David Pope wrote what I think is a real nice article on developing 
subtone playing ability.  He writes about trying to develop the 
flexibility of playing subtone on a lot of different notes and also 
being able to play tones seamlessly in between a full tone and 
subtone.

I think this is a really important and fun skill to master.  I like 
the combo on bari and tenor of using a high baffle MP and using this 
tone flexibility to darken up the sound as needed for certain playing 
situations.  Then you always have the full tone waiting in reserve.  
I find it reduces the number of mouthpieces you might otherwise want 
to use down to one or two.

Clients often want to sound like a certian player (Dex, etc) via a 
mouthpiece change.  I'm thinking of pointing them to this article 
first.  It will probably help them more.  

So many players get caught up in how bright or dark the sound of a 
particular mouthpiece, reed, or sax. 

There is tone, and there is perception of tone. 

First, edge disappears with distance.  A certain amount of edge is 
needed for good projection in a large concert hall.  The player may 
sound edgy up close, but at a distance, the tone is quite nice.

The way the player shapes the tone, with dynamics, vibrato, attack and 
release of the notes and phrases, also influences how we hear the tone.

Had a friend in college, a trumpet player, who was getting poor marks in 
juries for her tone.   The brass teacher, after careful listening to her 
commented that her basic tone was very good, but her tonguing was 
sloppy, giving the impression of a bad tone.  So, for the entire 
semester they did not work on etudes, scales, or anything but her solos 
and tonguing. 

At the next jury, she was ecstatic, all A's, and comments, "Tone much 
improved."

We CAN sound like Bird, or Desmond, or Dex, or Cannonball by immitating 
how they phrase, articulate, etc, more than worrying about the actual 
tone.  When you heard impressionist Rich Little immitate John Wayne or 
Ronald Reagan, it was not the actual tone quality of his voice you 
heard, it was all of these other factors that gained the effect.

Paul





Keith Bradbury wrote:

>
> David Pope wrote what I think is a real nice article on developing
> subtone playing ability.  He writes about trying to develop the
> flexibility of playing subtone on a lot of different notes and also
> being able to play tones seamlessly in between a full tone and
> subtone.
>
> I think this is a really important and fun skill to master.  I like
> the combo on bari and tenor of using a high baffle MP and using this
> tone flexibility to darken up the sound as needed for certain playing
> situations.  Then you always have the full tone waiting in reserve. 
> I find it reduces the number of mouthpieces you might otherwise want
> to use down to one or two.
>
> Clients often want to sound like a certian player (Dex, etc) via a
> mouthpiece change.  I'm thinking of pointing them to this article
> first.  It will probably help them more. 
>
>
>
>
>
> Got a Mouthpiece Work question?  Send it to MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
>
> Visit the site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MouthpieceWork to see 
> the Files, Photos and Bookmarks relating to Mouthpiece Work.
>
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>
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Hi
Could you provide a link, or a copy of the article.  You've peak my 
curiousity.
--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Bradbury" 
<kwbradbury@y...> wrote:
> 
> David Pope wrote what I think is a real nice article on developing 
> subtone playing ability.  He writes about trying to develop the 
> flexibility of playing subtone on a lot of different notes and 
also 
> being able to play tones seamlessly in between a full tone and 
> subtone.
> 
> I think this is a really important and fun skill to master.  I 
like 
> the combo on bari and tenor of using a high baffle MP and using 
this 
> tone flexibility to darken up the sound as needed for certain 
playing 
> situations.  Then you always have the full tone waiting in 
reserve.  
> I find it reduces the number of mouthpieces you might otherwise 
want 
> to use down to one or two.
> 
> Clients often want to sound like a certian player (Dex, etc) via a 
> mouthpiece change.  I'm thinking of pointing them to this article 
> first.  It will probably help them more.

