I’ve been playing Sopranino for forty five years, try a legere plastic reed it will sound less like a clarinet. Sopranino reeds are ok but I always use legere plastic clarinet reeds
this is kinda unrelated, but since you've played a soprano sax before i am thinking about getting one. i have played alto for 4ish years now and i wanna learn to play a soprano... What brands and body shape do you prefer
Soprano is great, and my personal favorite to play, but if you're so new to the instrument, I'd recommend spending money on upgrading your mouthpiece and ligature first. Truthfully, I'd rather have a great alto before I would invest in any soprano. To answer your question, I love my Yanigisawa, and I prefer the curved shape.
@@andrewz3854 What section do you sit in? Is the soprano popular, or are you one of the only players? I want to switch from alto to Soprano, and I'm in 6th
It does have a distinct tone a little different from a regular soprano sax. I’m surprise a lot of pro sax players don’t play them. I kinda like the sound myself.😌🎷🎶
Great playing and musicianship, much enjoyed! You can use regular out-of-the-box soprano sax reeds too, they work just fine for the ‘nino. And, yes, RS Berkley saxes are a great buy and great instruments, I own a low A bari from them. Thanks for sharing!
@John it overblows at the twelfth. So a saxophone G fingering gets you a G in the upper range of the clarinet but a C in the lower. In other words, the octave key is actually a 12th key.
Erik that Nino does sound great, I’ve seen the brand around for some time. Looks like the RS Barkley is base on the Selmer Super Action 80, keyed up to high F#. Mine is Yani Keyed up to Ed/D#, I do want to get one keyed up to F# to go with my Yani.
What I will probably do is buy an extra box of Soprano 3.5 Plasticover Reeds, put each one on the sopranino mouthpiece and shave the sides down if necessary!!! I have been playing sax for 50 years and u learn to do what needs to be done to get the best results!!! And have been playing with Plasticover reeds for close to 25 years or more and stick with them over regular reeds because they stand up to the pressure of 15 hours of gigging every weekend!!! And when u get the strength you need, you will rarely change reeds!!!
It doesn’t really look that big on camera. Mr. Donough (trying to be respectful, instead of referring to you as “Erik“, which is also my name even though it’s spelled with a C), your playing brings to mind a fantasy I’ve got of hearing the “Petite Overture” from the Nutcracker performed as a piano-soprano saxophone duet.
I've been playing soprano sax for over 25 years, and play ALL of Kenny G's and Charlotte Church music, mainly classical music and sometimes jazz. I love it! I also play alto. Its crazy going from alto to soprano in the same session, just because the soprano takes so much less wind! I have 200+ instruments in my collection and play all of them. I also make violins, concert harps, guitars, and lap steel guitars, and do repair work on the side. I even use a medical endoscope for repairing from the inside without taking an instrument apart!
I like my Berkley alto lots. Got a mock Yani soprano and I want to expand my saxophone range from bari to soprano, to bass all the way to soprillo eventually.
Been looking for a melody that 94.7 fm would play in the early 2000s up in LA. No matter what i do, i cant seem to find it to shazam it; to my poor knowledge such melody is on sopranino sax and its got a contemporary sound to it. Pls help
It is very cheap for a sopranino sax. Selmer's sopranino model is around $12.000. Of course, you get more quality, but for 4 times the price of the RS Berkeley.
@@reubenyahsrael346 Well, of course with "Selmer" I meant Selmer, not Conn-Selmer, which is a separate maker whose quality standards fall quite below those of the French brand.
This is great! This video actually made me buy an Orsi curved sopranino. It is so fun to play. Whenever I bring it somewhere, someone will stare at me or comment on it.
Have u ever tried a curved bell sopranino? I like those more cause they look smaller and more like the stereotypical shape of a sax but they are so rare.
Ex-instrument repairman here. We would see a lot of "no name" horns and 9.5 times out of 10 they're garbage... BUT looking at the construction and how evenly that instrument plays it would make me curious to see another fresh out of the box sopranino. Why and why would that be high praise? Because if they could hit the same quality you've shown in this video on a blind sample I would have no problem suggesting their sopraninos to anyone who asked.
Instead, I'll hit you with some actual information. Often the prices of instruments like this are higher simply because they are rare, and the manufacturers have to create quite a bit of intricate tooling for such a limited run. Yes, $3,000 is not cheap, but when you consider that a new Selmer Series II can be as high as $12,000, this is a VERY good deal.
hello I bought on the internet a sopranino sax brand lucian you know if it's a good brand, it sounds good but I feel it a bit out of tune especially in the high notes.
Well now I need to find one of these as a saxophone player but I’m trying to find and get all now I have another one to add to the list only have the alto and just got a soprano which is never going to happen to get the one lower then this one to contrabass but I can wish
@@edonough I knew both Russ and Bob. In 1984 I bought a dirty, banged-up 1924 King soprano that needed a complete overhaul, and I think it was Les who told me that Russ could do it for me. So I took it to D&K. Russ took the horn and ran the bell over a motorized polisher. Voila! It shined as bright as the day it was made, so I was sold. Price for the complete overhaul? $150. (Amazing.) I guess Russ told me about Bob because I was eventually in the market for some mps. I drove up to Bob's house in northern NJ (I'm from central NJ just outside of Princeton) and we spent the afternoon trying out pieces. I think I bought two mps from him. I also brought my VI alto and told him it didn't seem to be playing as well as a VI should. He tried it out, put a new neck on it, and it played much better. I remember when I left, he had a nice smile on his face--I had given him a lot of money that day! So I owe a lot to those two guys!
The tone is absolutely amazing, better than any other sopranino playing i can find on YT.... is it because of the clarinet reed, the mouthpiece, or what?
Amy Bilyk: WW&BW has an International Woodwinds brand ‘nino for @$1,600. I got mine from Sam Ash store in Orlando, FL. Their store brand is “Jean Baptiste”. Pretty good buy for the price: $1,300 plus tax, brand new.
my private teacher I studied with over 40 years ago had a Sopranino and he let me play it. I have not played one since ! I can get almost just as high on a Soprano
I mentioned in the video that I didn't buy it. I was offered to borrow it by the owner of the company - RS Berkeley. Search for it, and you can find the current price online.
Are there any online dealers for RS Berkeley? I'm not finding many RS Berkeley saxophones online and I can't find any sopranos (I did find a sopranino though).
@@edonough What I meant by re badged is the same Chinese factory will put a number of different names on what they make. Marketing names like Jean Paul, RC Berkeley, and probably a dozen others. If you buy more than a few they will put any name that you like on them. Not saying they are bad deals. If you bought direct from the factory it might cost $300. Once the retail;er here has their name on it it sells for $800. Which Chinese manufacturers are the best is the question that I do not have an answer for. Many also have different lines from poor to great.
Nice video! Soprano reeds also work. I use a 2.5 fibracell on a Chinese made sopranino and it blows freely. Legere makes sopranino reeds but doesn't work for me.
@@ertugrulkaraduman5008 Hi Ertugrul! When I first bought the 'nino', it was a love and hate thing for me. That was about 6 months ago. I struggled for a long time to get a good tone with the right intonation. Then I found out that soprano reeds work and since I'm a Fibracell user, I bought a #2, chopped the length with a chisel, and it worked. So then I bought a Yanagisawa #7 nino mouthpiece from WWBW and it made the tone better. However, I have to push the mouthpiece all the way to make it in tune. The tuning improved but not quite there. So then, I got my Dremel and sawed off about 1/4" from the neck at the tip of the cork. That made the tuning correct as I needed to push the mouthpiece a little bit more. The thing I noticed was that my air stream had to be continuous and really steady. So I did long tones and still, it wasn't sounding right. After a while, I shelved the nino and began practicing my new Yamaha tenor sax by doing long tones 2 or 3 times a week. Then one day, I picked up the nino and all of a sudden, it was so easy to play and my air stream was really steady. So that's how I got my intonation and tone really good_by doing long tones from the Tenor. Does that make sense? I guess the Tenor required more air support, which in turn made me able to control the nino better, even when i play it really soft. I bought the Chinese nino from: www.ebaystores.com/professionalmusicalshop/. I have a good experience with this Chinese company, having bought my alto, soprano, and tenor saxophones from them over the years. They play really good out of the box. The nino cost me $750. It's a no name brand which I think is a stencil model that they make for other known companies that sell them here for $2K-3K. I couldn't justify buying an expensive nino because I'm not really a professional sax player. Ultimately, you'll agree with me that it's the player and not the sax model that matters. Before Covid, it takes about 7 days to ship the sax to me. These days, I think it takes about a month. Cheers.
Hello Erik. Stumbled upon this video today, and I have some questions for you, if you ever get a chance to check 'em out. First, nice playing. I enjoy playing my Sopranino (as well as my Soprano and Alto) as often as I can. I'm out here on the west coast, north east of San Francisco. I got my Sop many years ago while I was still teaching (an had the extra funds to invest). At the time, I tried the Yamaha, Selmer and the Yani. Of those three, the Yani was the only one that played in tune with itself, with very little embouchure adjustment. That was the one I settled on. Had there been an RS Berkeley available, I might have tried that one as well. Glad you mentioned the "reed" thing - it was one of the first things I noticed at the beginning of the video. Did you eventually try that horn with a true Sopranino reed? I've never checked on it, but I wonder if you could use an Eb Clarinet reed too (in a pinch)? Now, it looks as though you have the opportunity to use the high 'fork F' fingering on that horn, correct? Is that how you got to the high F#, or was there a high 'F#' key for the right hand to finger? Unfortunately, my Yani doesn't have that option, which is why I might consider looking at a newer horn in the future. Would love to have the option of the high 'fork F' key, like on my Alto. My MK VI Soprano also is missing that fork fingering option too. Good playing and hope your teaching year has gone well.
