[Dixielandjazz] Re: More information about my wonderful cheap soprano

[Russ Guarino]

You have wonderful insight.  I started with the alto and then moved to the
clarinet within a year because the jr. high band needed clarinets more.

It wasn't until I was teaching  high school that I learned the real secret of
good tone.  One of my 9th grade french horn players had gone to two camps over
the summer and came back with this comment after listening to me practice. He
said something like " you'd get a better tone, Mr. Guarino, if you would open
your throat... make an "O"."

After a bit of internal snicker, I realized he was passing through to me what he
had learned at camp from a professional french horn player probably of Chicago
Symph quality.  Who was I to turn down such good advise.  I started working on
it and Viola!! much better tone both on the clarinet and sax.  I now receive
accolades from audiences.

Russ Guarino

Larry Walton Entertainment wrote:

> In the low end horns I like the Winston best because of the extremely smooth
> fingering response and really good tone.  It compares to my Yamaha very
> favorably.  The problem is it's very soft metal and very light by comparison
> and easily knocked out of adjustment especially when knocking it over (HA
> HA)
>
> I'm not familiar with that one but so many of them feel really cheesy in the
> fingering but all of them do well in intonation surprisingly enough.  I
> would pick a new low end horn over the many vintage horns out there but my
> Yamaha Custom is a killer horn.
>
> You're right about the adjustment you have to make.  Most clarinet players
> fail to make that adjustment on sax in general and end up with a tight tone.
> Not at all full and usually out of tune too.
>
> The old school taught that you should play clarinet before sax but I really
> don't think that's the case.  When you do that you end up with sax players
> that really never get the right sound out of the saxes.  The reason being
> that the clarinet tends to encourage a snapping turtle embouchure with
> little flexibility.  You may never produce a symphonic clarinet sound if you
> start on sax but I prefer hearing clarinet played by primarily sax players.
> I like a more flexible, full sound.  Unlearning the clarinet embouchure is
> difficult.
>
> Sounds like you are having a lot of fun with it.
> Larry
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Russ Guarino" <russg at redshift.com>
> To: "Larry Walton Entertainment" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
> Cc: "Michael Woitowicz" <banjobarons at nconnect.net>; "Dixieland Jazz"
> <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2005 4:48 PM
> Subject: Re: More information about my wonderful cheap soprano
>
> > My new soprano is a "Bandnow" costing $250 + Tax.  Got it from 123 Music
> [ on
> > the web ].  No scroll work on the bell.  Just plain lacquer. But very
> pretty.
> >
> > Plays like a champ including high side keys and index finger high F. Low
> left
> > hand little finger keys speak easily. At first I thought middle B & C were
> flat,
> > but by pushing in the mouthpiece a little deeper down the cork, it came
> right
> > into tune.  I highly recommend the horn.  I use my old mouthpiece and
> reed.
> >
> > Like all sopranos it required intuitive adjustments to play in tune, but I
> > adjusted to the horn quickly, first play.  The only effort I have to use
> with
> > the horn is when I come off the clarinet and play about 6 or 8 notes
> before I
> > adjust.  I find I have to "open" my mouth cavity and throat to get the
> sound I
> > want.  Smooth and serene. I've been able to avoid an "edgy" tone with this
> horn.
> >
> > Comes with hard case, neck strap, mouthpiece, white gloves, cleaning
> cloth,
> > plastic neck cap and two necks, one curved and one straight.  I also
> bought a
> > soprano stand and had to take out some insulation foam at the bell end of
> the
> > case to fit the stand into the bell when putting it away.  I like the
> horn so
> > much I have actually been practicing with it.
> >
> > Why does nobody believe me?  "A $250 soprano, are you nuts"?
> >
> > Russ Guarino
> >
> > Larry Walton Entertainment wrote:
> >
> > > Well Russ the same thing happened to me.  I have a Winston soprano.  The
> > > horn plays nice except the high register.  I can play it in tune but
> it's
> > > not naturally in tune.  It does have a nice tone but so many of these
> > > imports are really soft metal.  I did the same trick and it went over
> > > bending the body of the horn and everything attached to it.  Lucky we
> have a
> > > killer repair shop here.  They didn't charge me much because the laughs
> were
> > > worth it to them.  So after three trips for adjustment problems I
> decided to
> > > buy a Yamaha Custom at ten times the price.  The Yamaha is a great horn.
> I
> > > keep the Winston as an emergency horn.
> > >
> > > Funny thing the Winston stock mouthpiece will not play on the Yamaha.
> > > Yamaha stock mouthpieces really suck.  I was using a 3.5 or 4 Rico Royal
> on
> > > the Winston.  I Bought a Bari mouthpiece on the recommendation of a
> friend
> > > and it plays really well but a 2 or 2.5 reed feels about the same as a 4
> on
> > > the other mouthpiece.  A weak reed was, intonation wise, a waste of time
> on
> > > the Winston.
> > >
> > > Larry
> > > St. Louis
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Russ Guarino" <russg at redshift.com>
> > > To: "Michael Woitowicz" <banjobarons at nconnect.net>
> > > Cc: "Dixieland Jazz" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> > > Sent: Friday, August 26, 2005 5:11 PM
> > > Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: the next dumb thing after Gig Bags are
> opened
> > >
> > > > Some of us can damage a horn no matter how careful we be.
> > > >
> > > > I just purchased a new soprano sax for $250 [  it plays really great,
> but
> > > that's
> > > > another story ] with two neck pieces, one straight and one curved.
> > > >
> > > > I took the body of the sax out of the case, set it down on the soprano
> > > stand and
> > > > attached the straight neck piece.  Forgetting that it needed to be
> > > tighten, I
> > > > then tried to pick up the horn by the neck piece [ my old horn did not
> > > have a
> > > > separate neck piece ].  To my surprise, the body of the horn fell to
> the
> > > floor
> > > > and bent the bell, but god be praised, nothing else was damaged.
> > > >
> > > > So I now have a brand new soprano, in a hard case, with a bent bell.
> > > >
> > > > Russ Guarino
> > > >
> > > > Michael Woitowicz wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Interesting thread -- gig bags.
> > > > >
> > > > > I have one for my banjos, and use it occasionally when I travel by
> > > plane. It
> > > > > doesn't offer the greatest protection in the world, but it seems a
> bit
> > > > > easier to get through security at the airports with a gig bag hung
> over
> > > your
> > > > > shoulder as opposed to carrying a hard shell case. Perhaps because
> it's
> > > a
> > > > > bit smaller overall than a hard-shell case.
> > > > >
> > > > > I don't use it for my best instrument, and am very, very careful how
> > > place
> > > > > it in the overhead storage compartment. I watch whoever else is
> putting
> > > > > stuff in the same compartment and advise them to be careful.
> > > > >
> > > > > I can stuff a lot of other soft items in the bag for traveling, so
> it is
> > > > > handy.
> > > > >
> > > > > Mike Woitowicz
> > > > > The Banjo Barons Ragtime Band
> > > > > The Dixie Barons Dixieland Band
> > > > > www.banjomusic.biz
> > > > >
> > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > Dixielandjazz mailing list
> > > > > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> > > > > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Dixielandjazz mailing list
> > > > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> > > > http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz