I really like it that the sax sounds like something between a clarinet and a french horn, and with the right technique you can push the sound in either direction. Great video, lots of examples, lots of explanations.
These are the best videos for a starting composer to watch before writing his first note. It helped me learn the sound, register, and common uses of all instruments in the orchestra and they've been very valuable educational tools. Thank you so much.
Used to play the saxophone at school before I got tired of lugging it around two adjacent campuses. This video definitely makes me wanna get a sax again because it's such a cool instrument.
Played flute through elementary and jr high, then 15 years later picked up 🎷. Still play flute, but always wanted to play saxophone. It’s an underrated classical instrument.
The saxophone is my favorite instrument. I’ve been playing ever since I was in 6th grade to now as a freshman. I will be playing the saxophone for a really long time until I die. I actually started playing the drums before I started playing the saxophone. I began playing the drums in 4th grade at the age of 10 in the school band. The saxophone is my second instrument that I learned how to play after drums. My hands were too small to play the saxophone at first, so that is why I wanted to play the drums in band. I wanted to play the drums before the saxophone because it he drums were my favorite instrument. I play the alto saxophone in marching band and I play play both the alto and tenor saxophone in concert band. I even have two alto saxophones and one tenor. I have a gold alto that is professional and a teal alto that is a beginner. I used to have a baritone saxophone, but I returned it back to my school because the instrument was too heavy for me. I learned to play the bass clarinet when I was in 7th grade because I had a friend who used to play it when we were in 5th grade. The bass clarinet is way easier than the Bb clarinet because the mouth piece and neck is similar to a saxophone. I am now a freshman in high school and I am going to learn to play the trumpet in jazz band. I am going to be an alto saxophone player in one of the jazz bands my band director creates. My three friends all play saxophone, and there is a soprano, tenor, and baritone. I am going to be alto in that jazz band group so we can be a saxophone quartet. But for the trumpet, I am going to be in the new jazz band that my band director is going to create when I go back to school. I got to play a tenor saxophone solo back when I was in 8th grade for the Christmas concert. And I also did a bass clarinet solo in 7th grade at the christmas concert before I did my tenor saxophone solo. I really hope that I will do more instrument solos in high school and after I graduate! I am not too good at growling or hitting the reed hard on the saxophone because I don’t know how to shape my mouth to play those sounds yet. I only know how to play high notes, low notes, and the middle range notes on the instrument. Pretty soon, I would become not only a professional saxophone player, but I would become an awesome musician in the future!
Your story sounds a lot like mine: started on drums, later focused on saxophone, picked up clarinet (mainly bass) in high school. Your enthusiasm is great; as long as you enjoy playing, you'll keep learning. If you haven't already, get yourself a good private teacher, and practice as much as you can!
Thank you for selecting a saxophone specialist, and such a fine one, to feature in this video. There are far too many demonstration videos all over UA-cam that purport to show the saxophone's classical side, but use a player who thinks playing "classical" means just taking a bit of edge off their normal jazz tone, or changing their vibrato. Mr. Haram deserves the strong positive response the video has received. I recommend checking out his recording of Graham Fitkin's _Frame,_ for soprano saxophone and marimba - great stuff!
A few years later, i send an email to Simon asking him about the Setup, and they sayed his uses an Mark 6 Soprano, Soloist C* and Vandoren Blue Box 4 for Soprano and Buffet Crampon S1 on Alto, Soloist and Vandoren reeds; for me, Simon is an unique and briliant saxophonist ! All the John Harle students are amazing ! Haram is an inspiration to me !
I wish all your videos were like this! He did a great job presenting his instrument, the length of the video is just rightl On a side note (haha?): I love how often people fight to get a solo and get quite bored with the supporting parts of the orchestra. And then there is him: "I only get to play solos but I want to play along with you guys! ;_; ". So sweet.
Another great example of orchestral saxophone appearance is Concerto for Alto-Saxophone and Orchestra by Nikolai Kapustin. I highly recommend to look it up here on youtube.
Absolutely wonderful video!! I remember alot of old time gospel and jazz being played on an alto sax, Boots Randolph was my childhood hero then and still is to this day,please keep making these videos,I simply love them!!