Hey there. I didn't get to try that horn with a real 'nino reed, sadly. I can't remember for sure, but I believe this horn is keyed to F#. All the best!
Saxophones have a pattern of alternating between Bb and Eb. The sopranino is in Eb just like the alto, bari, and contrabass. Then for Bb its soprillo, soprano, tenor, bass and subcontrabass.
Hi there! I'm just curious to know, but do you have any info on where a sopranino sax would be played? I'm a college student studying saxophone and play both alto and soprano but have always been curious about the sopranino. Thanks!!
This does not exactly answer your question but a fun fact is that that the only classical piece written for sopranino sax was Ravel’s “Bolero”. Most of the time you hear Bolero played in real life a soprano is used but Ravel did write a sopranino in that piece. I have a 1925 Conn Sopranino and I find it easy to play too. That RS Barkley looks great. A nino s a great horn to travel with. My Rob Kunkel Facebook page has a photo of me playing a sopranino to a camel in Morocco. I had a great time playing with local people in Spain and Morocco.
man, ive been brass (euphonium specifically) for years. ive always wanted to try a woodwind instrument, but i could never get a good sound out of any of them. any particular recommendations to start?
It's all about embouchure, meaning the tightness and placement of your lips on the saxophone. Keep the pressure tight on the sides and a bit looser (but still sealed) on the tops and bottoms. Also, make sure that when you place the reed on the mouthpiece that it is a hair's width from the edge of the mouthpiece, not completely over the edge or too far behind it. I hope this helps👍 I wish you luck buddy
I personally find the alto sax much easier than the oboe or the clarinet. And allmost all people find the alto sax easier than the sopran(in)o saxophones.
@Thomas Shelby ASMR connoiseur I got reasonably good at air control on recorder which made the transition to clarinet a lot easier, and I got better with fingerings on clarinet.
Sopranino and Soprano saxophones are only hard to play if they are cheap so another words if you buy cheap ones your literally setting yourself up for failure your best bet is to spend the money to buy an expensive one to have a more fun successful time
Yes, I agree. I have a Conn Nino from 1925 that I have loved for 6 years now. Professionally rebuilt when I bought it, I got it because a Vito that I had just could not play certain mid range notes.
@@robkunkel8833 it's facts like if you want to get good at soprano and have less problems with it when you first blow into it. Then have to buy a top of the line soprano and a more expensive mouthpiece don't go on Amazon to buy a soprano or a mouthpiece you're literally going to be going through hell on earth trying to make it sound good
When I was 19, I noticed that my hairline had begun to recede. Throughout my 20's, I continually noticed that the hair in the middle of my head continued to thin out, while the hair on the sides of my head was thick. This is often referred to as male pattern baldness or alopecia, and the genetic makeup for hair coverage often is passed down from the mother's side of the family. I continued to style my hair as though nothing was different, but as I grew into my late 20's and early 30's, I noticed a further decline in hair coverage. When I was in my mid 30's, I decided that, rather than continue to accentuate the lack of hair on the top of my head by keeping my hair cut a bit longer, I began shaving off ALL of my hair. It was a personal decision, and one that made me feel more confident. I liked the look, although my daughter took a little time getting used to it. My younger daughter has only known me as bald. As a matter of fact, she loves to pat my head and say, "Daddy bald head!" I haven't paid for a haircut for years now, and it is quite an enjoyable feeling to be bald, especially during the warmer months when I can only describe the feeling as refreshing. I often joke that it also allows me to run faster, as my head is more aerodynamic. This is a joke, however and not at all true. No amount of baldness could make me run faster, as I am not a professional runner. In fact, I'm not sure I would want to move more quickly by people out and about in public, as I would want to give them ample time to view and appreciate the sleekness of my non-hairdo.
Me in 6th grade, bari sax is the best! Me in 7th grade, bari is fun but soprano is better Me in 8th grade, SOPRANOS ARE THE BEST Bari not so much, Highschool me, saxopnones soprano or higher my favourites but sometimes it really is the best just to play lower instruments because you do not have a full band without your bass instruments, (unless it's supposed to be your mid voices and high voices lol)
Bari is best, c'mon. I play sopranino to bari, and I can definitively tell you that bari is unequivocally the best, by far. When I walk into jazz band rehearsal, the lead alto (he is always there before me) always says "the bottom just arrived". I agree with you that without the low voices, the sound is not full. Also, on bari I get to play the sax soli parts with the rest of the sax section and I get to play with bass trombone on some parts, and I also get to counterpoint parts to the whole band. And, I get to play out, because the band needs a solid foundation.
Rectxfy - Critical Ops it’s a smaller and higher pitched saxophone than the soprano sax, and tuned in e flat, so it’s one octave above the alto I believe
I’ve been playing Sopranino for forty five years, try a legere plastic reed it will sound less like a clarinet. Sopranino reeds are ok but I always use legere plastic clarinet reeds
4:17 playing
Almost sounds like a clarinet. It does sound beautiful.
@Donald J Many people cry when they have to listen to saxophones.
@Donald J what you talking about at all?
It sounds more like an oboe to me.
Ehhh it sounds more like an oboe than a clarinet
@@I_leave_mean_comments 😅
The upper register sounds like a clarinet, the lower sounds like an oboe
I’m a clarinet player and the first thing i said when i saw this is “it’s literally a gold clarinet....”
That's what I thought
that is precisely why i want the sopranino
i'd assume that a sopranino player would say that a clarinet is just a wood sopranino with holes
I dare say ‘nino is completely different from clarinet. I play both.
This is a really good oboe
Sounds nice! Like a mix of clarinet and trumpet
I think it may be a mix of a (good) oboe and a trumpet.
this is kinda unrelated, but since you've played a soprano sax before i am thinking about getting one. i have played alto for 4ish years now and i wanna learn to play a soprano... What brands and body shape do you prefer
Soprano is great, and my personal favorite to play, but if you're so new to the instrument, I'd recommend spending money on upgrading your mouthpiece and ligature first. Truthfully, I'd rather have a great alto before I would invest in any soprano.
To answer your question, I love my Yanigisawa, and I prefer the curved shape.
I play saprano in 8th grade its fun
@@andrewz3854 What section do you sit in? Is the soprano popular, or are you one of the only players? I want to switch from alto to Soprano, and I'm in 6th
@@feitanportor6842 theres only 1 saprano
I love any curved bell sopranos as it can push the sound forward without having to lean up more.
I was kind of expecting that lava lamp behind you blow up on the high notes you were playing LOL....Kudos.
Hahaha! That would be something! No lava lamps were harmed in the making of this video.
It does have a distinct tone a little different from a regular soprano sax. I’m surprise a lot of pro sax players don’t play them. I kinda like the sound myself.😌🎷🎶
Great playing and musicianship, much enjoyed! You can use regular out-of-the-box soprano sax reeds too, they work just fine for the ‘nino. And, yes, RS Berkley saxes are a great buy and great instruments, I own a low A bari from them. Thanks for sharing!
Sounds great actually ....clarinet like....so I won’t have to learn clarinet fingering to sound like a clarinet.
Paul Dance as a clarinet player, I can tell you that’s a blessing. Clarinet fingering is wack man.
@@mds67991 not really lol
@John it overblows at the twelfth. So a saxophone G fingering gets you a G in the upper range of the clarinet but a C in the lower. In other words, the octave key is actually a 12th key.
@me notyou42 If you can play a Bb and an Eb sax interchangeably then clarinet should be easy to learn.
Erik that Nino does sound great, I’ve seen the brand around for some time. Looks like the RS Barkley is base on the Selmer Super Action 80, keyed up to high F#. Mine is Yani Keyed up to Ed/D#, I do want to get one keyed up to F# to go with my Yani.
I suggest using clarinet reads for it
Which one? Eb clarinet reed or Bb clarinet reed?
@@zjsjf3435 Eb clarinet reeds are a little long but work perfectly
What I will probably do is buy an extra box of Soprano 3.5 Plasticover Reeds, put each one on the sopranino mouthpiece and shave the sides down if necessary!!! I have been playing sax for 50 years and u learn to do what needs to be done to get the best results!!! And have been playing with Plasticover reeds for close to 25 years or more and stick with them over regular reeds because they stand up to the pressure of 15 hours of gigging every weekend!!! And when u get the strength you need, you will rarely change reeds!!!
@@zangsax Long? I thought they'd be shorter
It doesn’t really look that big on camera.
Mr. Donough (trying to be respectful, instead of referring to you as “Erik“, which is also my name even though it’s spelled with a C), your playing brings to mind a fantasy I’ve got of hearing the “Petite Overture” from the Nutcracker performed as a piano-soprano saxophone duet.
Thank you for the review. I'm an attorney player, I have an old curved soprano. I think this sopranino loos great!
"so where can I get one like this fromI've been playing saxophone for 18 years and I have yet to be able to touch one of those." 💙
I've been playing soprano sax for over 25 years, and play ALL of Kenny G's and Charlotte Church music, mainly classical music and sometimes jazz. I love it! I also play alto. Its crazy going from alto to soprano in the same session, just because the soprano takes so much less wind! I have 200+ instruments in my collection and play all of them. I also make violins, concert harps, guitars, and lap steel guitars, and do repair work on the side. I even use a medical endoscope for repairing from the inside without taking an instrument apart!
woah
To me, it sounds like a cross between an Oboe and a Clarinet. I love the way it sounds.
I like my Berkley alto lots. Got a mock Yani soprano and I want to expand my saxophone range from bari to soprano, to bass all the way to soprillo eventually.
Imagine playing an instrument that requires a single reed
*this post was made by the double reed gang*
Its the saxophone version of an Eb clarinet!!!
It is in the key of Eflat, that’s true.
Been looking for a melody that 94.7 fm would play in the early 2000s up in LA. No matter what i do, i cant seem to find it to shazam it; to my poor knowledge such melody is on sopranino sax and its got a contemporary sound to it. Pls help
I am looking for a sopranino sax for my nephew. my budget is up to $2,500. Any recommendation?
Great....let "us all know" what the cost would be "for a non-friend"....
The same price it would be "for me" -- $2,800 as of September, 2019
7600 for a the best sale possible for a selmer.
Too late, I already bought a Chinese Jinbao, it's great I love it.
"For not a crazy amount of money"
*is $2,800*
Dude, pro altos/tenors can easily be twice to three times that.
It is very cheap for a sopranino sax. Selmer's sopranino model is around $12.000. Of course, you get more quality, but for 4 times the price of the RS Berkeley.
@@diegoparra8178 Naw, I just saw a Conn-Selmer Avant - Sopranino Sax for about 2200.00
@@reubenyahsrael346 Well, of course with "Selmer" I meant Selmer, not Conn-Selmer, which is a separate maker whose quality standards fall quite below those of the French brand.
This is great! This video actually made me buy an Orsi curved sopranino. It is so fun to play. Whenever I bring it somewhere, someone will stare at me or comment on it.
RubberNut is the orsi good quality?
Wow indeed almost perfectly in tune!!!!
I never heard of RS Berkeley. Could you put a link to them in your description?
The Sopranino Sax has become a God for my high school marching band. Solely from the name.
My sorprano sax is coming tomorrow i can't wait 😊😊
Thanks for you video! Where can you find one like this to buy? Could you send me the link of a web page that sells it?
Model #?? What was the excerpt you played here ?
Have u ever tried a curved bell sopranino? I like those more cause they look smaller and more like the stereotypical shape of a sax but they are so rare.
Sadly, I haven't. This is actually the only sopranino I've ever played. Maybe someday!
What piece did you play???????!!!!!!!! I HAVE TO KNOW
It's like an oboe that doesn't sound horrible
2 years later, how has this Sopronino Sax held up?
Don't know. It's not mine, so I couldn't tell you.
I want one!
Sir do you sell this sax? This is selmer?
very oboe like
I have to check them out
Can you play sopranissimo saxophone as your first saxophone
No. I’ve been playing for 7 years, rookie numbers, and I would be surprised if I could ever get a note out without bursting a vein
Ex-instrument repairman here. We would see a lot of "no name" horns and 9.5 times out of 10 they're garbage... BUT looking at the construction and how evenly that instrument plays it would make me curious to see another fresh out of the box sopranino. Why and why would that be high praise? Because if they could hit the same quality you've shown in this video on a blind sample I would have no problem suggesting their sopraninos to anyone who asked.
Yeah, ok. How much?
For $3K it should sound "OK" give us a break....
Instead, I'll hit you with some actual information.
Often the prices of instruments like this are higher simply because they are rare, and the manufacturers have to create quite a bit of intricate tooling for such a limited run. Yes, $3,000 is not cheap, but when you consider that a new Selmer Series II can be as high as $12,000, this is a VERY good deal.
Ohh wow!! I need me one those NIñios!!! A retirement present perhaps??
You and me, both.
look at the way that he positioned his reed lol
I could have put it on backwards, but I decided against it.
If I recall, the Sopranino I played didn't go up to a high F#. Maybe only to high Eb or E. I don't recall the brand
Qual o nome dessa música??
You almost made me sooo mad. The whole video I thought that you were saying soprano wrong, then I seen the title
Don't even get me started on the soprillo!
It looks a clarinet....
hello I bought on the internet a sopranino sax brand lucian you know if it's a good brand, it sounds good but I feel it a bit out of tune especially in the high notes.
I bought a soprano saxophone before I watched this what do I do
Well now I need to find one of these as a saxophone player but I’m trying to find and get all now I have another one to add to the list only have the alto and just got a soprano which is never going to happen to get the one lower then this one to contrabass but I can wish
Les Silver??!!! I'm from NJ and I met him back in the early 1980s when I was looking for a VI alto.
