At age 70 and with breathing problems it seemed a bit silly to consider taking up a non-fipple woodwind instrument. But hey - so what - I went ahead anyway.
After flirting with a Xaphoon (ghastly mouthpiece), a LittleSax (interesting but weird fingerings), a Nuvo Dood (actually pretty good when fitted with a traditional reed rather than Nuvo's own plastic reed), I came upon the Cantabile X-20 which has proved to be a revelation.
For those who don't know the instrument, it uses a Bb clarinet reed and looks (to my inexperienced eye) to be very similar to a chalumeau.
I have posted a full review for the instrument on Amazon UK.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Cantabile-X-20-pocket-saxophone/dp/B00N59VFMU
Bearing in mind that I'm a raw beginner with reed instruments, I can only confirm that the X-20 is a really interesting instrument to consider as an alternative to, say, a recorder, especially if you prefer the sound and tone of a reed instrument.
After flirting with a Xaphoon (ghastly mouthpiece), a LittleSax (interesting but weird fingerings), a Nuvo Dood (actually pretty good when fitted with a traditional reed rather than Nuvo's own plastic reed), I came upon the Cantabile X-20 which has proved to be a revelation.
For those who don't know the instrument, it uses a Bb clarinet reed and looks (to my inexperienced eye) to be very similar to a chalumeau.
I have posted a full review for the instrument on Amazon UK.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Cantabile-X-20-pocket-saxophone/dp/B00N59VFMU
Bearing in mind that I'm a raw beginner with reed instruments, I can only confirm that the X-20 is a really interesting instrument to consider as an alternative to, say, a recorder, especially if you prefer the sound and tone of a reed instrument.
