OT- Little clip of my band from Saturday night

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

I just started recording myself so I could listen. I think my vibrato a little to shallow and quick. I want it to be a tad more deep and a little slower but I am working on it. My teacher also always harping on me for that.

Harmonic, or what we horn players call altissimo is something that takes a long time to do I have been working on that since high school. I do have a really expensive mouthpiece though that helps, and a really nice custom Phil Barone copper neck. The high baffle metal mouthpiece give me the edge and the ability to get really high into the altissimo, but then the Copper neck warms and centers the sound back a little so I don't sound to thin. It is a modern sound though that is for sure so its a little edgy sometimes.


We are thinking about doing Aerosmiths Big 10 Inch version. I think drunk people would like it.

Also on the high notes my highest in that solo was 4th octave C for me. Pretty high for the avg Joe. To put it in perspective Lenny Pickett, the god of Altissimo, routinely plays licks up to the 5th octave of G and even higher.

Ever hear the alto sax on "Shaker Song" from Manhattan Transfer's Extensions album? Freaking wailer.....!!!!

So that's a high C you belted out there? I thought that was a harmonic note ... I guess harmonic blasts go a lot higher, eh? Sometimes they sound like the reed is gonna split. I'm not a Foreigner fan, but "Urgent" has one of those I think.

I love me some baritone sax too .... you don't hear them a lot, but that can really hammer home some R&B ... for example, "When Something is Wrong" by Neville and Ronstadt. Great stuff

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by Iron Clady

Dam, only If I could blow harp' good enough to jam with a band.

If I learned 12 bar blues and had the right key harps it would work.

I one word for........Lessons. You will come further in a few months with a good teacher then a yr by yourself.

Figure a way to find someone not so good you cant afford him. Just someone who does it on the side for no more then 25 bucks a lesson.

Start with one lesson every month and see if you get into it. IE practice what teacher said to and then show him what you learned. If your doing that go every 2 weeks. If you get really into it every week.

If you have even any talent it will come out faster then you think.

Now I wont like I have been playing since I was 13 yrs old and I am almost 40. But really its about what you play sounding good, as opposed to being able to shred to any certain level.

Playing in a band is about saying what can I do to make other guys sound better. That means not playing over there parts and understanding when your part is important (the tag or lead melody) or the backing and texture of a passage. Then when it comes to soling make sure you know what scale to use for the song and play licks that sound good. If you can't play 16th notes at the tempo then dont play them. Make simple licks and play them well, play when you are supposed to, most important play in tune, and if you tried I bet you could blow some hard with a blues band in a yr.

You would just have to find guys not a ton better then you, but maybe just a little better.

You will find many groups have a bunch of great players but they play so often they have no time to rehearse. More avg players just have to practice the tunes more but often play the same song.

[BroncoBuff]

Cuts, download that "Shaker Song" on Limewire or somewhere .... I guarantee you'll love it.

"Altissimo," eh? I'll remember that ... Lenny Pickett too


"Ten Inch Record" would be a rowdy rouser in a rowdy bar, no doubt ... save it for a late set. Man, I freakin' idolized Toys in the Attic when I was a kid.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

Ever hear the alto sax on "Shaker Song" from Manhattan Transfer's Extensions album? Freaking wailer.....!!!!

So that's a high C you belted out there? I thought that was a harmonic note ... I guess harmonic blasts go a lot higher, eh? Sometimes they sound like the reed is gonna split. I'm not a Foreigner fan, but "Urgent" has one of those I think.

I love me some baritone sax too .... you don't hear them a lot, but that can really hammer home some R&B ... for example, "When Something is Wrong" by Neville and Ronstadt. Great stuff

Yeah I have all that in my collection, great stuff.

Well its hard because people use different terms for harmonics.

For guitar players they will sort of mute the string and pluck it and it goes higher, they call it a harmonic. Still though its a note. Everything can be boiled down to that would be an F or a G at this point on the staff, for that instruments key.

For sax players we have what we call Multiphonics. Its sort of same thing were you can get different sounds out of alternate fingerings, and then change the pitch based on your throat.

Now altissimo also done with alternate fingerings, and some people call that technique harmonics. It also is done by using a fingering that is not designed on the sax. Also every sax is different which is why it is maddening.

What young players fail to realize is the fingering is only a small part of it. It's actually all done in your throat, raising your tounge to speed up the air. So while you tounge speeds up the air, and your throat opens for air, but at the same time uses muscles developed there to squeeze the note to the higher level. But hitting actually pitches that are in the scale is not easy.

You will hear young players squeeking away because they just dont have the muscles developed yet to sound good and control a piece of cane that like you said sounds sometimes like it will split. Finding good reeds like an obsession with sax players, although I have been broken of that curse through counseling.

Thanks for even indulging me with some banter on the saxophone.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

Cuts, download that "Shaker Song" on Limewire or somewhere .... I guarantee you'll love it.