Something that I have posted a number of times at SOTW, but will
repeat here: It is incredibly useful to listen to yourself as others
hear you. The simplest is to just set up a Walkman on record and play
while walking around...it is useful to narrate for later consumption.
I now have a pair of condenser mics in 'crossed-pair' config for good
stereo imaging set up in my studio and some wireless closed cup
headphones. I put this on a student and crank up the volume, so most
of what they hear is through the phones...they make rapid improvements
in tone in a single session. I use it for A/B'ing mouthpieces, horns,
etc all the time. Reminds me just how hard it is to change my basic
sound, regardless of how it 'feels' when I'm playing. Just like
everything in music, use your ears, and remember that what you feel is
not what others hear.

jeff

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, Paul Coats <tenorman@t...> wrote:
> So many players get caught up in how bright or dark the sound of a 
> particular mouthpiece, reed, or sax. 
> 
> There is tone, and there is perception of tone. 
> 
> First, edge disappears with distance.  A certain amount of edge is 
> needed for good projection in a large concert hall.  The player may 
> sound edgy up close, but at a distance, the tone is quite nice.
> 
> The way the player shapes the tone, with dynamics, vibrato, attack and 
> release of the notes and phrases, also influences how we hear the tone.
> 
> Had a friend in college, a trumpet player, who was getting poor
marks in 
> juries for her tone.   The brass teacher, after careful listening to
her 
> commented that her basic tone was very good, but her tonguing was 
> sloppy, giving the impression of a bad tone.  So, for the entire 
> semester they did not work on etudes, scales, or anything but her solos 
> and tonguing. 
> 
> At the next jury, she was ecstatic, all A's, and comments, "Tone much 
> improved."
> 
> We CAN sound like Bird, or Desmond, or Dex, or Cannonball by immitating 
> how they phrase, articulate, etc, more than worrying about the actual 
> tone.  When you heard impressionist Rich Little immitate John Wayne or 
> Ronald Reagan, it was not the actual tone quality of his voice you 
> heard, it was all of these other factors that gained the effect.
> 
> Paul
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Keith Bradbury wrote:
> 
> >
> > David Pope wrote what I think is a real nice article on developing
> > subtone playing ability.  He writes about trying to develop the
> > flexibility of playing subtone on a lot of different notes and also
> > being able to play tones seamlessly in between a full tone and
> > subtone.
> >
> > I think this is a really important and fun skill to master.  I like
> > the combo on bari and tenor of using a high baffle MP and using this
> > tone flexibility to darken up the sound as needed for certain playing
> > situations.  Then you always have the full tone waiting in reserve. 
> > I find it reduces the number of mouthpieces you might otherwise want
> > to use down to one or two.
> >
> > Clients often want to sound like a certian player (Dex, etc) via a
> > mouthpiece change.  I'm thinking of pointing them to this article
> > first.  It will probably help them more. 
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Got a Mouthpiece Work question?  Send it to
MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
> >
> > Visit the site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MouthpieceWork to see 
> > the Files, Photos and Bookmarks relating to Mouthpiece Work.
> >
> > To see and modify your groups, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> > ADVERTISEMENT
> >
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG9si0iu1/M15388.5543472.6613714.3001176/D=grplch/S05032198:HM/EXP99233643/A#72354/R=0/SIGid813k2/*https://www.orchardbank.com/hcs/hcsapplication?pf=PLApply&media=EMYHNL40F21004SS>

> >
> >
> >
> >
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >     * To visit your group on the web, go to:
> >       http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MouthpieceWork/
> >        
> >     * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> >       MouthpieceWork-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >      
<mailto:MouthpieceWork-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
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> >       Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>.
> >
> >

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, scoste@o... wrote:
> 
> Could you provide a link, or a copy of the article.  You've peak my 
> curiousity.

http://www.dornpub.com/saxophonejournal.html 

The site has info on how to subscribe and get single back issues.  SJ 
only has a few articles in a year that are of interest to me.  But 
those few make my subscription worth it.  I think we should support 
the only sax related magazine out there.