Mason Guy band players are classical, just bands tend not to Pat and usually are only local. It’s really only orchestra jobs that pay. So that leaves giant tribes of saxophone players that are at professional levels that don’t get paid pretty much at all.
I'm playing the same as Simon Haram, the soprano, alto and tenor. Although I'm not a classical player at all, I like the sound of it, especially Simon's. As a jazz player, for myself I prefer a more open and broad sound. That’s why my alto and tenor saxes are both old King saxes, one from 1940 (Zephyr alto) and the other from around 1952(tenor Super 20). Both have a silver crook, but not a silver bell. My soprano is a Yanagisawa Elimona with alternatively a curved or a straight crook. I play it with the curved one.
Very helpful advice. I’ve been looking forward to getting a saxophone myself, it’s my dream. I first thought the saxophone was very limited years ago, only being able to do jazz. Now I know how fantastic it is, and now I want one.
What a great presentation. Apart from everything else, it is a lesson on the expressive use of vibrato. Wonderful playing. I've learned a lot from this. Thank you.
Thanks for this video, been waiting for it. I play Alto sax but would like to get a soprano in the future because it can sound beautiful if played well and sound somewhat like an oboe. The reason I love playing saxophones is that the saxophone can fit into so many genres of music and even if two players play the same piece of music, they won't sound the same because of things like the make of sax they play, the type of mouthpiece and reed used and their physical mouth shape and so on, so you can make the saxophone sound how you want it to and only you will make a sax sound the way you do when you play it, which isn't always the case for some other instruments like a piano, for example. I prefer playing classical, but do like other genres such as 1920s-30s Jazz, smooth Jazz, rock and sometimes like to play other music not typically associated with the sax like folk music (Irish folk, Stephen Foster and other American music from the 1800s etc...)
Thank you so much for the video! This is why this year I chose the Alto Saxophone for Band Class in 7th grade all because of this! Thank you so much, I appreciate it!! 😁👍
Great video. I've had the chance to play all four of the most common size saxophones. Although I've really enjoy the other three, I currently have an alto Selmer SA SII, I played the tenor for one summer when i was in high school and I disliked it so much that I almost gave up playing the saxophone all together. Luckily I got back to alto and the baritone, and the soprano in university, and I've been playing for over 25 years now. I only wish I had more time to play it since I don't play professionally.
Among the saxophone family, I currently play only the alto sax. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my understanding, all types of saxophones - without exception - play in the treble [G] clef. This is really nice for me, since I only play treble clef instruments. 😉 🎼 🎷
Instruments do not play in clefs: notes for them are written in clefs, which may or may not be accurate. So, are you referring to what the tone sounds like, or how the notes are written? Those can be hugely different. Bass saxophone sounds two octaves and a major second LOWER than the written notes. Contra sax is even lower (2 octaved plus major sixth). So where you want to write the notes for those instruments if you want to write exactly as they sound?
Please do a second bass clarinet video or at least an extended clarinet family video there was so much that could have been explored (especially since clarinet probably has the largest extended family out of any instrument) and all that was given was a 2 minute video. Either way great video!
Sadly as a lot of clarinet players switching to saxophone, the full range of dynamics is not used because the throat has a different work on sax. It explains also the tone but quite a good explanation for beginners I guess.
I would really like the sax to be played in orchestra more with smoother tones. The upper register sounds like a clarinet maybe with a bit of bassoon. This video shows what it is capable of in an orchestral settings. One saxophone I think is a must in the orchestra is the bass saxophone, specifically in C, as that was the original one adolphe showed off and will probably be a better solo instrument.
Adolph Sax actually designed a whole family of Saxophones for the orchestra, but the orchestra leaders at the time didn’t like him or his instruments. That’s why they aren’t common in the orchestra
@@sirboomsalot4902I'm familiar with the story. It's a shame it went the way it did. Otherwise a job in a symphony orchestra may be something I'd have striven for.
Late but this is such a wonderful video - thank you for offering your expertise and humbling explanation of such a beautiful and complex instrument. I love love love this video.
Nice video! Congrats! I used to think it was just me who started as a small kid with the clarinet at the band and later, after long desiring the saxophone, got to get it! But as I'm realizing now it's really common heehhe :D
I really wished you demonstrated the bari sax because I switched to bari from flute. Im doing really good now, and I wanted to get some tricks and tips. But this was great video 😊
Talking of saxophone, does anyone remember the great Charles Chapman, teacher. Went to him for 3 years. I used to practice all week on one of the 48 from Otto Langley on tenor. Charles used to play the duet with me . He would be reading and transposing to alto from the same sheet!
