Everything Saxophone (Reviewed)

Brainstorming

2012-02-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

This week my sax is in the shop getting an overhaul. In light of the fact that I don't have it here to aid me in my usual exploration and blog post I thought I'd take the opportunity to ask for topic suggestions. I've been writing this blog for well over a year now, and I've mostly been reviewing and writing about what I'd like to or what I have access to. I'd like to know what readers of this blog would be interested in exploring. If you have an idea or a request please leave a comment below or email me at benbrittonjazz@gmail.com.

New Philadelphia Jazz Festival

2012-02-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Philadelphia has a new jazz festival on it's horizon: The Center City Jazz Festival. This could result in a serious rejuvenation of Philly's jazz scene, which has plenty of great musicians but not enough venues. Watch the cool promo video below, and stop by it's kickstarter page to show your support. The deadline is Feb. 23rd, and they still need help to get this project off the ground.

Update on Neckstrap and Ligature Position

2012-02-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

Lig to the back?

Yesterday I was experimenting trying to see if I could improve my saxophone playing experience, and I had two successes in a row. In way they were just reviews of my past experiments, but they made all the difference.

So here is where I started or what I've been doing normally. My neck strap has been in a position where the mouthpiece enters my mouth pretty much straight on - no angle up or down really. This is a pretty middle of the road neck strap position, not too high or low. My ligature, on the other hand, has been towards the very back of the mouthpiece.

Or to the front?!

Here is a clip with this neck strap and ligature position:

LigBackNeckstrapMiddle.mp3

Alright, not too bad, however the lack of lows has been bothering me recently. My first discovery was that by moving the ligature forward towards the middle of the mouthpiece I introduced some lows into the sound (possibly removed a couple of the highs), and I also decreased the air resistance of the horn.

Here is a clip with the new ligature position:

LigMiddleNeckstrapMiddle.mp3

I believe the slightly warmer sound is apparent on the recording, and you'll just have to trust me that this ligature position also feels easier to play.

Finally, I also experimented with my neck strap position. I pulled it a little higher than I normally would causing the mouthpiece to enter my mouth at a slight angle. It takes a moment to adjust to the new feeling and possibly lift your head. This higher neck strap position provides new highs to the sound without sacrificing lows, the most enjoyably vibrant of the three in my opinion.

Here is a clip with the neck strap raised and same ligature position:

LigMiddleNeckstrapHigh.mp3

Cannonball Big Bell Stone Series Tenor Sax

2012-01-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

I'm always searching for the next best thing whether it's a new interesting musical concept or a mouthpiece, so a couple of months ago I couldn't resist trying a really beautiful instrument that was hanging on my local Sam Ash's sax wall. I really enjoyed playing it, and I came back a couple more times just to continue trying the horn again. I've recently had an extended two day play test of the instrument, and, though I'm not replacing my Mark VI, this particular model by Cannonball is definitely unique and a great playing experience.

The Big Bell Stone Series comes with two necks, a traditional style neck and an underslung octave key style neck called the "Fat" neck. They each provide a different playing experience, and I'll start the review by outlining their differences. The Fat neck was my preferred of the two.

The Fat Neck

What initially interested me about this horn was its similarity to the vintage Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor I used to own. The similarities are very striking. The sound, though certainly not identical to an SBA, is warm, powerful, and somewhat spread. It is also very flexible, easy to inflect in all registers including the altissimo, and able to transform from warm and lush to punchy and thick. This kind of flexibility does requires good air support, and some might find the feeling a little too free-blowing. That free-blowing element also allows extreme control over dynamics and other subtleties that you can't always control as minutely otherwise.

Here are a couple of sound clips with the Fat neck:
Fatneck.mp3
Fatneck2.mp3

The Traditional Style Neck

The traditional neck is a little brighter in tone quality, but has less core to it. It is also more supportive in terms of air efficiency, which makes it feel slightly less free-blowing. It is still easy to inflect and mold the sound, however I didn't feel like I had quite the same freedom and control as I did with the Fat neck.

Here is a clip with the traditional style neck:
Traditionalneck.mp3

The Rest

The rest of the playing experience is great overall. The key work is solid. It feels slightly unique, but I was able to adjust easily to it. The biggest quirk in the key work is the distance of the left hand spatula (pinky) keys. They might have been a little too far for me. The intonation seems fantastic and easy to work with. Nothing stuck out there. Overall, this is a great horn and possibly my favorite modern horn so far.

Conclusion: A warm, flexible yet powerful, modern horn. A great playing experience.