That's the one! He's still in northern NJ. I went to school with his daughters.
@@edonough Way cool. Is it possible that he put me in touch with Russ Ackerman at the Dorn & Kirschner store in Union?
@@jpsned Sure could have! I had a mouthpiece in high school from Russ, and my first alto (a Vito) was from D&K!!
Actually, that was Bob Ackerman, but I remember D&K!
@@edonough I knew both Russ and Bob. In 1984 I bought a dirty, banged-up 1924 King soprano that needed a complete overhaul, and I think it was Les who told me that Russ could do it for me. So I took it to D&K. Russ took the horn and ran the bell over a motorized polisher. Voila! It shined as bright as the day it was made, so I was sold. Price for the complete overhaul? $150. (Amazing.) I guess Russ told me about Bob because I was eventually in the market for some mps. I drove up to Bob's house in northern NJ (I'm from central NJ just outside of Princeton) and we spent the afternoon trying out pieces. I think I bought two mps from him. I also brought my VI alto and told him it didn't seem to be playing as well as a VI should. He tried it out, put a new neck on it, and it played much better. I remember when I left, he had a nice smile on his face--I had given him a lot of money that day! So I owe a lot to those two guys!
The tone is absolutely amazing, better than any other sopranino playing i can find on YT.... is it because of the clarinet reed, the mouthpiece, or what?
That's very kind!
Are you going to record an example with a "regular" sopranino reed as well?
@@BleedingEdgeOfProgress No can do. I gave the sax back a year ago.
Hey sorry for coming back two years later but can you tell me what piece that is cause I have a soprano and I want to learn it
Remenber: this was in 1978 or 9. Likely before you were born!
An arrangement of Mozart violin sonata 😂❤️
Awesome! But can you add some places where you can buy some Sopraninos? I would love to own one myself, but cannot seem to find one. Thanks!
Amy Bilyk: WW&BW has an International Woodwinds brand ‘nino for @$1,600. I got mine from Sam Ash store in Orlando, FL. Their store brand is “Jean Baptiste”. Pretty good buy for the price: $1,300 plus tax, brand new.
music and arts has a few, the p. mauriat one is $3,379 but the brand is really good. there are two other ones listed around $2000 as well
Wessex tubas has one for about 600$.
You can find the RS Berkeley 'nino on Amazon, too.
try sax.co.uk. They sell everything from soprillo to contrabass, all brand new and play tested. Ships worldwide and has very fair prices.
I would love to see you play the piccolo sax, beautiful noise and its way small
Soprano sax is b flat and soprano b flat clarinet. It is a brass clarinet
my private teacher I studied with over 40 years ago had a Sopranino and he let me play it. I have not played one since ! I can get almost just as high on a Soprano
What about having a try on altissimo?
When you delete a comment for the third time because you didn’t get the response
You played so well!
Where do you get the reeds for it? There can’t be many sopranino sax players on the planet.
What happen. Como van a comparar el sonido de un soprano con el del clarinete. Prefiero el sonido del clarinete.
How would we order and get this sopranino sax?
I like this oboe
I have a beatiful silver Rs virtuoso alto, i love it!
this is literally just a high pitched clarinet
Looks like a Soprano Sax, not a Sopranino!
Do you still have this. Sax
@eric
Nope.
How much did that beauty cost you
I mentioned in the video that I didn't buy it. I was offered to borrow it by the owner of the company - RS Berkeley. Search for it, and you can find the current price online.
@@edonough thanks Erik
Is this played the same as a clarinet? Because i have a clarinet and they made sax from clarinet
Rather different fingerings, and it’s in Eb not Bb
Nice sound/tone. Sounds like a Soprano
Are there any online dealers for RS Berkeley? I'm not finding many RS Berkeley saxophones online and I can't find any sopranos (I did find a sopranino though).
Their dealer list is here -- www.rsberkeley.com/new-index-1/
Some of them may offer online purchasing, but you'd have to check.
mmh it sounds clarinet in good ...haha
Anyone know where I could get my hands on a sopranino sax?
John packer makes one for about 1k
THANK YOU! great to hear and see. Much appreciated...
I have one
Does RS Berkley rebadge Chinese horns like Jean Paul, Kessler and others do?
The horns are made in China, but I can't speak to whether they are re-badges or not. I really don't know.
@@edonough What I meant by re badged is the same Chinese factory will put a number of different names on what they make. Marketing names like Jean Paul, RC Berkeley, and probably a dozen others. If you buy more than a few they will put any name that you like on them. Not saying they are bad deals. If you bought direct from the factory it might cost $300. Once the retail;er here has their name on it it sells for $800. Which Chinese manufacturers are the best is the question that I do not have an answer for. Many also have different lines from poor to great.