👏👌👍 If I didn't know better, at times, you made the alto sax sound a lot like a French horn. I learned to play the alto sax before learning to play the Bb clarinet. I enjoy playing them equally the same.
I prefer to play the sax in the middle to upper registers, and the clarinet in the lower to middle registers. Even though both instruments play in three octaves, I only play them in the first two octaves. This is perfectly fine with me, since I only play lyrical tunes, and hymns which all play within the first two octaves. 😊 🎼 ♫ 🎷
@@nizablo6426 Here's a video of someone playing a 3 octave C scale on alto. ua-cam.com/video/_ttslMHRL_A/v-deo.html The range you can get in altissimo depends on the sax, with the lower horns having easier altissimo. I can get about the same higher range on bari as I can on alto and soprano, which adds up to about 5 octaves. Being technically proficient in that range is a different story, but the range is there.
I am not a sax fan, but you could no better job of selling the instrument than Simon does here. Bravo. REQUEST FOR THE PO: Please create videos comparing period instruments to their modern versions. Feature professional players of each. Thanks!
I want to point out that when he said that all saxophone instruments are transposing that there is the c melody saxophone which is in c and not transposing
Glad to see a fellow player of Buffet Crampon saxophone! Curious why you put cork on your pearls? Very fine playing of those famous orchestra examples, Simon. Excellent presentation that I will be sharing with my students.
my guess: lowered the keys for tuning or for the faster key movement. then, raised the pearls with cork for utility to add back the height lost. this might make more comfortable palm/wrist position. also, maybe he just like the feel of the cork better than of the pearls.
The saxophone isn't really used a lot orchestrally, due to when it was invented, but wind ensembles and symphonic bands will use it quite a bit. Often it's considered to be related to the horn and used in similar ways.
Quite interesting the smal plates of cork he has put on the six main keys on all of the showed instruments! And note how he puts the ligature on the mouthpice to fit the reed - screws up (only do this on your own mouthpice, not on one on a rent instrument becaus it may cause some minor scraches on the mouthpice - what surely won`t afect the sound but maybe your valet as soon as you bring it back to the muisc store and the owner is mean enough to notice it!).
Originally, Adolphe Sax created two sets of saxophones, those that we usually see today, soprano in Bb , alto in Eb , tenor in Bb (an octave lower than the soprano), the baritone in Eb (octave lower than the alto sax). These were supposed to be used for military band. The other set were in C (soprano and tenor) and in F (alto and baritone). These were intended to be used in the symphony orchestra. We can sometimes see parts for C and F instruments in the earlier 19th century works which used the saxophone. What we call the C melody saxophone is the tenor sax in C from that last set. At the beginning of the 20th century, several players used that instrument since it was easy to read off piano scores without having to transpose. Some of the early jazz players were known to play on the C melody but that practice slowly dissipated as the performers found it easier to find work playing in military bands and in bands like John Philip Sousa or Arthur Pryor. As jazz gathered momentum during the 1920s and 30s, moving into the big band swing era, more work was available on Eb alto, Bb tenor and Eb baritone, so these instruments became to most commonly used.
Finally, Waited see put saxophones demonstration, by London musicals music school Orchestra waited while version sad nobody dose wants saxophone in orchestra , love Saxophones sounds beautiful jazzed and gene is saxophones played different within music.
Can I ask a question please... when you play in Ab-minor (on an Eb instrument), that means that the rest of the orchestra plays in G minor. Is that correct? Thanks in advance for answering.
The last advice he gives about sealing is really important, I lost kind of 4 years thinking I was playing wrong and not asking anyone just because of useless pride.
14:40 why is that tricky? that is enharmonic to B-flat minor and given that your instrument is tuned to E-flat you would only need to flats in the key signature for your part.