Jonas Ganzemuller & Chris Cheek on Midnight Runner

2012-01-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

Today I want to share a brand new record from an excellent alto and soprano saxophonist, Jonas Ganzemuller. The record, Midnight Runner, is not only Ganzemuller's debut recording as a leader, but it also features one my favorite tenor saxophonists, Chris Cheek.

To start out here is a healthy portion of the track "We Play" featuring a solo by Ganzemuller.
We Play by Ganzemuller

Ganzemuller's strengths include his strong rhythmic approach, powerful sound, virtuoso technique, and decidedly modern concept of improvisation, which are all featured in the solo above. This clip fades out at the climactic point of the solo, but the actual track continues high energy as Ganzemuller explores the entire range of the saxophone and few different tonal centers along the way. This kind of improvising is what Ganzemuller is all about. Not that he can't deliver something more subtle though! The record presents a number of different musical situations, which shows Ganzemuller's depth as a player also.

Keeping it Interesting

Influenced by tenor saxophonists like Donny McCaslin and Chris Potter, it's not a surprise that Ganzemuller invites Chris Cheek, one of the giants of modern tenor saxophone, to play on the album. Here is a clip of Ganzemuller's composition "Bachage", featuring himself on alto and Chris Cheek on tenor.

Bachage by Ganzemuller

Chris Cheek takes the first solo on this track, and from the preview above you can easily hear his unique beautiful sound and improvisational concept. Also apparent is the artistry of Ganzemuller's writing. All the compositions on Midnight Runner are Ganzemuller originals. Interestingly, the style of his compositions are varied and he uses the opportunity to explore various feels from uptempo modern postbop to dirty acoustic funkiness.

Get the Album

A new release by an awesome player -- what more could you want? Get it at iTunes, CDbaby, or Amazon.

Phil-Tone Equinox Tenor Mouthpiece Reviewed

2011-12-26T06:17:00.000-08:00

Today I'd like to present a lesser known brand of mouthpiece, Phil-Tone. I recently heard about the brand, and now I've had the opportunity to try their newest model for tenor, the Equinox. The best introduction I can give this piece is that it is one of the extremely few hand crafted mouthpieces with a very reasonable price.

The Equinox' warmth, brightness, and power make it a flexible and usable piece. Most importantly it has a well balanced and unique tone with its own mix of dark and bright tone qualities. While having an overall round sound the piece has plenty of volume which results in a healthy projection and definition of sound.

The great construction and design of the mouthpiece give it a consistent playability throughout the range of the horn extending up into the altissimo register. The Equinox has a certain free blowing feel which is a great balance between power and expression. You can really push the piece without any distortion in the sound, and at the same time inflection and expression come easily. I will warn that the mouthpiece does have such an expressive ability that it could be easily exaggerated. Someone coming from a less easily inflected mouthpiece should expect a transition period in this respect.

Overall, this is a great mouthpiece. I'd like to add that I had a noticeable transition while my embouchure got use to this mouthpiece. This piece most likely has a slightly longer facing than my Otto Link which resulted in my adjustment period. Transitions and adjustments are necessary and expected with almost any new piece of equipment so no surprise there.

Here is a sound clip on the Equinox:
Blues Excerpt on the Phil-Tone Equinox

Conclusion: This is an affordable handmade mouthpiece with a flexible and unique tone.

Selmer Mark VI Reviewed

2011-12-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

After recently acquiring a Selmer Mark VI I thought it was only appropriate that I write a review of the horn considering it is arguably the single most important model in the history of the saxophone. After only spending two weeks on it I have to admit that I am floored by a saxophone I once thought over hyped. A lot has been said about these horns and I know I'm being a little redundant, but I feel like I can still add a little something to the conversation.

I'd like to start with the horns strongest points which, in my opinion, are its overtone thick sound and its supportive response. The tone is dark and bright all at the same time, and it sounds especially alive when compared side by side with various other horns. One of the really cool things I have found is no matter what acoustical space I'm playing in or what reed I'm using I feel like I get a full and vibrant tone when listening from behind the horn (while playing). Those perceptions have also proven correct when I have heard the same or better back on a recording. To top it off the Mark VI has plenty of carrying power and punch while the tone remains warm and beautiful.

I would characterize the feeling of blowing through the horn as being supportive and responsive. It's not as free blowing as other models (low resistance or back pressure was one of the qualities that I admired in my Selmer Super Balanced Action), however the horn works extremely efficiently with my air. At first I felt the slightly more resistant feel was hand cuffing me, but after hearing a few recordings of myself on the Mark VI I am convinced that the horn is simply putting my air to better use making it easier to produce a full sound 100% of the time. I am also convinced that the horn is more responsive making it easier to play more fluidly, more technically, and more expressively. It has taken a little getting use to, but it has definitely been worth the effort.