"Altissimo," eh? I'll remember that ... Lenny Pickett too


"Ten Inch Record" would be a rowdy rouser in a rowdy bar, no doubt ... save it for a late set. Man, I freakin' idolized Toys in the Attic when I was a kid.

Whats funny is we have so many closer type songs. I set out to be a Blues Brothers type horn section, but with a frontman more like the guy from the commitments.

We have a lot of in your face closer type songs. We just roll through them lol.

We do have a couple mellow jazzier tunes like Bozz Scags T Bone Shuffle, we like to open with that gives a chance to warm up.

But then its just like this.......Soul Man, Mr Pitiful, Hard to Handle, Let The Good Times Roll, Sweet Home Chicago, Messin w/Kid, etc etc...then we will play like one slow song ray charles etc... then back to 10th ave Freezout, Domino, Wild Night, SHaky Ground.. we do alot of non blues that we feel is bluesy or soulful so Van Morrison we love.

My favorite singers are Otis Redding, Ray CHarles, BB King, Van Morrison and we do a few of each of them.

[cutthemdown]

Listening to Shaker song right now. Been awhile, it is good stuff.

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

For guitar players they will sort of mute the string and pluck it and it goes higher, they call it a harmonic. Still though its a note.

Yeah, I angle the pick and kinda slice the string and it'll wail out a harmonic if you do it right. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top nails aloot of 'em.

Originally Posted by cuts

Everything can be boiled down to that would be an F or a G at this point on the staff, for that instruments key.

Oh my lord ... do not EVEN get me started on how notes are different on horns than they are on piano/gutar ... my head will start hurting.

I've played in a few bands with horns and I always get dizzy when they try to explain ... f'ing thing violates my left-brain mojo!


I just listened to "Shaker Song" for the first time in years ... the guys pretty wild, all kinda all over the place. The very last note as the tune fades to air is a altissimo I think ... if you listen to it lemme know.

Hey, what about bari? You never see those but I luv 'em ....

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

HEY!

Check the very, VERY last note he blasts out as it fades ... is that altissimo, or just really high?

Well yeah it is. Altissimo just means i guess past the point a sax or instrument is designed to go. Trust me ole adolph sax would probably freak out if he heard Lenny Picket. He had no idea it would sound like this. Really sax a young instrument, only what 140-150 yrs old I think.

Supposedly Adolph Sax fled europe to the USA to show his sax but it could have just been promotional hype. The story was the instrument so different and silky sounding cornet and trumpet makers feared its competition.

Just think what a guy like Motzart would have written for sax. Its not in symphonies as a rule because of the fact it wasn't around in the era of classical musics beginnings.

Safe to say though guys like Motzart would have used its ability to go from sweet to dirty with the flick of your Uvula. No not vulva you perverts!!!!!!!!!!!

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

Its not in symphonies as a rule because of the fact it wasn't around in the era of classical musics beginnings.

I've wondered about that since the 5th grade.... thanks

[Captain 'Dre]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7768575



Made with a hand held edirol digital recorder so pretty decent quality considering. I'm on the tenor sax.

Very cool, but I wanna hear ya do that Junior Walker and the All Stars number "Shotgun".

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by Captain 'Dre

Very cool, but I wanna hear ya do that Junior Walker and the All Stars number "Shotgun".

The solo in urgent is also JR Walker probably why people like it. Also Ernie Watts played a bunch of good ones with the Stones.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

I was always hoping LABF would put some clips of him playing. I heard from a couple of other maners he can really play the guitar well. Tried to get him to but he said I was a right wing racist and would probably just be mean lol!!

I thought I did hook you up with some clips?

Anyway, check your PM.

Nice playing on that tune, BTW - really good tone and phrasing.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

I do like to push myself to get better but I know I will never be John Coltrane.

Hey, you get major points for knowing who John Coltrane is.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

Hey, you get major points for knowing who John Coltrane is.

I love straight ahead and bebop but wouldn't really try to perform it yet. Maybe someday. I can do some fusion, guys like Tom Scott are sort of the sound I look for.

By the way thanks for the compliments. Really they are nice to get.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

I thought I did hook you up with some clips?

Anyway, check your PM.

Nice playing on that tune, BTW - really good tone and phrasing.

Wow LABF you play really nice. Very easy to listen to and a bunch of different techniques keep it fresh. Thanks for the clips I really enjoyed listening to them.

[Dudeskey]

Thanks for sharing- nice sound you guys got.

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

One funny thing if you ever saw the movie Boondock Saints our singer is the big guy who played the Russian dude they brothers dropped the toilet on and set on fire.

Now I'm trying to imagine him w/ that singing voice...™

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by Dudeskey

Thanks for sharing- nice sound you guys got.



Now I'm trying to imagine him w/ that singing voice...™

He's also a DJ, just has one of the voices that can do a lot of different stuff. He's too busy with family and kids now, but out of all of us he is probably the only one who could have maybe had a career in music or acting.