The key of the piece is C-Sharp minor, but because of the transposition it appears as A-Sharp minor for the saxophone. He was referring to the key that he's reading
I think they should add the baritone saxaphone as a reinforcing instrument doubling bass trombone or something like that. I think it's tone is perfect for that. The other saxes have a very unique sound kind of alien to the other orchestral instruments which is a possibility why it's not very popular among orchestral settings. Baritone sax though has a tone that can be doubling basson or tucked under other strings like cello, and when it is called for really blast with bass trombone since in my opinion have very similar tones when full volume. The bari sax can add as a very nimble brassy toned instrument to the orchestra which it doesn't have. Just imagine Bruckner 7 or 8 finales with a big baritone saxaphone blasting with the low brass.
Wonderful playing. I noticed your throat moving while playing vibrato - on the clarinet we generally achieve vibrato with the embouchure - is this some other way of achieving it? If so. What are it’s strengths? Thanks!
I really like it that the sax sounds like something between a clarinet and a french horn, and with the right technique you can push the sound in either direction.
Great video, lots of examples, lots of explanations.
That’s what it is, I could not figure out what it sounded like
great explanation. I love his humility when he admits there are better musicians playing a certain effect
The sound he producing for the technique is exactly on point.
These are the best videos for a starting composer to watch before writing his first note. It helped me learn the sound, register, and common uses of all instruments in the orchestra and they've been very valuable educational tools. Thank you so much.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback and best of luck with your journey as a composer.
Used to play the saxophone at school before I got tired of lugging it around two adjacent campuses. This video definitely makes me wanna get a sax again because it's such a cool instrument.
Listen to some Chad Lb
This channel has made great instrument-guides, and I'm so glad you included a big video for the saxophone! :)
You're welcome - thank you for watching!
I love the solo in the beginning! It always transports me to a different place when I listen to the old castle
Beautiful tone and vibrato, bravo!
I'm amazed by the saxophone's dynamic range.
Is it just me or the soprano sax sounds quite similar to the oboe especially in the high register???
I agree.
I agree
Wes Lee I think it sounds a little bit more like a Bb Clarinet, but I do hear oboe.
@@elijahwalker7 it does actually the c soprano sounds more like a oboe tho
That's the idea, a lot of oboe repertoire was also transcribed for soprano sax before the sax had it's own body of original repertoire.
Played flute through elementary and jr high, then 15 years later picked up 🎷. Still play flute, but always wanted to play saxophone. It’s an underrated classical instrument.
The saxophone is my favorite instrument. I’ve been playing ever since I was in 6th grade to now as a freshman. I will be playing the saxophone for a really long time until I die.
I actually started playing the drums before I started playing the saxophone. I began playing the drums in 4th grade at the age of 10 in the school band. The saxophone is my second instrument that I learned how to play after drums. My hands were too small to play the saxophone at first, so that is why I wanted to play the drums in band. I wanted to play the drums before the saxophone because it he drums were my favorite instrument.
I play the alto saxophone in marching band and I play play both the alto and tenor saxophone in concert band. I even have two alto saxophones and one tenor. I have a gold alto that is professional and a teal alto that is a beginner. I used to have a baritone saxophone, but I returned it back to my school because the instrument was too heavy for me.
I learned to play the bass clarinet when I was in 7th grade because I had a friend who used to play it when we were in 5th grade. The bass clarinet is way easier than the Bb clarinet because the mouth piece and neck is similar to a saxophone.
I am now a freshman in high school and I am going to learn to play the trumpet in jazz band. I am going to be an alto saxophone player in one of the jazz bands my band director creates. My three friends all play saxophone, and there is a soprano, tenor, and baritone. I am going to be alto in that jazz band group so we can be a saxophone quartet. But for the trumpet, I am going to be in the new jazz band that my band director is going to create when I go back to school.
I got to play a tenor saxophone solo back when I was in 8th grade for the Christmas concert. And I also did a bass clarinet solo in 7th grade at the christmas concert before I did my tenor saxophone solo. I really hope that I will do more instrument solos in high school and after I graduate!
I am not too good at growling or hitting the reed hard on the saxophone because I don’t know how to shape my mouth to play those sounds yet. I only know how to play high notes, low notes, and the middle range notes on the instrument.
Pretty soon, I would become not only a professional saxophone player, but I would become an awesome musician in the future!
Your story sounds a lot like mine: started on drums, later focused on saxophone, picked up clarinet (mainly bass) in high school. Your enthusiasm is great; as long as you enjoy playing, you'll keep learning. If you haven't already, get yourself a good private teacher, and practice as much as you can!