Other strong points include solid intonation and comfortable keywork. Something I'm not quite enamored with is the right hand thumb rest. I haven't quite adjusted to it and my thumb gets fairly uncomfortable during long periods of playing.

I would also like to throw my two cents down on a couple of other issues. My particular Mark VI is a factory relaquer and had a pick up in the neck at some point. I've played around eight Mark VIs very recently, including a pristine completely original 5 digit Mark VI, and my relaquer & neck pickup VI completely measures up to every other VI I've played. I just thought I'd let you know before you go drop 12 grand on a horn! That being said I did play a Mark VI that had braces built onto the side of the neck and that was a terribly dead horn. Do be cautious because there are certainly bad VIs out there.

I know there are hundreds of recordings of players on Mark VIs, but I thought I'd give you a few clips which you can compare to my other reviews.

Bridge and last A section of In A Sentimental Mood

Solo on Black Narcissus (comp. Joe Henderson)

Solo and melody out on Fall (comp. Wayne Shorter)

Conclusion: Selmer's Mark VI truly is a fantastic sounding and fantastic playing horn. Depending on what you are use to playing there might be a transition period, but it has definitely been worth it in my case.

P. Mauriat 66R Tenor Sax Reviewed

2011-12-02T07:03:00.001-08:00

Recently I had the chance to really get to know a P. Mauriat 66R Tenor, which was a very positive learning experience. The horn has a large number of strong points, and only a couple of weak points. This particular saxophone is on my list of favorite modern horns, which is a very very short list.

One of the 66R's strongest points is the fact that blowing through the horn feels extremely similar to a vintage horn. There is only a very light back pressure to the horn similar to a Mark VI or SBA. The amount of sound out for effort in is well balanced. Basically, its easy to scream or play at a whisper, and the horn is very easy to inflect and achieve your personal sound on.

The keywork of the horn feels great. I played this horn for a week, and by the time I was done I preferred the keywork and setup over my SBA and it felt weird going back. I played 4 different P. Mauriat tenors, and of the 4 only 1 had the spring pressure set up uncomfortably heavy. The 66R that I spent the week playing felt near perfect in terms of the keywork and setup.

The intonation of the horn is also very good. The palm keys require less work that I'm accustomed to keep in tune, and there were a number of other notes and registers on the horn that felt like it took less work to keep in tune. At the same time, the horn does have potential problems with intonation for different reasons, which I'll explain shortly.

The sound of the tenor is sweet, warm, vibrant, and big. The horn definitely projects as well. All of this should add up to a near perfect horn, however there is an Achilles' heel. The sound of the horn is SO warm that it doesn't quite have enough punch or edge to keep the player behind the horn completely informed of the sound. This interprets into having some difficulty hearing yourself clearly when playing very fast. There is also potential danger of intonation problems in result of this sound attribute. Finally, it also means that you have a kind of fixed warmth to your sound, which some players will dig and others won't. Every saxophone has its particular characteristic sound, and it's something you'll either love or won't.

Here are two clips from a live performance on this horn live at Twins Jazz in D.C.
AloneTogether66Solo.mp3 IsotopeSolo.mp3

Conclusion: This is a fantastic modern horn that blows like a vintage horn. It has great keywork and good intonation. The sound is sweet and vibrant, however it will be too warm for some players.

Recording and Perception

2011-11-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

Artistic beauty is difficult to pinpoint. Being extremely subjective, it can vary from one end of a spectrum to another depending on the individual. Beyond that the individual's vision and perception of beauty can be a changing measure. As musicians we listen for particular sounds that attract us, and the evolving musician, the active and seeking musician, learns to hear new facets of sound and expands or refines his or her personal definition of beauty in sound. An evolving perception of sound enables the musician to overcome barriers and enter new soundscapes previously unheard by that individual.

Just as the rest of art and music, the sound of the saxophone is interpreted differently by different listeners. No matter the interpretation an evolving perception of sound enables the saxophonist to reach beyond his or her current capacity. A beginner player is not capable of hearing the nuances in intonation or clarity of tone that a more experienced player hears, and for that reason the beginner more often plays out of tune or with a muddied sound. Hearing sound more deeply enables progression and evolution as saxophonists and musicians.

This is where my personal journey comes in. The times I have made the most progress as a saxophonist have been two time periods following being recorded professionally. Each time during the session I heard my sound on the recording more honestly than I'd been hearing it while playing, and each time I heard a defect or something about my sound I didn't like. From there I was able to hear and identify that quality while I was playing and begin to address it. I've been writing this blog for a year, and that has meant a year of regularly recording myself. During this time period I have had many of those sound realizations on a small scale, and all together they've made a huge difference. I've made strides in the clarity, control, and nuance of my sound.

