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From: "Bret Newton"
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 21:11:46 CDT
Subject: [CB] Sax shapeI was just looking at the original patent for he saxophone, and came across
the picture of what Sax originally wanted. The first thing that I noticed
was eight (instead of seven) saxes including a sub-contra. I also noticed
the radically different shape of the lower saxes. Now, I have no experience
playing saxes lower than bari, but it would seem to me that the shape
presented in the original patent would make more ergonomical sense. This
shape makes the elusive sub-contra compleatly tangible and within the range
of possibility. Also, in the "bassoon" shape, I would think that one could
attach a seat strap or a peg instead of (or in additionto)the more
conventional neck strap and thus eliminating the weight problem. Is there
some sound factor that I am not aware of contributing to this factor, or is
there something else?
Thanks,
Bret Newton
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From: "Bill L"
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 22:15:12 -0700
Subject: [CB] IntroHey,
Thanks for the welcome Grant. I live in Phoenix, Az and have been playing
sax since I was about 12 years old (I started with clarinet). I've got a
couple of altos and tenors, a C melody, a really neat Evette Shaefer curved
soprano and a great old Buescher bari. I've worked professionally all my
life but I gave up the full time music attitude when I started a family.As my day job becomes more demanding I find myself saying no to contractors
for gigs and now I'm not working much at all. I am doing some stuff on the
internet and for the past 10 or 15 years I've been composing electronic
music using computers and software like Cakewalk and Finale and using
synthesizers like the Roland PMA5. I've got a Roland VS880 hard disk
recorder, a Mackie mixer and a couple of decent large diaphram condenser
mics. I've got a lot of material to play and perform but I don't have many
people in my life right now to play it with so I've started to do things
myself in the saxophone quartet format.All this has led me to the need for a lower voiced horn than a bari to cover
the bass parts. So now I'm looking for a bass sax and I am not quite
recovered from the news about how much they cost. Wow. Well... meanwhile,
until I find a decent horn and get the 4 or 5 grand it'll take (or even
more... wow o wow, ouch) I'm happy to meet others who like the low horns and
I hope you'll accept me into your community and let me know if some sort of
deal on a horn comes along.Cheers,
Bill Lieske
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 09:53:14 -0800
From: Andrew Stiller
Subject: Re: [CB] Intro> So now I'm looking for a bass sax and I am not quite
>recovered from the news about how much they cost. Wow. Well... meanwhile,
>until I find a decent horn and get the 4 or 5 grand it'll take (or even
>more... wow o wow, ouch) I'm happy to meet others who like the low horns and
>I hope you'll accept me into your community and let me know if some sort of
>deal on a horn comes along.This is a long shot, but worth looking into. Philadelphia probably
has more bass saxes than anywhere in the world, because they're a
standard part of the 2 dozen or so "string bands" (actually comprised
of saxes and banjos) that march down Broad St. every New Year's Day
in the annual Mummers Parade. It's not inconceivable that some bass
sax player among the mummers might be looking to upgrade and would be
willing to sell you his (believe me, they're all male) old axe.
http://www.mummers.com is a good entry point into the weird world of
Philadelphia mummery; it has links to other mummer sites, plus an
e-mail link.
--
Andrew Stiller
Kallisti Music Presshttp://www.netcom.com/~kallisti
Ut Sol inter planetas, Ita MUSICA inter Artes liberales in medio
radiat.
--Heinrich Schuetz, 1640
---------------------------------------------------------From: SEMarcus
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 10:06:06 EDT
Subject: [CB] Low A Extension on Contrabassoon?Last night, I was listening to the Slatkin/St. Louis Symphony recording of
the Rachmaninoff Symphony #3, unfortunately without a score. It sounded as
though the last note of the first movement was the low A on a contrabassoon,
which would have required the extra key/extension. Can anyone verify if this
score actually calls for that note, or would a contrabassoonist, properly
equipped, extrapolate that low A ad libitum?What percentage of contrabassoons have the low A extension?
I read somewhere that one manufacturer actually offered a low A-flat
extension. True?Kindest regards,
Steve Marcus
BBb Bass, Prairie Brass Band
Director of Sales, THE BEAUTIFUL SOUND, INC. (630) 325-9999
Steinway Piano Dealer
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 18:53:13 +0000
From: "Klaus Bjerre"
Subject: Re: [CB] Low A Extension on Contrabassoon?Nice to see you again on yet another list Steve!
I will piggyback on your question more ore less:
I have seen a Heckel contrabasson with an upward wooden BBb straight "foot"
AND with a downward bent nickel silver AA bell with a saxophonestyle
expansion.Does the latter impair the general projection of the instrument, since it
was delivered with the BBb alternative?Both foot/bell solutions were so much a part of the original delivery, that
they they had their compartments in the original case.----------
>From: SEMarcus
>
> Last night, I was listening to the Slatkin/St. Louis Symphony recording of
> the Rachmaninoff Symphony #3, unfortunately without a score. It sounded as
> though the last note of the first movement was the low A on a contrabassoon,
> which would have required the extra key/extension. Can anyone verify if this
> score actually calls for that note, or would a contrabassoonist, properly
> equipped, extrapolate that low A ad libitum?
>
> What percentage of contrabassoons have the low A extension?
>
> I read somewhere that one manufacturer actually offered a low A-flat
> extension. True?
>
> Kindest regards,
>
> Steve Marcus
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