Forum of the Saxes

CMelodyMan · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:56 pm Post subject: Hardest sax to play

I know that there will probably be a lot of debate about this, but from your experience, which of the big 4 (SATB) was hardest for you to play?

JPSaxMan · Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 3:52 pm Post subject:

I voted for soprano because although I've never played it, I've played it's bigger brother the tenor and from playing that plus what I've heard from trying to tune a crappy soprano in the upper register, I'd definitely say it's the hardest Cool

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JP
Student of Saxophone
Music Education (BME) Major-2011
Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

-88- · Joined: 09 Jul 2005 Posts: 26

Hmmm. Well two things:

1) I love the sound of soprano's so that is what pulled me in and that is where I started....not knowing any better. It wasn't until after I bought a horn and started that someone said the soprano is the hardest to play. Soprano is still the only thing I know (barely) and love it.

2) The horn I have is the best I could afford because I didn't want difficulty introduced from a poorly designed horn. Bought a Yanagisawa S991. I could never get the top notes and then they felt screechy and shrill. Didn't know whether that was the horn or the greenhorn (joke). So out of frustration I took the horn to be looked at and it wasn't until after Lee's Saxworx in San Francisco set up and regulated the horn that I really appreciated it. I also asked them to lighten the spring action. Voila! it was a completely different instrument. Top notes yes. Not as easy as I'd like but at least I can get them and using a Petersen tuner it appears the top four notes are 'somewhat' in tune. Any suggestions on that would be appreciated.

I am in the process of acquiring a tenor, and hope it is easier than soprano, though I will always love the soprano sound and refuse to give it up.
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The heart plays, little else matters.