I think it's important to point out that I didn't just listen more carefully. I identified the problem in the sound, and then experimented using my knowledge of saxophone technique gained through private study and masterclasses, through studying great players' sounds and approaches, through my own experimenting, and, significantly, through studying the knowledge that survived Joe Allard. The process has been trial and error in many respects, but it has been a continuous and definite progression forward.

Just as an illustration, following are two clips. The first is a recording made about a year ago when I first started the blog, and the second is from my most recent blog post. I'd also like to mention that these recordings were made on the same horn, mouthpiece, and brand of reed.

Early Recording Recent Recording

Rico Jazz Select Filed Revisited

2011-10-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

Sometime last year I reviewed Rico Jazz Select Reeds, and I've recently tried the Filed version again so I wanted to post an update. I accidentally purchased two boxes at the store, and before I realized my mistake I had opened the box! Disappointed I had made such a blatant mistake I slapped on on anyways, and there was something alluring about the sound. I've practiced with them this week, and decided to re-review them this week.

Here is a quick list of the highlights:

Clear & balanced sound
Only a small amount of punch or edge created by the reed
Fairly easy to keep a clear sound even after embouchure fatigue

This combination creates a reed that is malleable and easily shaped by the player, as opposed to reed that shaped the player's sound for him or her. The RJS filed reeds are much like a mouthpiece with a medium baffle that sometimes offers a wider sound palette than one with a high baffle.

As far as consistency goes, if you expect the same you get from most brands of reeds you'll be happy. Here are a couple clips from a recent playtest.

NoodlingRJSfiled.mp3 RhythmChanges.mp3

Chris Potter's Solo on "Ducks in a Row"

2011-10-21T05:37:00.000-07:00

In 2009 my brother John and I recorded our debut album, Uncertain Living, and asked Chris Potter to guest on a couple tracks. We were floored when he agreed to do it, and when it came time to record we were doubly floored by his playing. So much, in fact, that we transcribed his solos. I personally transcribed his solo on my composition "Ducks in a Row." Following are a link to an mp3 clip of the solo (I'm only sharing because I own the copyright to the music), links to the transcription for Bb, concert, and Eb instruments, and a fairly thorough analysis of Potter's solo.

MP3 Clip: Chris Potter's Solo on Ducks in a Row.mp3
Transcription PDFs: Transcription in Bb, Transcription in C, Transcription in Eb

Analysis

Note: I'll be referring to the BbTenor transcription in the analysis.

Harmonic Approaches

There are three main harmonicapproaches found in this solo. One is Potter’s use of both chordtones and upper extensions of the chord to form basic musicalbuilding blocks with a different tonal center than the original rootof the chord. Another is the anticipation and delayed resolution ofcertain chords. The last is his ability to create chord progressionsthat coast over the top of the original underlying chord. He usesthis approach to melodically and logically arrive at destinations faraway from the original chord and then to get himself back again.

The first two approaches are usedprimarily in the solo’s first section, which happens over a movingchord progression. Following are examples of the first approach inwhich chord tones and upper extensions become other musical sounds. Potter extracts a number of different sounds from these chords, andone of the most prominent is the pentatonic scale and its variations. In measure 1, Potter plays notes forming an F minor pentatonic scale(F Ab Bb C Eb) over an original F#Major7(#11)/F chord. The F minorpentatonic scale is formed using the 7th, 9th, 3rd, 11th, and 6th ofthe F#Major7. Because this is a slash chord the bass is playing an F and the F minor pentatonic sounds strong and natural. Potter usesa filled out F minor sound in measures 5 and 7 over the same F#Major7chord. On the F#Major7 in measure 3 Potter uses a Bb minorpentatonic scale (Bb Db Eb F Ab), which uses the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th,and 9th of the F#Major7. In measure 15, on the same chord, he uses asimplified Bb minor sound. In measure 9 on beat 3, during the samechord, he outlines an Eb minor arpeggio (Eb Gb Bb Db), which uses the6th, root, 3rd, and 5th of the original chord. These same type offormations are used over the other major chords that occur throughoutthe solo up until the vamp, which starts in measure 25.

