[Dixielandjazz] More on Sopramno Sax

[Russ Guarino]

I play my soprano with a wide bore mouthpiece.  I also have a Selmer mouthpiece that is a narrow bore that I find produces a less
robust tone.

I use the soprano when I am out doors or any situation where I want to produce a bigger sound than I can get with my clarinet.  My
friends in the band prefer the clarinet because it has a sweeter tone.

Russ Guarino

"Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" wrote:

> Paul - Remember that our concept of saxophone tone has changed radically
> over
> the years, and few of today's players would be satisfied with the sort
> of tone the early models produced, and even less comfortable playing
> on the mouthpiece facings that were prevalent in the 1920s. But
> matched with an appropriate mouthpiece of the right vintage, these
> instruments could be played rather well in tune.
>
> LW - Well that could account for a lot of it.
>
>  Paul - I might even go so
> far as to say they could be more in tune than what some players manage
> on contemporary instruments!
>
> LW - It seems that there is almost a soprano mania going on with young
> players since KG started playing his stuff.  I suppose a lot of players are
> buying them who just shouldn't.  I have said it before that the soprano
> isn't for the average player and never for the beginner or even intermediate
> player.  I would even go so far to say that many of the semi pro guys should
> think about finding a nice closet to store theirs in.  The horn is simply
> capable of some really awful sounds and even on a modern horn the intonation
> is problematical for the average player.  It's really hard for a teacher to
> tell a good student that he just isn't ready for the instrument without
> discouraging them or seeming to be a put down.
> Larry
> StL
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Edgerton" <paul.edgerton at gmail.com>
> To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
> Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 12:51 AM
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] More on Sopramno Sax
>
> > On Tue, Mar 11, 2008 at 5:42 PM, Larry Walton Entertainment - St.
> > Louis <larrys.bands at charter.net> wrote:
> >> Yes, I think the other writer meant the C melody sometimes called a C
> >> tenor.
> >>  As far as I know there were never any C soprano's but I suppose there
> >> could
> >>  be.
> >
> > Yes, there were C sopranos and C tenors, which as you noted were
> > usually called C-melody saxophones. In fact, there was a whole family
> > of saxes pitched in C and F. The F alto was also called a
> > mezzo-soprano. The oldest saxophone in existence is an F baritone with
> > a range only to low B that was made by Adolphe himself. This family of
> > saxophones was intended for orchestral use while the more familiar Bb
> > and Eb models were intended for military bands.
> >
> >>  Most if not all sopranos made before 1950 are pure junk.  Virtually
> >>  impossible to play in tune and the tone is pretty bad.
> >
> > I'll add a couple of comments to this: While many old saxes were never
> > more than cheap mass-market horns and haven't aged well, some
> > Bueschers, Conns, Holtons and Martins were quite good, not to mention
> > Selmer, Buffet and SML.
> >
> > Remember that our concept of saxophone tone has changed radically over
> > the years, and few of today's players would be satisfied with the sort
> > of tone the early models produced, and even less comfortable playing
> > on the mouthpiece facings that were prevalent in the 1920s. But
> > matched with an appropriate mouthpiece of the right vintage, these
> > instruments could be played rather well in tune. I might even go so
> > far as to say they could be more in tune than what some players manage
> > on contemporary instruments!
> >
> > One critical variable is mouthpiece chamber volume. Mouthpieces are
> > constructed to replace the truncated portion of the saxophone's
> > conical bore. Nearly all of the old ones were made with very close
> > facings. Most of the original mouthpieces that have been refaced to a
> > more modern and more open style were typically filed down enough to
> > reduce the internal volume significantly -- ruining the intonation.
> > That is especially true for tiny soprano mouthpieces.
> >
> > But as JD says, some of those old horns have a gorgeous sound.
> >
> > -- Paul Edgerton
> >
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