One for Bob (Notes)

[craigb]

You probably know this, but if you don't... ?

 

 

[Notes_Norton]

Thanks, I knew about the legal battles, but not in that much detail. I also didn't know of the childhood accidents.

When I was in the National Music Museum, in Vermillion, South Dakota I saw an entire family of his saxes as well of a few of his other inventions like a trumpet with two bells.

Back then it was called America's Shrine to Music and it's on the campus of the U of S.D.

If you ever get near South Dakota, a stop at this museum is a must for any musician. It rivals the finest instrument museums in Europe.

You can go online and view a sampling of the instruments here http://nmmusd.org/ and click on collections.

When I visited the museum they had an audio guide that let you hear some of the very instruments in that museum being played.

Thanks again for the interesting history lesson.

 

[InstrEd]

@Notes_Norton   I wish I would of known about this place when I was in the area. Looks like a interesting place to visit.

[Notes_Norton]

Leilani and I spent a day there and still didn't see/hear everything. There was even a very early Les Paul Gold Top owned by Les there.

Leilani and I were on our way to The Badlands and we stopped in a motel in Vermillion to spend the night. We noticed a poster in the lobby. It featured a vintage poster of an all female saxophone quartet and an ad for the museum. Since we had a rough itinerary with no pre-booked hotel reservations, we decided to visit it. WOW! What a find.

If you ever get near it, it's worth the day.

Here is part of the poster we saw:

Notes

[craigb]

I like how the girl with the largest sax is the only one dressed different!  I bet her sisters tell people she was always the weird one.  ?

[Gswitz]

She's a latter day tuba player and tubas are awesome!

[Notes_Norton]

Yes the one with the biggest sax has the shortest dress. There must be a message there, but I be damned if I can figure it out.

For those not familiar from left to right:

Alto, Alto, Tenor, Baritone (usually shortened to Bari in conversation).

The altos and bari are in Eb. When the piano plays Bb, they play a G

The tenor is in Bb. When the piano plays Bb, the tenor plays C.

Why is this done? So the player can finger the notes on each horn identically.

There is a soprano (think Kenny G) also in Bb and a bass in Bb.

There are other seldom seen saxes, contrabass, sopranino and no longer manufactured altos in F and tenors in C.

Unlike the guitar, the sax is not a transposing instrument. To play a C scale and a D scale requires entirely different fingering. No moving it up one fret like the guitar, but completely different.

On the other hand, it's a lot easier reading music on the sax.

Every instrument has its gifts and challenges.

Insights and incites by Notes

 

[Notes_Norton]

Perhaps the bari player got her dress at a 20% off sale? :D

Or cut rate?

Notes

[57Gregy]

17 hours ago, craigb said:

I like how the girl with the largest sax is the only one dressed different!  I bet her sisters tell people she was always the weird one.  ?

Bass players. Whatya gonna do?

[Notes_Norton]

How about these chicks - "The Darling Four"

One thing I know is this: saxophones are better looking today. The two bell keys are on the right side of the sax, the key guards are more ornamental, and the necks are more gracefully bent.

Left to right:

Bass - Tenor - Alto - Soprano

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by Notes_Norton

[craigb]

I'm somewhat shocked that the stupid forum censor is missing all these sax posts! ?

 

[Notes_Norton]

That's because those gals practice safe sax.

[Notes_Norton]

Funny thing about saxes and guitars in the same band.

When the ambient temperature gets colder:

• Guitars raise in pitch and go sharp: The guitar strings tighten up due to the constriction of the metal
• Saxophones lower in pitch and go flat: This is because sound travels slower in colder air, which takes longer time to get to the opening making it seem like the sax is longer. And the longer the sax, the lower in pitch.

Vise versa when the temperature rises.

This is mostly prevalent in outdoor gigs.

So in all my years of playing with guitarists, when the temperature changes a lot, I have to readjust my tuning using my ears. That's logical because the sax is tuned by pushing the mouthpiece in or out on the neck. Only one tuning mechanism, as opposed to 6 on the guitars.

The amount the sax drifts in temperature more in the  bigger (longer) saxes than in the smaller ones.

Although I can play any of them, I mostly play tenor with alto coming in second. I used to play a lot of soprano when Kenny G songs were popular, but they became passe and I prefer the tenor and alto.

Probably TMI

Notes