Dominant chords receive a necessarilydifferent treatment. A D713(#9) in measure 12 has both a B minortriad (B D F#) and an Ab Triad (Ab C Eb), which use the 6th, root,and 3rd, and the #11th, 7th, and b9th of the D7. Potter plays an Amajor pentatonic b6 scale (A B C# E F) over the G7(#11) in bar 18using the 9th, 3rd, #11th, 13th, and 7th of the chord. In the firsthalf of both measures 23 and 24, Ab13#11 and Bb13#11 respectively,there are augmented major 7 arpeggios based on the 7th, 9th, #11th,and 13th of each chord. Potter plays a major arpeggio off the 9th,#11th, and 13th on the second half of measure 23, and on the secondhalf of measure 24 he plays a variation using an augmented triadinstead off the 9th, #11th, and 7th. Generally there are a lot oftriadic colors of all types as well as a few extended colors.

The delayed resolutions andanticipations happen consistently in the first section of the solo. The first anticipation occurs in measure 4 which is a D13(#9). Thelast half of beat 4 includes the note Db which does not relate to theD13(#9), but it is the 5th of the chord that follows in measure 5. In measure 6, which is DbMaj7#5, there is an Ab on beat 4. Ab,technically dissonant to DbMaj7#5, works as an anticipation being the9th of the F#Maj7#11 that comes in the following bar. In bar 7, ananticipation on the last half of beat four includes the two notes ofE triad, B and G#. The B only works in context of the chord thatfollows in bar 8, an F#min7 chord. In bar 8 (F#min7), the 4thincludes an A# as a resolution, which is an anticipation to theF#Maj7#11 in bar 9. Beat 4 of bar 9 (F#Maj7#11) includes the notesG and A as part of a clear DbMaj7#5 sound in anticipation of thatchord in bar 10. There is a possible anticipation using an Ab majortriad (Ab C Eb) on beat 4 of measure 12, which also works as analtered sound over the measure’s chord D13(#9), but the Ab triadcould also be seen as an anticipation of the F#Maj7#11 in thefollowing bar. Another anticipation occurs on the second half ofbeat 4 of bar 15, where a D is played foreshadowing the E713(b9) thatfollows in the next bar. These are all the significant anticipationsin the solo.

Delayed resolutions happen less often,but they are another way Potter varies harmonic rhythm. The firstdelayed resolution happens on the first beat of bar 3 (F#Maj7#11)where he continues to play the same DbMaj7(b6) sound that he playedin bar 2 (DbMaj7#5). The other delayed resolution happens in bar 21(EbMaj7b5) on the first beat where Potter plays an Ab minor triad (AbB Eb), which is a continuation of the Dbmin11 sound that happens inthe preceding bar. There is also one instance in bar 10 where notonly is the chord from the preceding bar (F#Maj7#11) continued overthe DbMaj7, but the resolution could be argued to not come until beat3 or 4 or even not at all. Delayed resolutions, though few, do playa part in creating the malleable harmonic canvas of the solo.

When measure 25 hits a D7 vamp begins,and Potter switches his harmonic approach and begins to createprogressions that shift over top of the vamp to explore territoriesthat have some, little, or no relationship to the original D7. Thefirst hint is given in measure 29, which starts out with an enclosureof the 5th (A) of the chord but then shifts to an enclosure of Bb andthen Eb suggesting an EbMaj7#11. The Eb tonality is resolved back tothe D7 in the following measure much like a tritone substitutionresolving to its I chord. The Eb material could be drawn from eitherthe D altered scale (D Eb F F# G# A# C) or from an actual shift inthe implied harmony to EbMaj7#11. In measure 34 Potter plays on AbMajor or F minor and then continues to Bbmin7 in the followingmeasure. The Bb minor is then resolved back to the D7. Since Bbminor shares so much in common with Eb7 the resolution back to D7 isagain very similar to a tritone sub resolution. In measure 36 Potterpicks right back up with the Bbmin7 and resolves it to an E tonalityaccentuating the consonant notes E and B only. Following on beat 4of measure 37 and continuing on into measure 38 Potter descends aminor 3rd to DbMaj7#11 foreshadowing the descending minor 3rd motionthat happens in measure 39. Following the DbMaj7#11 material hemoves to an Eb7 tonality. The Eb7 is resolved in the followingmeasure but only for a moment. In measure 39 Potter moves through aprogression of tonalities descending in minor 3rds spending only 2notes on each tonality. This is the bare minimum of the 5th movingto the root. The progression moves through the tonalities D, B, Fand D, but then he breaks from the pattern by defining a B minortriad on beat 4 and then moving down to Bb minor in measure 40. Thisentire progression is ended by a climatic ascension back into D7 inmeasure 41.