Nice video! Soprano reeds also work. I use a 2.5 fibracell on a Chinese made sopranino and it blows freely. Legere makes sopranino reeds but doesn't work for me.
Hey dude, how's your intonation with the chinese sopranino?
@@ertugrulkaraduman5008 Hi Ertugrul! When I first bought the 'nino', it was a love and hate thing for me. That was about 6 months ago. I struggled for a long time to get a good tone with the right intonation. Then I found out that soprano reeds work and since I'm a Fibracell user, I bought a #2, chopped the length with a chisel, and it worked. So then I bought a Yanagisawa #7 nino mouthpiece from WWBW and it made the tone better. However, I have to push the mouthpiece all the way to make it in tune. The tuning improved but not quite there. So then, I got my Dremel and sawed off about 1/4" from the neck at the tip of the cork. That made the tuning correct as I needed to push the mouthpiece a little bit more.
The thing I noticed was that my air stream had to be continuous and really steady. So I did long tones and still, it wasn't sounding right. After a while, I shelved the nino and began practicing my new Yamaha tenor sax by doing long tones 2 or 3 times a week. Then one day, I picked up the nino and all of a sudden, it was so easy to play and my air stream was really steady. So that's how I got my intonation and tone really good_by doing long tones from the Tenor. Does that make sense? I guess the Tenor required more air support, which in turn made me able to control the nino better, even when i play it really soft.
I bought the Chinese nino from: www.ebaystores.com/professionalmusicalshop/. I have a good experience with this Chinese company, having bought my alto, soprano, and tenor saxophones from them over the years. They play really good out of the box. The nino cost me $750. It's a no name brand which I think is a stencil model that they make for other known companies that sell them here for $2K-3K. I couldn't justify buying an expensive nino because I'm not really a professional sax player. Ultimately, you'll agree with me that it's the player and not the sax model that matters. Before Covid, it takes about 7 days to ship the sax to me. These days, I think it takes about a month. Cheers.
BTW, I recently switched to a 2.5 Fibracell and that made my tone warmer.
Helpful
Helping helping
Hello Erik. Stumbled upon this video today, and I have some questions for you, if you ever get a chance to check 'em out. First, nice playing. I enjoy playing my Sopranino (as well as my Soprano and Alto) as often as I can. I'm out here on the west coast, north east of San Francisco. I got my Sop many years ago while I was still teaching (an had the extra funds to invest). At the time, I tried the Yamaha, Selmer and the Yani. Of those three, the Yani was the only one that played in tune with itself, with very little embouchure adjustment. That was the one I settled on. Had there been an RS Berkeley available, I might have tried that one as well. Glad you mentioned the "reed" thing - it was one of the first things I noticed at the beginning of the video. Did you eventually try that horn with a true Sopranino reed? I've never checked on it, but I wonder if you could use an Eb Clarinet reed too (in a pinch)? Now, it looks as though you have the opportunity to use the high 'fork F' fingering on that horn, correct? Is that how you got to the high F#, or was there a high 'F#' key for the right hand to finger? Unfortunately, my Yani doesn't have that option, which is why I might consider looking at a newer horn in the future. Would love to have the option of the high 'fork F' key, like on my Alto. My MK VI Soprano also is missing that fork fingering option too. Good playing and hope your teaching year has gone well.
Hey there. I didn't get to try that horn with a real 'nino reed, sadly. I can't remember for sure, but I believe this horn is keyed to F#. All the best!
What key is it in? Example a Soprano Sax is in Bb as is a Clarinet and thanks.
Saxophones have a pattern of alternating between Bb and Eb. The sopranino is in Eb just like the alto, bari, and contrabass. Then for Bb its soprillo, soprano, tenor, bass and subcontrabass.
@@rizzgamer thanks so much.
@@rizzgamer ... the best answer to a question asked a half dozen times in this post. I love owning my nino.
I want to hear the low register.
Hi there! I'm just curious to know, but do you have any info on where a sopranino sax would be played? I'm a college student studying saxophone and play both alto and soprano but have always been curious about the sopranino. Thanks!!
This does not exactly answer your question but a fun fact is that that the only classical piece written for sopranino sax was Ravel’s “Bolero”. Most of the time you hear Bolero played in real life a soprano is used but Ravel did write a sopranino in that piece. I have a 1925 Conn Sopranino and I find it easy to play too. That RS Barkley looks great. A nino s a great horn to travel with. My Rob Kunkel Facebook page has a photo of me playing a sopranino to a camel in Morocco. I had a great time playing with local people in Spain and Morocco.
@@robkunkel8833 oh wow, thank you for that info!! I didn’t know that the sopranino only has one official piece!
There are saxophone ensemble pieces that make use of it, and some niche pieces out there. The repertoire is not extensive, but it exists!
