Introduction to Soprano Saxophone – How I Got Hooked
I only play soprano, not tenor, alto, or any type of other saxophone. My introduction to soprano saxophone came several decades ago, but becoming a soprano player happened fairly recently. This first post is about how the soprano saxophone got … Read More
Beginning Soprano Saxophone
My friend Rusty Crutcher (see my previous post) kindly leant me his Mark VI soprano and an old Selmer Soloist mouthpiece for a few weeks. It was just a temporary loan to see if I would take to the instrument … Read More
My First Soprano Saxophone
I received my first soprano saxophone, an almost new P. Mauriat soprano sax from the Ebay seller, and was pretty happy. But of course I also obsessively looked it over for signs of damage or build problems. I had a … Read More
My Soprano Saxophone Mouthpiece
When I began with my friend’s borrowed MK VI, I also borrowed his Selmer Soloist vintage soprano saxophone mouthpiece. At the time I didn’t know how to identify it. It just looked to me like an old Selmer with a … Read More
Soprano Saxophone Pitch & Long Tones
I mentioned previously that early on I had a lot of issues with soprano saxophone pitch. I didn’t understand this at the time, but it would have been very unusual if I had not had any problems with pitch. It’s … Read More
More: Playing Soprano Sax In Tune & Long Tones
Having put in many hours, I’ve gotten better at playing soprano sax in tune, but pitch is still an issue. Here’s what I’ve learned from other players and my own experience: There are certain notes on even the best instruments … Read More
The Soprano Mouthpiece And Pitch
There are a number of things about the soprano saxophone mouthpiece that can effect pitch, and either help you or get in the way. Here are a few things I’ve learned from some of the experts. Dave Kessler talks about … Read More
Buying A Soprano Saxophone, Part 1
After playing my P. Mauriat soprano for about 18 months, I began wondering if I wasn’t missing something by having one of the more prestigious and pricy instruments I’d seen advertised. I specifically wondered whether a better instrument might offer … Read More
Buying A New Soprano Saxophone, Part 2
I’d thought and read and watched videos about buying a new soprano saxophone. Now it was time to get some hands-on experience. So I made a trip to one of the few music shops in the US that carried in … Read More
New Horn Setup – Yes or No?
If you shop the websites of boutique sax stores, you’ll find that many of them promote their “new horn setup” fine-tuning service as one of the benefits of buying from them. And they might tout this as “a $300 value,” … Read More
Soprano Saxophone Shopping Resources
In my quest to buy my new soprano I came across a number of fine retail outlets that carry soprano saxophones (as well as some very so-so retailers I won’t mention). Here’s the rundown on some great soprano saxophone shopping … Read More
Recording Soprano Saxophone – One Mic Or Two?
My recording setup has evolved through many stages over the years. But when it comes to recording soprano sax, it has come down to putting my best mic in front of the instrument, about a 8 or 9 inches away, … Read More
A New Album With Soprano Sax
Once I had put in several thousand hours of practice on the soprano saxophone, I started in on composing a new album of material, called Gratitunes. This would be my 14th music album, and the first one on which I … Read More
Different Reeds, Different Soprano Sounds
If you listen to different tunes on my album, Gratitunes, like Rain Driver, How They Fell In Love, Badango, Open To Receive, and Ten Dollar Ticket, you’ll hear different soprano sax sounds. The sound varies from more breathy, dark, and … Read More