Sax Ed Ep 13: 7 SAX FUNDAMENTALS - INTONATION!

Sax Ed is back with more on the 7 Sax Fundamentals. This week I focus on Intonation! I talk about the importance of being in tune on your horn, how it can affect a band, and great tips for tackling intonation on the sax! Comment down below what you do to practice intonation on sax! Have a great week and stay saxy!
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Saxophone Gear:
Alto Sax - Selmer Mark VI - 1964 120X
Mouthpiece - Vandoren V16 S+
Ligature - Vandoren Optimum
Reeds - Boston Sax Shop Reeds 2.5
Music:
Written and Produced by M. Alex Ramirez
Production Gear:
Camera - FujiFilm XT20
Lens - Fuji 35mm f/1.4
Mic - Zoom H6
Website: malexramirez.com
Facebook Page: M. Alex Ramirez - / malexramirezsax
Instagram: @malexramirezsax - / malexramirezsax
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[@bobblues1158]

Finally!

[@MAlexRamirez]

Haha thanks bob! What do you think on the subject since you toured with bands all the time. I would love to know your take on it! Also thanks for the support! It always makes me happy to see your comments!

[@bobblues1158]

@@MAlexRamirez Wow Alex! You covered a lot of ground here and really good solutions. In no special order, I can offer my own observations and my personal
solutions in different situations. Electric tuners are great for certain things. For example: I was playing a musical in a theater orchestra and to save money, 3synths were used to replace the strings. We had 2 human violins, 1 cello and a contra bass.
2 human trumpets, 1 human French horn, 1 human oboe, 1 real classic clarinet, 1 real
classic flute-and me mr jazz guy playing flute and clarinet.(no sax). At the first rehearsal, There were intonation issues. I could hear that the synths had not checked
if they were tuned to the same pitch-440. So I got my tuner out ( i was the only person
that had one) and sure enough the synths were not together. The orchestra had been tuning to first the first violin and the oboe. After this, the violin and the oboe checked
with the tuner and the synths were checked every night.
Regarding small groups the piano is the thing. If I see the bass player using a tuner, I
politely ask him to check his tuner with the piano.
Big bands. You have some variables. Are you playing (in the old days) in a Las Vegas
show room every night, that piano is in tune. If there are strings, the first violin gets tuned to the piano and then the other members will tune to him.
On the road with a big band is a whole different story. In the States most of the pianos
are 440. in Europe 442 or higher. In Symphonies orchestras depending what country you are in, the pitch can be as high as 445!
Everything you mentioned about tuning to the lead trumpet is also how i was taught.
But usually the bass is tuned to the piano and that is what the trumpet player is adjusting to because most bands play at a volume level that the lead guys can´t hear the piano. If however we are talking about Count Basie or Thad and Mel, then every
body in the band can hear the piano and every one can hear everyone. When I was with
Thad and Mel, the band played a classical ppp, really soft. All the rehearsals were about dynamics. That being the most dramatic tool in music. Also there were section
rehearsals every week in the hotel room of the section leader. They had instructions
from Thad about what needed to be tightened up. Like tuning in certain places, especially on our doubles.
In studio work we always check any problem areas out with each other. Like what you said about some saxes you need to favor certain notes. So you work with each other
To perfect it.
I had the great privledge to record a short tenor sax concerto composed by Michael
Mantler with the Berlin Modern Chamber Orchestra for ECM Records. The music
had some extremely dissonant passages. The orchestra fine tuned every note in these
passages until they were perfect. That´s tuning at a really highly professional level!
To end, I would say to sax players to play with the radio with classical music, jazz, funk rock whatever. use your ear and record yourself .The instrument is incredibly flexible.
Hope this was not too much Alex, but thank you for asking me and thank you for doing such a great service to the sax community!
Bright Moments, Bob

[@MoonFairy14]

❤❤❤

[@MAlexRamirez]

🎷 🎷 🎷 🙏