What brand is that Sopranino?
I’m not sure if he mentioned the brand ... R S something. lol. I have a 1925 Conn Sopranino and I do love it.
AWESIME SOUND.
WE HAD THAT IN MY ORCHESTRA WHEN I WAS 13YS OLD
WHAT KEY IS IT THOUGH.??
Mariachi Mexico USA
It’s an E flat instrument
Brent Breault wait it’s E flat? So I don’t have to take a few more years to play.
Is it e flat or b flat
It's E flat
man, ive been brass (euphonium specifically) for years. ive always wanted to try a woodwind instrument, but i could never get a good sound out of any of them. any particular recommendations to start?
It's all about embouchure, meaning the tightness and placement of your lips on the saxophone. Keep the pressure tight on the sides and a bit looser (but still sealed) on the tops and bottoms. Also, make sure that when you place the reed on the mouthpiece that it is a hair's width from the edge of the mouthpiece, not completely over the edge or too far behind it. I hope this helps👍 I wish you luck buddy
I personally find the alto sax much easier than the oboe or the clarinet. And allmost all people find the alto sax easier than the sopran(in)o saxophones.
Start with a recorder. Seriously, they teach you a lot about woodwinds
@Thomas Shelby ASMR connoiseur I got reasonably good at air control on recorder which made the transition to clarinet a lot easier, and I got better with fingerings on clarinet.
Do they not have palm keys
Yes, they have palm keys. They're really tiny!
Sopranino
and Soprano saxophones are only hard to play if they are cheap so another words if you buy cheap ones your literally setting yourself up for failure your best bet is to spend the money to buy an expensive one to have a more fun successful time
Yes, I agree. I have a Conn Nino from 1925 that I have loved for 6 years now. Professionally rebuilt when I bought it, I got it because a Vito that I had just could not play certain mid range notes.
@@robkunkel8833 it's facts like if you want to get good at soprano and have less problems with it when you first blow into it. Then have to buy a top of the line soprano and a more expensive mouthpiece don't go on Amazon to buy a soprano or a mouthpiece you're literally going to be going through hell on earth trying to make it sound good
Why are you skin-headed?
When I was 19, I noticed that my hairline had begun to recede. Throughout my 20's, I continually noticed that the hair in the middle of my head continued to thin out, while the hair on the sides of my head was thick. This is often referred to as male pattern baldness or alopecia, and the genetic makeup for hair coverage often is passed down from the mother's side of the family. I continued to style my hair as though nothing was different, but as I grew into my late 20's and early 30's, I noticed a further decline in hair coverage. When I was in my mid 30's, I decided that, rather than continue to accentuate the lack of hair on the top of my head by keeping my hair cut a bit longer, I began shaving off ALL of my hair. It was a personal decision, and one that made me feel more confident. I liked the look, although my daughter took a little time getting used to it. My younger daughter has only known me as bald. As a matter of fact, she loves to pat my head and say, "Daddy bald head!"
I haven't paid for a haircut for years now, and it is quite an enjoyable feeling to be bald, especially during the warmer months when I can only describe the feeling as refreshing. I often joke that it also allows me to run faster, as my head is more aerodynamic. This is a joke, however and not at all true. No amount of baldness could make me run faster, as I am not a professional runner. In fact, I'm not sure I would want to move more quickly by people out and about in public, as I would want to give them ample time to view and appreciate the sleekness of my non-hairdo.
@@edonough ありがとうございました。Thank you for your reply, let's enjoy our music life!
What is sopranino?
megan cahoon it’s the instrument in the video. one octave higher than the alto sax. in the key of Eb
That is a soprano not sopranino
Nope! Sopranino. That's why it's so tiny! 😂
Me in 6th grade, bari sax is the best!
Me in 7th grade, bari is fun but soprano is better
Me in 8th grade, SOPRANOS ARE THE BEST Bari not so much,
Highschool me, saxopnones soprano or higher my favourites but sometimes it really is the best just to play lower instruments because you do not have a full band without your bass instruments, (unless it's supposed to be your mid voices and high voices lol)
Bari is best, c'mon. I play sopranino to bari, and I can definitively tell you that bari is unequivocally the best, by far. When I walk into jazz band rehearsal, the lead alto (he is always there before me) always says "the bottom just arrived". I agree with you that without the low voices, the sound is not full.
Also, on bari I get to play the sax soli parts with the rest of the sax section and I get to play with bass trombone on some parts, and I also get to counterpoint parts to the whole band. And, I get to play out, because the band needs a solid foundation.
What is a “sopranino”
Rectxfy - Critical Ops it’s a smaller and higher pitched saxophone than the soprano sax, and tuned in e flat, so it’s one octave above the alto I believe
@@scottwatts9250 oh cool, thanks for the reply