I've just discovered that there's such a thing as a contrabass sax



So I thought I'd start a thread about all-things-sax

.....and you still very much want that soprano sax, don't you skylark...

Get thee behind me etc, you wicked man trying to tempt me away from my clari

.

I would like a soprano or a tenor, or a bari or perhaps a bass or even a contrabass. Any one would do actually.

Now, you know I never tempt people away from clarinets ...my reputation in this area I believe is largely based around encouraging most of the forum to play the clarinet, 'cos it's good...

I have been known to perform in sax quartets before now : has anyone else here done so?

I presume you mean saxophones rather than choristers ?
I guess if you meant choristers you would have put "anyone would do.."


wonder what a contrabass singer looks like - Chalyapin or Boris Christoff maybe?

I'd like a soprano or tenor too! But no biggeer please - it might squash me!

Wow
Just think what sort of size case you'd need to carry that thing in! And what size arm muscles!

Never mind the case, what size of car would be needed to transport it not to mention a lot of breath!

It's massive! I think a tenor sax will be big enough for me - if I ever get around to buying one.

*Searchs computer*



Subcontrabass

WOW THEY ARE HUGE THESE SAXES!!! I would proberly faint if I even attempted to play one of these!

Look where the mouthpiece is! You'd need a stepladder to get up to it

They are really crazy instruments. The woman who plays the Tubax in the National Saxophone Choir isn't all that big, and she seems to manage.

The sound of the contrabass is amazing!



Hi, yeh, I play in a sax quartet (sometimes a sextet!), although we'll be breaking up soon as we're all off to university or college. It really is one of my favourite types of ensemble to play in - I think really valuable lessons are learnt, and your ears certainly develop a lot. There's so much great music out there for sax 4tet as well.



Lol. This is an even bigger problem than most people imagine. Even a baritone won't fit into the boot of my car - it has to go across the back seats, not leaving much room for passengers .

Can you imagine going along to the local car dealership with your saxophone to make sure you can fit it in the car?!

a car only has to be big enough for whatever saxes you have to transport, an overnight bag and a girlfriend, surely

With something that size do you have to actually play a beat behind everyone else to give the sound time to get all the way out after you play the note?
I remember when we have a bass clarinet for a short while at orchestra that the conductor had to tell the player to start playing soon enough for the sound to get out at the right time.

At the sax course in Woldingham Rob and Andy bring the bass sax from the RNCM with them. I've tried playing it, it's surprisingly easy to blow, but my hands are quite small and aren't really big enough to reach round it without fouling the palm keys / side keys.

On the jazz night last year we had a couple of special guests, one who was persuaded to come down partly so he could have a play with the bass. He ended up soloing on it in the jazz group - sounded great. I've got some photos at home, but I'm at my parents at the moment. I'll try and remember to post a couple when I get back.

From Saxassault? I was asking the bass player from Saxassault about it when I went to see them in Manchester earlier this year and he said they had it on loan from the RNCM. I've only ever seen it played twice - the first time by Saxassault and then at the Whitley Bay jazzfest last weekend. A Swedish player had one which was made in 1924 by Conn. He let me hold it and it was exceedingly heavy - I would not like to have to carry one around. He let me take some photos of it which I can try and upload later - he pointed out how it differed from the modern ones so it will be interesting to see your photos too TSax to compare the old with the new

It was the Swedish player who told me about contrabass saxes which made me start this thread, although the photo in my first post is just off google

Did you see them play at Life Cafe skylark?

I think it was but I don't know Manchester all that well so I couldn't be sure - it was in March, did you go too?

March 19th, with Bob Mintzer . I couldn't make it unfortuntely, no.

I'm going to have one squashed daughter!!! 5 feet 2 and the new Baritone player in Sax Ensemble! Worst of it is she isn't strong enough to carry it upstairs ot the practise room

Lisa Simpson manages and she is only 8!!

That does sound like fun!!

Anything to get out of having to join the beginner Ensemble that's starting in September (her old Flute Teacher is running it).

hmmmmmm!

This is the 1924 bass sax

and only has 3 fingers

notmusicmum......please make sure she has a harness strap or a playing stand and doesn't do horrid things to her posture. It may not cause instant problems but a friend has had long term problems in her late 20s partly due to not getting the right advice about big instruments as a kid.

Skyers: ****dy Nora

OK, here's some photos

Andy Scott on Tenor and Aaron Liddard on Bass Sax


and another couple of Aaron with the bass. To put the size into some kind of perspective Aaron is about 6'5"

Yes yours is different TSax, like my Swedish chap said - I'm not sure what the instrument part is called but the mouthpiece is much lower down on the 1924 model than the modern one. Not sure why it changed though - whether it makes it easier to play or it changes the tone or what



Are you fancying it for your next instrument?

Size isn't everything you know

Not mine!

This site suggests that there are 2 types of bass sax the American type (which would be the Conn) and the French type (the RNCM bass is a Selmer). They differ as to how they're wrapped with the French style being more compact.

http://www.jayeaston.com/galleries/sax_fam...p_2_basses.html

It's got all sorts on that site, it's really interesting

I like this quote off there:

"The saxophone is not just something to blow into; it's something to sing through." -Paul Brodie

Thanks for the advice, she's only played it once todate and it's not something I really thought about.

They provide a harness and fortunately she doesn't get to bring it home, I suspect she won't be playing it on every piece if indeed she continues in the senior sax group in September. There will be no chance of her playing in the beginners, it's possible that once she's definately accepted that she'll revert back to alto.

Think I might look at the price of playing stands if she continues with it in September.

Again with the one-up-manship

is a certain level required on sax before posting here? Grade?

Well if there is then I should be thrown out!

Hope not! *Wonders whereabouts her sax is buried*

What grade are you?

Me too - as I don't even play the sax!

good to hear from you all anyway

Shall we go from one end of the saxophone family size-wise to the other?

It's a link I'm sure I've posted before, but I think it bears repeating...

I really want a Soprillo...

Good grief, that's teeny! cute!

I play the Clarinet and the tenor sax you should realy like the tenor it suits with the clarinet.

emz

I'm sure a few members have heard that before

LOL .

I've played a tenor on tour, not my favourite though.

My son has a theory that some people who play really old saxes - like the 1924 one pictured above - are just showing off. They've actually taken a new sax and buried it at the bottom of the garden for a few months to make it look old. As long as he doesn't do that with his own saxophones...

I was at a gig a while ago where the alto player was playing a really nice mark VI, at a guess 50's vintage. Much of the lacquer was missing and it looked old and worn in. In fact it looked just like one of the saxes most of the pro players seem to play. In the break he left the sax on stage and I heard the woman behind me saying "wouldn't you think that someone playing at his standard would be playing a nice, shiny, new sax and not one that looks like it came from his granddad's attic?"

A teacher of mine had a lovely sax it had a slight dent in it, a few weeks later what appears to be a vintage sax with little/no lacquer but the same dent. It had been stripped of its key work and left in turps for a few weeks in a garden to get that effect