Change Your Horn - Change Your Ideas

Ed

Ed

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For a long time I have noticed that when I play different brands of instruments on say alto sax or clarinet that I get different ideas when I improvise. I have heard people talk about the same thing in terms of changing your environment to allow for different ideas. I suppose the idea is that we get set in our ways in certain spaces which is why I hear a number of people say that they get great ideas on walks or hikes. I believe the same thing is true with your playing. If you want to experience some different ideas from your fingers try a different horn.
 
Personally I find that my fingers just go to different places on different horns.
 
Hmmm.

If I'm given a horn that is supposed to be excellent for classical -- oh, say a Buescher Big B alto sax -- I want to try it out with a classical lick. If someone gives me a big-bore clarinet, I try something a bit jazzy. A horn that's good for altissimo? I see how high I can go.

Improvisation? What's that?
 
I approach clarinet improvising completely different than sax improvising. Though truthfuly my clarinet improvising is no where near my sax playing. I'm more of a Legit player on clarinet. Or I should say, I AM a legit clarinet player attempting to be non-legit from time to time.

On clarinet, first off, I try to never go below mid B. It seems, in most settings, the non-octave notes never get heard (assuming no mic, etc). And for some reason the clarinet is more attuned to "faster" passages. Not that the sax can't do it.

on sax i haven't played enough with other horns. I stick to my tried and true instruments.
 
That's very interesting what you say about brands of horns Ed. I have noticed a difference in the solos that I play on my Martin Handcraft tenor and on my Mark VI. For me though, that is a function of the horn's ergonomics....I think...It has been a long time since I picked up my 6M or my alto VI...Or for that mater my Selmer bari and my Medusa...You've got me wondering whether my improv is different...Mmmm....

Where I definitely have noticed it is on different-voiced horns. My improvised solos on my tenor are very different than my solos on my baritone. Alto, soprano, and bass are all different from each other as well. I have often wondered if it is a simple matter of finger placement and patterns develped on each horn...I didn't think that totally explains it in my case...Or a matter of what I "feel" when playing the different types of horns. Sure, I might use the same or similar lick or riff on an alto and bari, but my approach to the horns is different....Therefore my solos will be as well.

I've always assumed this has to do with playing a bari as a bari player, rather than playing a bari as a tenor player doubling on bari. For each voice of horn I play I am in a different portion on my brain...Does this make sense to you? Or is this post seeming like the ramblings of a psych patient?
 
I should also mention that ergonomically when I play tested my Couf and Selmer side by side I played circles around myself wth the Selmer than on the Couf. No kidding. And I was playing Coufs for years .. decades. Picked up the Selmer and just was able to play faster and more accurately on the RH - lower stack, sde keys, etc. Quite an eye opener. That might have been the reason I never really played my Couf Alto either - had a Selmer alto mk VII.

Ended up selling both my Couf alto and tenor after that.
 
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