[Dixielandjazz] Recording Engineers

[Jim O'Briant]

Bob Ringwald wrote, in part:

> Contrary to what a lot of people think, the sound 
> of a clarinet or sax does not come out of the bell 
> of the horn as it does with a trumpet or trombone.

Amen to that!

The only time the sound comes out the bell of a clarinet or sax is when a
clarinet is playing low E or third-space B, meaning that all the tone holes
are closed.  Same with a sax -- only the lowest note on the horn comes out
the bell.  The rest of the time, much of the sound comes out the open tone
holes.

I discovered this phenomenon when I got an Ophicleide a few years ago and
started to learn to play it.  As you change notes, the sound move around;
some notes come out way up here, some come out down there, and so on.  It's
a really weird change, for a brass player.  

I think I better learn the Ophicleide better and see if I'm confident enough
to improvise on it......

-- Jim O'Briant
   Tuba 
     (in BBb, CC, Eb or F)
       & euphonium 
         & double-belled euphonium 
           & trombone
             & valve trombone
               & Ophicleide
                 & serpent, but you don't really want to hear that.
   (You may not really want to hear most of the rest of those, either.....)