Coming into measure 45 Potter beginshis harmonic explorations again. The last three 16th notes ofmeasure 44 (Ab B F) define an Ab dimished triad, which is used totonicize the augmented Eb triad which comes on beat 1 of measure 45. The Eb augmented triad is decorated with neighbor tones, and it isfollowed by consecutive ascending parallel sounds seen very clearly by the top note of each phrase which ascend in whole steps. Becauseaugmented triads are symmetrical at the Major 3rd they each could becalled by 3 different names, but for the sake of simplicity I willrefer to them from their lowest note which also happens to be thefirst note of each phrase. The ascending parallel sounds consist ofthe original Eb augmented triad at the beginning of measure 45,followed by an A augmented tonality, and in the second half ofmeasure 46 a B augmented triad completes the parallel ascendingsounds. The first tonality could be alternately analyzed as anAbmin(Maj7) when analyzed starting from the Ab at the end of measure44. This alternate analysis illustrates the ascending voice leadingwhich happens with the lowest note of each consecutive phrase (Ab toA to B). Combining the augmented triads in measure 45 results inthe Eb whole tone scale, which could have been the source for thisprogression. This Eb7#5 again suggests the tritone sub of the Vchord, which is exactly what we get as the final B augmented triadresolves to an A half-diminished in measure 47 with a neighboring Abdiminished triad in the second half of the measure, which resolvesthrough descending half step voice leading (B on beat 4, Bb on theand of 4, and A on beat 1 of) back to D7 in 48.

Potter finds another point of departurein measure 51 where he superimposes F7 which continues throughmeasure 52. A fully diminished F#7 arpeggio is introduced inMeasure 53 which becomes an Ab7#9 arpeggio. On beat 2 of measure 54there is a quick appearance of an E major arpeggio which is followedby an F#min7 arpeggio continuing through the end of the measure. This is followed by a descending Emin7 arpeggio in measure 55 andthen an Ebmin7 arpeggio. Following, in measure 56, comes Bb minorpentatonic, and from here we get our familiar resolution from Bbminor to D7.

The last significant harmonic departurecomes in the second half of measure 67. On beat 3 there is a quickappearance of a B tonality (B and D# only), which shifts to Ab majorgoing into measure 68. The Ab major is followed by Db major, whichresolves back up to D7. The Db major shares all its notes with Bbminor and Eb7 and appears to be another variation of the Bb minor orEb7 to D7 resolution.

The most common theme appears to be theexploration of the Ab Major scale including Bb minor, Db Major, andEb7. Potter gets a lot of mileage out of a few sounds by creativelyvarying the way he uses them. There were also some directionalprogressions like the tonalities descending in minor thirds inmeasure 39 and the descending minor 7 arpeggios in measures 54 and55. Potter manages to completely depart from the D7 tonality in allof his harmonic departures, and he manages to take the listener withhim through his musical logic and melodic ingenuity.

Melodic Structures

Potter uses many of the normal melodicelements you would expect to find in a jazz solo including modes ofthe major scale, melodic minor scale, and diminished scale,arpeggiation of major, minor, augmented, and diminished sounds, andblues and pentatonic sounds. Potter decorates these soundsapproaching and surrounding goal notes using both neighbor tones fromthe original scale and chromatic neighbor tones. As discussed abovethese sounds appear in consonant settings as well as in verydissonant setting. When used dissonantly the natural strength ofthese melodic structures give the ear something to hold on to. Onedevice that he uses, less easily explained by traditional jazztheory, is his intervalic structures or lines which are formedprimarily by a common interval or set of intervals.

The first appearance of an intervalicline is in a consonant setting starting in measure 31 continuing tothe down beat of measure 33. The main interval used is a tritone andis the naturally occurring tritone in D7, C to F#. These notes aredecorated by chromatic lower neighbors B and F, which are twiceplayed consecutively giving the line a second tritone. At thebeginning of the line the C and F# tritone takes aural precedence,but as the line progresses the B and F tritone becomes an importantpart of the line.

A progression in measure 39, mentionedearlier in the harmonic analysis, also has a very strong intervaliccomponent. This line consists of ascending perfect fourthsdescending in minor thirds. After the line breaks its sequence theperfect fourth remains an integral part of the phrase. The openingsequence of perfect fourths does imply harmonic movement but alsostands by itself without the harmonic implications due to itsintervalic integrity.

Other than these two examples themelodic sounds in this solo are generally easily defined, and Pottermostly uses conventional melodic techniques here. It is hisunconventional harmonic setting and rhythmic setting of the commonmaterial that keeps it fresh and personal.

Use of Rhythm

There are a wide variety of rhythmictechniques used throughout this solo. Hemiolas, diminution,poly-rhythmic phrases, as well as the idiomatic techniques oftriplets and alternating accents are all found in the solo. Pottertends to intermix all of these techniques freely giving the rhythm anelement of unpredictability.