@@rloomis3 thank you 😊
Thank you for selecting a saxophone specialist, and such a fine one, to feature in this video. There are far too many demonstration videos all over UA-cam that purport to show the saxophone's classical side, but use a player who thinks playing "classical" means just taking a bit of edge off their normal jazz tone, or changing their vibrato. Mr. Haram deserves the strong positive response the video has received. I recommend checking out his recording of Graham Fitkin's _Frame,_ for soprano saxophone and marimba - great stuff!
Glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for tuning in!
A few years later, i send an email to Simon asking him about the Setup, and they sayed his uses an Mark 6 Soprano, Soloist C* and Vandoren Blue Box 4 for Soprano and Buffet Crampon S1 on Alto, Soloist and Vandoren reeds; for me, Simon is an unique and briliant saxophonist ! All the John Harle students are amazing ! Haram is an inspiration to me !
I've been using 3.5 v12s on the sop for a while now. Still on blue 4s for the alto though :-)
@@sihaz1969 Cool ! Great set-up !
I wish all your videos were like this! He did a great job presenting his instrument, the length of the video is just rightl
On a side note (haha?): I love how often people fight to get a solo and get quite bored with the supporting parts of the orchestra. And then there is him: "I only get to play solos but I want to play along with you guys! ;_; ". So sweet.
I've been playing the saxophone since I was 9, and I still love it each time.
Another great example of orchestral saxophone appearance is Concerto for Alto-Saxophone and Orchestra by Nikolai Kapustin. I highly recommend to look it up here on youtube.
A great orchestral instrument!
Absolutely wonderful video!! I remember alot of old time gospel and jazz being played on an alto sax, Boots Randolph was my childhood hero then and still is to this day,please keep making these videos,I simply love them!!
We will try to continue to make these films - thank you for the positive feedback.
Okay, now it's time for saxophone and euphonium players to team up to become standard orchestral instruments.
The uhhh... what?
@@Bacony_Cakes They aren't standard instrumentation right now, including the baritone, which sucks for band players who want to go classical
Mason Guy band players are classical, just bands tend not to Pat and usually are only local. It’s really only orchestra jobs that pay. So that leaves giant tribes of saxophone players that are at professional levels that don’t get paid pretty much at all.
Ive literally waited since 2014 for this video!
Aaah, you just played one of my favorite classical pieces ever, yaaay. I love "Pictures" to an extent that couldn't be described in words
I'm playing the same as Simon Haram, the soprano, alto and tenor. Although I'm not a classical player at all, I like the sound of it, especially Simon's. As a jazz player, for myself I prefer a more open and broad sound. That’s why my alto and tenor saxes are both old King saxes, one from 1940 (Zephyr alto) and the other from around 1952(tenor Super 20). Both have a silver crook, but not a silver bell. My soprano is a Yanagisawa Elimona with alternatively a curved or a straight crook. I play it with the curved one.
Very helpful advice. I’ve been looking forward to getting a saxophone myself, it’s my dream. I first thought the saxophone was very limited years ago, only being able to do jazz. Now I know how fantastic it is, and now I want one.
What a great presentation. Apart from everything else, it is a lesson on the expressive use of vibrato. Wonderful playing. I've learned a lot from this. Thank you.
Very informative video for composers! Thanks a lot!!!
Thank you. This was a very fine excursion through the world of the symphonic saxophone.
I fell in love with this instrument! Thank you for the video!
Thanks for this video, been waiting for it. I play Alto sax but would like to get a soprano in the future because it can sound beautiful if played well and sound somewhat like an oboe. The reason I love playing saxophones is that the saxophone can fit into so many genres of music and even if two players play the same piece of music, they won't sound the same because of things like the make of sax they play, the type of mouthpiece and reed used and their physical mouth shape and so on, so you can make the saxophone sound how you want it to and only you will make a sax sound the way you do when you play it, which isn't always the case for some other instruments like a piano, for example.
I prefer playing classical, but do like other genres such as 1920s-30s Jazz, smooth Jazz, rock and sometimes like to play other music not typically associated with the sax like folk music (Irish folk, Stephen Foster and other American music from the 1800s etc...)
