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Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 15:38:41 -0700
From: Grant Green
Subject: Re: [CB] mischaracterized baris> >>The high register of the bari sax is very weak, thin
> >>and less characteristic. I would suspect the bass sax is even more
> >>weakAll this, and previous quotations from orchestration books, causes me
to wonder if most of the orchestration books (present company
excluded) are written mainly by string players, and if they were
actually researched or instead reflect the author's biased
perceptions. It was passages such as that that led me to post the
online contrabass orchestration guide (still in its infancy, with
pages only for tuba, contrabass clarinet, and sarrusophone at the
moment).Grant
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green
ecode:contrabass http://www.contrabass.com
Professional Fool -> http://www.mp3.com/ProFools
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---------------------------------------------------------Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 09:45:49 -0800
From: Andrew Stiller
Subject: Re: [CB] mischaracterized baris>At 3:38 PM -0700 7/14/00, Grant Green wrote:
> >>The high register of the bari sax is very weak, thin
>>>and less characteristic. I would suspect the bass sax is even more
>>>weak
>
>All this, and previous quotations from orchestration books, causes
>me to wonder if most of the orchestration books (present company
>excluded) are written mainly by string players, and if they were
>actually researched or instead reflect the author's biased
>perceptions.Actually, they're mostly written by classical composers who, until
very recently, were unlikely to have experience with any sax except
the alto and maybe the tenor. In such circumstances they merely
repeated what earlier books had said on the subject, and I suspect
that the canard RE the baritone sax can be traced all the way back to
Cecil Forsythe.In one of his essays, Stephen Jay Gould talked about a similar
phenomenon in science writing. T. H. Huxley wrote that the earliest
horse was "about the size of a fox terrier," and an incredible number
of later authors used the exact same simile, even though their
readership was no longer likely to contain many fox hunters.Something similar seems to be going on here.
--
Andrew Stiller
Kallisti Music Presshttp://www.netcom.com/~kallisti
Ut Sol inter planetas, Ita MUSICA inter Artes liberales in medio radiat.
--Heinrich Schuetz, 1640
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 10:05:04 -0700
From: lawrence johns
Subject: [CB] high notes on the bari saxHello I am Lawrence Johns-Larriman.
First I want to acknowledge the high level of professionalism here at
this internet site that has been demonstrated over the issue of what I
seemed to have started over the issue of the possibility of the weakness
the bari sax may have in the high register. The issue was from the
result of someone asking why the bass sax of the Nuclear Whales had
problems with the high notes of the instrument. I ran into this book
called the "Essentials of Orchestration" which had a discussion about
the tonal qualities of the many instruments in the world mainly the more
popular ones we see everyday. Ok in presenting the passages made about
the bari, bass and contrabass sax, I was just offering what may be an
answer, and I was not stating that I agreed with what was being written.
Everyone caught on that I was doing just that, and I have to commend you
all for a good discussion over the issue, and the way you carry
yourselves and did not directly attack me personally. You offered good
ideas, and that is what is needed here.I, myself being a baritone sax
player, know that i can play pretty good notes in the higher register on
the bari. I will admit that I had to work a little hard in achieving
good notes in the higher register. It did not come easy for me. There
might be something added here that I will throw out to you all and see
if the cat licks it up, and that is-a player of a low sounding
instrument should work on being good on the high register of the horn
and a player of a higher instrument, take the flute for example, should
work on being good on the low register. Gerry Mulligan played the bari
sax excellently because he was good on handling the entire range of the
horn, and that goes true for James Galway on the flute. Adrian Rollini
played excellent solos on the bass sax usually on the high register,but
he mastered the entire horn's possibilities. I could go on. So, being
the one that sparks a good discussion-do we agree or disagree that every
musical instrument has its strengths and weaknesses,but it is our jobs
to maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses and master the
horns we play?
Opening up the floor for discussion.
Thank you
Larriman-Lawrence "Larry" E. Johns-
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