark VIs to the bone and they still rock hard on them. So don't think the sound will be bad or that it wont be worth as much. A Mark is still a Mark and is not affected by the % Original Lacquer