The opening pre-vamp section of thesolo is characterized by shifting in between 16th note based rhythms,32nd notes, 16th note triplets, and even the occasional quintuplet orseptuplet. Hemiolas also help create rhythmic interest in theprevamp section. The first hemiola begins on beat 4 of measure 7 andis formed from four 16th note triplet beats. Three of the tripletbeats are given the pitches of a descending triad and the fourth is arest. The hemiola continues until beat three of the followingmeasure where it shifts into a snaking descending pattern. Thephrase is ended by two consecutive occurrences of the originalhemiola pattern displaced by the inserted descending pattern. Adiminution forming a hemiola is found in measures 15 and 16. Theoriginal rhythmic pattern is made up of two sixteenth notes of anunvarying pedal pitch on the upbeat followed by an 8th note of avarying higher pitch on the down beat. The pattern is introduced onthe second half of beat 1 in measure 15. The diminution is found onthe second half of beat 4 in the same measure when the pattern isshortened to a hemiola group of three 16th notes. The first 16thnote receives the original pedal pitch and the second 16th receivesthe varying higher pitch. The third 16th of the group is simply arest. This diminution of a duple pattern forming a hemiola gives thephrase a strong forward energy.

Once the vamp starts there is astronger emphasis on the16th note subdivision. Though thesubdivision becomes more stable there is still a wide variety ofrhythmic techniques present. In the first measure of the vamp,measure 25, Potter starts a short phrase on the second half of beatone. The first note of the phrase is then used to start a variationof the same phrase only this time its played starting on the beat. This is a rhythmic displacement of a similar phrase, and itstrengthens the groove. There is a diminution in measure 29 when apattern of four 16th notes played on beats 2 and 3 is shortened to agroup of 3 16th notes on beat 4. Potter also shifts the accent fromon the beat on beats 2 and 3 to off the beat on the second half ofbeat 4. More rhythmic displacements can be found in measures 37-38and 39-40. One last example of Potter’s use of rhythm is a poly-rhythmic phrase starting in measure 61. Its starts with a quintupletspanning beats 2 and 3 moving into a triplet. The phrase continuesshifting between triplets and groups of 4 over three 8th notes on thelast three 8th notes of the 7/8 measures. Though the subdivisionswitches back to duple in measure 66 the 4 over 3 continues to befound in the next 7 bars until the end of the solo. These exampleswere the more prominent examples of rhythmic variations found in thesolo, but, as mentioned in the introduction to this section, thereare other techniques and examples found throughout the solo.

Conclusion

Potter is extremely creative both inharmonic movement and in rhythmic variation. He manages to take thesame melodic material traditional jazz musicians have been workingwith for nearly a hundred years and make it sound fresh andappealing. Similar to Charlie Parker, Potter drives his linesforward rhythmically giving the solo a continuous forward momentumbuilding lots of energy on the way. It is also important to notethat even in his most climactic moments there is a strong rhythmic,melodic, and harmonic accuracy. The strength of this solo is shownin these climactic moments where Potter continues to creativelyimprovise despite the velocity and intensity of his playing. Hiscreativity, sometimes unconventional, and clearly expressed ideasmake this a truly great solo.

Up Tempo Playing: Common Problems and Fixes

2011-10-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Charlie Parker, one of the best up tempo players

Today, I want to write about playing fast tempos. It's something I think most people enjoy hearing, and something we all work on at some point or other. Today's post is aimed at addressing a couple of common problems that manifest themselves more dramatically when saxophonists play at fast tempos. The fact is that when we play music that is more technically demanding it's easier for us to lose focus and we often do, so here are two of the major things you can easily lose sight of.

Tongue Position, Air Support & Playing Up Tempo

Tongue position and breath support are easy enough to let slip a little especially after you've been playing for a while. Simply being aware of your air support and tongue position can have a great overall effect on your playing. For those of you who are asking what this tongue position nonsense is, I'm talking about the position of the back of your tongue in the back of your mouth. That is part of what helps focus your air and therefore affects your sound and intonation. A low tongue position results in dead and often unsupported sound as well as low intonation problems. A high tongue position focuses your air, sends it faster through the saxophone, and results in a more vibrant sound, a generally supported sound, and less work for your embouchure. Here are two examples, the first with a low tongue position and the second with a higher tongue position (forgive the reediness of the reed).

Scale without proper tongue position.mp3 Scale with proper tongue position.mp3

The first has unsupported sounding messy intonation, and you can even hear the extra pressure my embouchure is giving to try to compensate in the extra edge, fuzziness, and more strained sound. The second clip in contrast has a more supported in tune sound, and the sound is freer and more relaxed as my embouchure is doing less work.