Great overview and demonstration, and very helpful for a long-time musician returning to the instrument after many years. Thank you!
Thank you so much for the video! This is why this year I chose the Alto Saxophone for Band Class in 7th grade all because of this! Thank you so much, I appreciate it!! 😁👍
You're very welcome! Wishing you the best of luck in your instrumental studies!
@@philharmonia_orchestra By the way, what's the brand for his Alto Saxophone?
I demand a second bass clarinet video
I second this! The first one was so bare with information.
you are a good person, bass clarinets are way better than saxes we need to rise up
@@averyatkinson862 bass clarinets are saxes bruh their black and white stretched out tenor Saxes
@@PrinceSwaggy Their not saxes, they look like them and were by fact designed by Adolph Sax, but they are part the clarinet family.
Bruh you guys stop fighting cuz clearly the alto clarinet is way better than both of them
Nice Buffet S1, and exceptional playing as well.
Great video. I've had the chance to play all four of the most common size saxophones. Although I've really enjoy the other three, I currently have an alto Selmer SA SII, I played the tenor for one summer when i was in high school and I disliked it so much that I almost gave up playing the saxophone all together. Luckily I got back to alto and the baritone, and the soprano in university, and I've been playing for over 25 years now. I only wish I had more time to play it since I don't play professionally.
Among the saxophone family, I currently play only the alto sax. Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my understanding, all types of saxophones - without exception - play in the treble [G] clef. This is really nice for me, since I only play treble clef instruments. 😉 🎼 🎷
You would be correct, however I have seen some somewhat intelligably lacking composers call for bass clef on lower saxophones.
Instruments do not play in clefs: notes for them are written in clefs, which may or may not be accurate. So, are you referring to what the tone sounds like, or how the notes are written? Those can be hugely different. Bass saxophone sounds two octaves and a major second LOWER than the written notes. Contra sax is even lower (2 octaved plus major sixth). So where you want to write the notes for those instruments if you want to write exactly as they sound?
saxophone below the tenor are normally written in bass clef but baritone sometimes isnt
Please do a second bass clarinet video or at least an extended clarinet family video there was so much that could have been explored (especially since clarinet probably has the largest extended family out of any instrument) and all that was given was a 2 minute video. Either way great video!
Im so happy he got those grace notes on Bolero, I have no idea how many times ive heard people play the solo without the grace notes.
I prefer to include them but sometimes a conductor will ask you not to do them...
I was happy that he played them without the smear that so many players employ. (Different conductors will prefer different approaches, if asked.)
These examples are lovely.
Can you please remake the old INSTRUMENT videos with length of this?
Sadly as a lot of clarinet players switching to saxophone, the full range of dynamics is not used because the throat has a different work on sax. It explains also the tone but quite a good explanation for beginners I guess.
The best instrument!
I would really like the sax to be played in orchestra more with smoother tones. The upper register sounds like a clarinet maybe with a bit of bassoon. This video shows what it is capable of in an orchestral settings. One saxophone I think is a must in the orchestra is the bass saxophone, specifically in C, as that was the original one adolphe showed off and will probably be a better solo instrument.
Agreed. It through me of when he claimed the baritone sax was the first. It was the C bass.
Waiting for this for a long time. Thank you! :D
Consistent feedback from viewers that led us to make this film - so thank YOU! We're glad you enjoyed it.
You have an soprano, alto, and tenor saxophone. as a bari im offended
Aaannnddd now I KNOW I know nothing
Zach C buh freaking hoo
Thank you so much for this video!
You're most welcome!
I'm actually learning the Saxophone!
Yes! I’m been waiting for this video so long! Thank you so much for making this video! It really made my morning!
You are most welcome! It was consistent feedback from our viewers that led us to make the film.
It really is a shame we don't have a full section of saxophones in the symphony orchestra. I hope that changes at some point :)
Adolph Sax actually designed a whole family of Saxophones for the orchestra, but the orchestra leaders at the time didn’t like him or his instruments. That’s why they aren’t common in the orchestra
@@sirboomsalot4902I'm familiar with the story. It's a shame it went the way it did. Otherwise a job in a symphony orchestra may be something I'd have striven for.
I like that Vecchio Castello alto solo in the beginning
Late but this is such a wonderful video - thank you for offering your expertise and humbling explanation of such a beautiful and complex instrument. I love love love this video.
