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

[Larry Walton Entertainment]

It's a lot like whistling.  Lower notes the tongue must go flat and the
mouth cavity opens up and higher notes have less.

I don't know how many times other horn players have come up to me and asked
what mouthpiece am I using or asking what horn I play or reed or something
else.  What they are wanting to know is how I sound like I do especially
playing on whatever horn I am using.  It isn't the horn or the reed or the
mouthpiece although every one of those things play a roll.  It's what you
are doing is the important thing and how you are blowing the horn.  This is
really tough to convince people that a student horn in the hands of a pro
will sound like a million bucks.  Yesterday I was playing a gig with a top
group of guys.  The banjo player who just happens to be a near genius on his
instrument commented on how good my horn sounded.  Guess what, it isn't the
horn even though it is a top of the line instrument..

One of the first times I realized this was when I was in college.  I had an
old trumpet hanging on the wall that was painted black with flowers in the
bell.  I had paid $5 for it.  A friend came by one day and for whatever
reason wanted to play it.  He pulled out a bottle of oil and got the valves
working.  Then he started to play.  He sounded like he had a $7000 horn in
his hands.

The guy that repairs my horns is a sax player.  He has the latest and
greatest horns.  I brought in my $350 Winston Soprano and blew him away on
his $3500 Selmer but he wouldn't trade me.

I have a friend who has turned out to be a good sax player but a few years
ago he was banging his head against the wall trying to sound like me.  He
went out and bought a new Selmer tenor which didn't help.  Then he wanted to
borrow my mouthpiece which I wouldn't do.  I did tell him the brand and
size.  I think he bought one of them too.  I think he bought about 6
mouthpieces and tried zillions of different reeds all to no avail.  I wasn't
too anxious to get him sounding good because he and I worked for the same
band leader in the same spot.  Finally I took pity on him and had a session
with him and taught him how to get a good sound.

A guy from the Navy band said "It's all about air" and he is right. Lots of
players just won't believe you until you play their horns.  Horns aren't
pianos and guitars where you can buy tone quality.  Horn players have to
make the sound which takes support and correct concepts.  If a player is
open to suggestion and will do what I say I can have a player playing with a
full sound in ten minutes or less.  Unfortunately most of them fall back
into bad habits or just really don't believe you.  Before I work with a
student especially if they are an adult player I have to see something in
them that tells me that they want to sound good.  there are a lot of closed
minds out there.

You are a case in point.  You were ready and receptive and it didn't take
long.  I'll bet it was just a snap of the fingers.  Almost like magic.  Like
a magician, I can teach that trick but only if the audience believes and
wants to see it.
Larry
St. Louis

----- 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 7:17 PM
Subject: Re: More information about my wonderful cheap soprano


> 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
> > > > > >
> > > > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > > > > Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
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> > > > >
> > > > >
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