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Soprano to low A

Gandalfe

Striving to play the changes in a melodic way.
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I'm looking into a custom mod by Benedikt Eppelsheim to a soprano sax that would extend it's range to low A. I've blogged about it here.

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Enjoy.
 
I suspect it's really nice for a classical player and totally unnecessary for a jazzer other than the oddity aspect of it. It *is* expensive so me thinks you'd want to have a number of songs already planned where it would make sense.
 
I'm wondering where one could use that note. If a player is reading soprano saxophone music, I doubt if a composer would write a low concert G for a soprano because horns don't exist that can play it. Oh, I know the old bell against the leg trick, but really . . .

Are there NO written tunes for soprano with a written low G? Heck, I don't know, but I can't imagine why there would be.

In jazz, it would be a novelty, but only a student of the horn would appreciate that the note was sounded. DAVE
 
Violin transcriptions or outright violin parts.
 
Violin transcriptions or outright violin parts might be better realized on ... an alto sax. I also think the alto sounds more stringy than the soprano. I've played dozens, if not hundreds, of violin transcriptions on the alto.

I really don't see much purpose in havening a Bb instrument that goes down to a concert G. Concert C (low A bari/alto), I can see, but not a concert G.

Someone should make a soprano sax to low E/Eb, so it has the same range as a clarinet :). I just wanna see all that extra keywork.

All that being said, I think Mr. E's work looks very nice and if it improves the playing characteristics of the horn, so much the better, but I'll remind the class that there's been a debate since the low A bari was introduced in 1946 (Selmer (Super) Balanced Action) as to whether the low A makes the overall tone of the horn more "stuffy". There's also a possible difference between conical and straight extensions to that low A.
 
IMHO The soprano is much closer to the voice of the violin than the alto sax - which is one note shy of the viola (alto) range.

I would much rather take on violin parts on the soprano than the alto personally. Then again I've been playing violin parts on the violin for a few decades now. I think a low A soprano ranks significantly above a C soprano as far as being useful. I've spent enough time reading oboe parts on soprano that the only issue facing me now is remembering to notate on the parts which instrument the part was written for so I do transpose parts that aren't and vice versa.

A C sop wouldn't be of much advantage, but a low A could open up worlds of readily available repertoire. Hundreds of years of music at your fingertips!

Crap! Now I'm feeling a gas attack coming on big time. Be sure to keep us updated on how well this turns out and how much of a wallet buster it is too.
 
IMHO The soprano is much closer to the voice of the violin than the alto sax.
(...)
Crap! Now I'm feeling a gas attack coming on big time. Be sure to keep us updated on how well this turns out and how much of a wallet buster it is too.
Hmm. Why not buy a C clarinet? No need to transpose, easily accessible range, broad repertoire...

Yeah I know it's heresy to suggest a sax player to go get a clarinet. But as you mentioned GAS... :D
 
I was looking for a C clarinet this past season. We did Carnival of the Animals, which has a lovely solo for C clarinet. I ended up doing it on Bb, but it would have been nice to end on a high G instead of a high A.

I've added it to my list, way down, but on the list.
 
Hmm. Why not buy a C clarinet? No need to transpose, easily accessible range, broad repertoire...

Yeah I know it's heresy to suggest a sax player to go get a clarinet. But as you mentioned GAS... :D
I've also mentioned that people should get a C clarinet rather than a C soprano sax. If you have clarinet skillz, that is. $600 for a new student horn.
 
Nope; haven't tried either.

Gigliotti makes good ligatures. I only know of Amati's abysmal saxophones (I have played those). However, I'm willing to bet that at that price-point they are virtually identical quality. I might want the Amati's wood, rather than the Gigliotti's rubber.

You can get a used Buffet Prestige for $810 on eBay ....

More eBay:
* New EM Winston. IIRC, that's the company that made cheezy sopranos in the 1980's and 1990's.

* Used Buffet Albert System.
 
The Gigliotti "name" has been sold to use with the clarinets that are most likely nothing more than typical Chinese or Taiwanese instruments.

His ligatures were okay, but only just. The clarinet one was designed to fit Selmer mouthpieces, and could not fit odd sized mouthpieces, particularly crystal ones. I asked him about this before he died, and he told me to use an alto sax one. i didn't have the heart to ask him where he was when I needed this information...
 
That Buffet clarinet looks more like an Oehler than an Albert, although there are some obvious parallels to the two "systems". I've never seen an Albert with the left hand little finger keys offset that far to the side of the joint, the Bb/B natural key sticking up is similar to the one on my Oehler, and the lower joint (with the exception of the Oehler "plate' for the middle finger right hand.

If I had to bet, I'd call it an Albert, but there are a lot of little details that shout "German horn" to me at the same time.
 
I just report the ads as I see 'em :)

I used to use my Gigliotti plastic clarinet ligature on my Berg Larsen rubber bari mouthpiece. It fit.
 
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