Nice video! Congrats!
I used to think it was just me who started as a small kid with the clarinet at the band and later, after long desiring the saxophone, got to get it! But as I'm realizing now it's really common heehhe :D
The reason there are so few saxophone parts for symphony orchestra may be due in large part to the ill will between Sax and his contemporaries.
I’ve been waiting for this video for a long time! It’s finally here
It was consistent feedback from viewers that led us to make this film - so thank you!
Very cool to see a Buffet S1 being showcased! Also, great video!
Thank you for the positive feedback, and thank you for watching. If you haven't already, please do subscribe to our channel!
I was wondering what the heck it was haha.
I really wished you demonstrated the bari sax because I switched to bari from flute. Im doing really good now, and I wanted to get some tricks and tips. But this was great video 😊
Great video. And that Buffet alto really sings. Not a popular make, but very sublime to listen to.
A lot of the Dutch players play Buffets.
Thank you for the video! This is invaluable.
Lovely solo examples. Thank you.
Talking of saxophone, does anyone remember the great Charles Chapman, teacher. Went to him for 3 years. I used to practice all week on one of the 48 from Otto Langley on tenor. Charles used to play the duet with me . He would be reading and transposing to alto from the same sheet!
I needed this. such a nice explanation. thank you!!
You're most welcome. Thank you for watching.
👏👌👍 If I didn't know better, at times, you made the alto sax sound a lot like a French horn. I learned to play the alto sax before learning to play the Bb clarinet. I enjoy playing them equally the same.
I prefer to play the sax in the middle to upper registers, and the clarinet in the lower to middle registers. Even though both instruments play in three octaves, I only play them in the first two octaves. This is perfectly fine with me, since I only play lyrical tunes, and hymns which all play within the first two octaves. 😊 🎼 ♫ 🎷
Alto Sax goes from a Low B flat to High F, it does not have any three octave scales. Some Baritone Saxes, however, can play a 3 octave scale.
Please upload a video of you playing a four octave Bb scale on saxophone.
@@nizablo6426 Here's a video of someone playing a 3 octave C scale on alto. ua-cam.com/video/_ttslMHRL_A/v-deo.html
The range you can get in altissimo depends on the sax, with the lower horns having easier altissimo. I can get about the same higher range on bari as I can on alto and soprano, which adds up to about 5 octaves. Being technically proficient in that range is a different story, but the range is there.
4 octaves can be played on a saxophone. It takes a bit of practice, though.
Matthew Carlson I have played 4 octaves of Bb on my alto saxophone so your wrong
Thanks. It's a really clear and precise explanation
I am not a sax fan, but you could no better job of selling the instrument than Simon does here. Bravo.
REQUEST FOR THE PO: Please create videos comparing period instruments to their modern versions. Feature professional players of each. Thanks!
This is my favourite instrument
God Bless You And Your Family
I want to point out that when he said that all saxophone instruments are transposing that there is the c melody saxophone which is in c and not transposing
Glad to see a fellow player of Buffet Crampon saxophone! Curious why you put cork on your pearls? Very fine playing of those famous orchestra examples, Simon. Excellent presentation that I will be sharing with my students.
Thank you for the kind feedback. We are thrilled to hear that you will share this with your students.
my guess: lowered the keys for tuning or for the faster key movement. then, raised the pearls with cork for utility to add back the height lost. this might make more comfortable palm/wrist position.
also, maybe he just like the feel of the cork better than of the pearls.
Hi, the cork is there for a little more grip, just my preference.
The saxophone isn't really used a lot orchestrally, due to when it was invented, but wind ensembles and symphonic bands will use it quite a bit. Often it's considered to be related to the horn and used in similar ways.
Quite interesting the smal plates of cork he has put on the six main keys on all of the showed instruments! And note how he puts the ligature on the mouthpice to fit the reed - screws up (only do this on your own mouthpice, not on one on a rent instrument becaus it may cause some minor scraches on the mouthpice - what surely won`t afect the sound but maybe your valet as soon as you bring it back to the muisc store and the owner is mean enough to notice it!).
Hi, it's an old Vandoren ligature and is designed to be used that way round.
3:55 Except for the C melody saxophone.
