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I’m playing on an Alpine alto saxophone.\u00a0 The saxophone has some obvious leaks in it but plays reasonably well nonetheless.\u00a0 I’m using a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece that has a few small chips in the tip,\u00a0 a\u00a0 standard Rico #3 reed and a standard no name metal ligature.\u00a0 In this clip I’m playing Charlie Parker’s solo on Yardbird Suite from the omnibook.<\/p>\n
Listen to the clip and see if you can hear a difference between it and my other alto clips on the site.\u00a0 It is recorded in exactly the same way and I am trying really hard to play the solo to the best ability.\u00a0\u00a0 As I was playing and then listening to the recording it was obvious to me that\u00a0 equipment does matter and have an affect on me.\u00a0 If it isn’t optimal then it can affect your sound quality, technique, creativity and even your mood.\u00a0 You need a horn and setup that helps you to achieve what the sound is that you imagine in your mind but the question always comes up………….when is the time to change gear or make that jump?\u00a0 I always tell my students that it is when you feel like you have taken you current\u00a0 gear\u00a0 as far as it will go.\u00a0 A\u00a0 fourth grade student in elementary school doesn’t need a Selmer Mark VI.\u00a0 Even if they jumped from a beat up Bundy to a Selmer there wouldn’t be that much of a difference if any because the student hasn’t\u00a0 learned the fundamentals of the horn and\u00a0 gone far on his musical path yet.\u00a0 Even adults will come in to take lessons and want to know what saxophone to upgrade to or what mouthpiece to get and many times I will tell them that they have more work to do on their current setup or horn.\u00a0 To drive home the point sometimes I will play their horn and mouthpiece just to show that I can get a good tone out of it and not squeek.\u00a0 If you are uncertain of your own situation it’s best to get an outside opinion from a reputable teacher.<\/p>\n
In this clip I am struggling a bit with the ergonomics of the horn,\u00a0 the closed tip of the mouthpiece and even the sound and tone of the mouthpiece and horn.\u00a0 It has a very one dimensional and flat sound to my ears.\u00a0 I do believe that if I was on a desert island and this was the horn and setup that washed up on the beach I would do fine with it.\u00a0 I would practice like crazy and in the end hopefully get the sound out of it that I would want.\u00a0 That being said,\u00a0 I’m not on a desert island so I think I’ll stick to my Selmer.\u00a0 I’m sure you will form your own opinions about this clip and subject while you listen.\u00a0 I have had a number of people that have asked me to do a recording like this just to hear how I sound on average equipment so here you go.\u00a0 Anyways,…..let me know what you think.<\/p>\n
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