And c soprano
We don’t talk about those
It's called a C TENOR.
Originally, Adolphe Sax created two sets of saxophones, those that we usually see today, soprano in Bb , alto in Eb , tenor in Bb (an octave lower than the soprano), the baritone in Eb (octave lower than the alto sax). These were supposed to be used for military band.
The other set were in C (soprano and tenor) and in F (alto and baritone). These were intended to be used in the symphony orchestra. We can sometimes see parts for C and F instruments in the earlier 19th century works which used the saxophone.
What we call the C melody saxophone is the tenor sax in C from that last set. At the beginning of the 20th century, several players used that instrument since it was easy to read off piano scores without having to transpose. Some of the early jazz players were known to play on the C melody but that practice slowly dissipated as the performers found it easier to find work playing in military bands and in bands like John Philip Sousa or Arthur Pryor.
As jazz gathered momentum during the 1920s and 30s, moving into the big band swing era, more work was available on Eb alto, Bb tenor and Eb baritone, so these instruments became to most commonly used.
Nice instrument i love it
I play Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, and Tenor Sax.
I love these videos
Finally, Waited see put saxophones demonstration, by London musicals music school Orchestra waited while version sad nobody dose wants saxophone in orchestra , love Saxophones sounds beautiful jazzed and gene is saxophones played different within music.
About bloody time! Still though, really good video! :)
I currently own a tenor, baritone and soprano saxophone.
Very good. Why the cork on the key touches ? Improved grip, perhaps?
Can I ask a question please... when you play in Ab-minor (on an Eb instrument), that means that the rest of the orchestra plays in G minor. Is that correct? Thanks in advance for answering.
When you play in Ab/G# minor on an Eb instrument, the rest of the orchestra is playing in the key of Cb/B minor
On the alto, A#minor, that would be C#minor in concert pitch. For Ab/G#minor, that would be in B minor in concert pitch
Great video! Just wish Bari was included
The first Bolero sax solo is on the tenor, followed by the soprano.
Thanks for saving me the trouble of posting that comment... :)
If you haven’t already, can you make INSTRUMENT videos on period instruments
They make only video about the instruments found in their orchestra.
i love music
To play Soprano as your first sax must have been pretty difficult, every soprano player says its harder than the rest
That surprised me too. If he "couldn't get his hands around an alto," he must have been quite young.
The last advice he gives about sealing is really important, I lost kind of 4 years thinking I was playing wrong and not asking anyone just because of useless pride.
Hi, what's your set up on soprano, great sound
14:40 why is that tricky? that is enharmonic to B-flat minor and given that your instrument is tuned to E-flat you would only need to flats in the key signature for your part.
The key of the piece is C-Sharp minor, but because of the transposition it appears as A-Sharp minor for the saxophone. He was referring to the key that he's reading
What was the song you played in the beging???
It's The Old Castle from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
I played flute in 5th grade. I hated it. So I changed to sax. I like it a LOT better
whats the song name that he played in the introduction
were not pictures set to orquestra by ravel?
Has the player added cork on top of the touch pearls? For comfort??
I dont like sax, but i'll put my like to your interesting lesson. Thanks!
I either wanna play viola or saxophone can’t decide
antimate101boy New York play saxophone don't be in the wire choir
What is the introduction song?
I Love Your Video
What was the excerpt at the beginning?
Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, The Old Castle
Beautiful : )
It's Very Educational
I think they should add the baritone saxaphone as a reinforcing instrument doubling bass trombone or something like that. I think it's tone is perfect for that. The other saxes have a very unique sound kind of alien to the other orchestral instruments which is a possibility why it's not very popular among orchestral settings. Baritone sax though has a tone that can be doubling basson or tucked under other strings like cello, and when it is called for really blast with bass trombone since in my opinion have very similar tones when full volume. The bari sax can add as a very nimble brassy toned instrument to the orchestra which it doesn't have. Just imagine Bruckner 7 or 8 finales with a big baritone saxaphone blasting with the low brass.
xXDirtyDanGamingXx Bari Sax can't double a bass trombone
Wonderful playing. I noticed your throat moving while playing vibrato - on the clarinet we generally achieve vibrato with the embouchure - is this some other way of achieving it? If so. What are it’s strengths? Thanks!
Where is the baritone sax