A great way to train your tongue position is through doing various overtone exercises. I also suggest experimenting with different tongue positions while recording yourself and see what you can figure out. As far as air support goes, it's widely known that good air support is required for a good sound even when playing softly.

Articulation, Time & Burning

Articulation can be problematic for several reasons. A major problem can present itself when our articulation interrupts our tongue position. Interrupting tongue position interrupts the focus of the air flow and then wreaks havoc on our sound.

Here is an exercise, allegedly suggested by Joe Allard. Play a nice loud low Bb. While sustaining the note tongue the note repeatedly, but tongue it with the lightest possible articulation. You should maintain a high volume while tonguing very lightly. I have found that this exercise trains my tongue to maintain a good position while articulating. I often use this as part of my warm up, and I find my articulated playing is immediately better afterwards.

Another common problem with up tempo playing and articulation is when a player doesn't articulate much at all. The result is often not fantastic time, and playing that is less rhythmically interesting due to total lack of accents. Accents add depth to the rhythmic palette and are a significant part in the up tempo playing of guys like Bird and Cannonball. Following are two examples. The first lacks articulation and the second includes it.

Up tempo without articulation.mp3 Up tempo with articulation.mp3

Articulate!

Keeping a Loose Enough Embouchure

2011-10-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

Coltrane's frowing embouchure
The frown is my embouchure of choice.

I often write about things I discover in my own practice, and today's post is the result of a few years of discovery as well as the result of some good advice from guys like George Garzone.

Symptoms

Embouchure problems come in many forms, and two of the most common are too tight and too loose. Symptoms of an overly loose embouchure include:

Exaggerated inflections, sounds immature and uncontrolled
Out of tune (often flat) and out of control sound
Unsupported sounding, difficult to maintain an even tone

Symptoms of an overly tight embouchure include:

Strained, tense sounding
Can sound very edgy depending on lip position
Inflections and vibrato don't sound clear or effortless (sound strained)
Smaller sound

Chris Potter Sound Comparison

So that we have a clear idea of what I'm talking about check out the following clip of Chris Potter. Listen to how lipid and clear his sound is starting around 2:20. All his inflections sound very easy and his sound overall comes off as effortless (Not that he's not working! He just doesn't let it show.).

Train

Now check out Potter blowing on a different album. Listen to his solo starting around 3:50. This time you can hear many of the symptoms of the overly tight embouchure. The tone doesn't sound as effortless or as beautiful as the first example.
The Wheel

My point is just to illustrate the difference and to show that an overly tight embouchure can get the best of us (wrong reed, exhausted chops, etc.).

The Problem

The root of the problem is that a too tight embouchure is doing the job that your air support and tongue position should be doing (If you are wondering what I am talking about with tongue position you should read this post, here, which gives a number of voicing exercises in preparation for altissimo.) Other causes can include a too thick reed strength or chop fatigue. Even if you do have good breath support and tongue position an overly tight embouchure can be a pain to correct. Often your lip muscles won't respond nicely to your conscious command to chill out and relax. Once they are in the habit of being too tight they need more than conscious thought to convince them to relax. They need to feel that the work they are doing (keeping things in tune) will be carried out without them.

Your first job is to make sure you are doing overtones or other voicing exercises and playing with good air support. If you are doing these things than you are practicing good saxophone intonation habits and are ready to loosen up your embouchure.

The Loosening

This is a simple and painless process. Push your mouthpiece further in on your cork than normal. Now play along with an in tune sustained pitch like a tuner note. Keep a straight tone, good tongue position, and solid air support. At first you should be a little sharp (as long as you normally play in tune). Hold out the pitch evenly (no vibrato) and let yourself match the pitch. Don't slacken your air support or lower your tongue position. Let your lips gradually relax into your new intonation set point. Once you feel like your playing in tune experiment and see if your sound is more relaxed, easy to inflect, etc. It definitely should be. If not try pushing the mouthpiece in a little further and repeat the process.

After you feel like you've sufficiently loosened your embouchure play for a while and reintroduce the sustained reference pitch whenever you feel those overly tight embouchure symptoms creeping back in. This will reconfirm to your embouchure that it can remain sufficiently loose as your intonation will become sharp when they are too tight.

Doing this I'm able to maintain a sufficiently loose embouchure even with a reed that is a little too hard or out of whack. The basic function here is letting your lips relax by pushing in the mouthpiece and then giving yourself a reference point. Revisit this exercise any time you need and you should be able to maintain a sufficiently relaxed embouchure.

Follow up on Rhythmic Ideas

2011-09-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

I wanted to follow up on my post of rhythmic ideas with some recordings to demonstrate a few of the concepts. Rhythm needs to be felt as well as understood, so hopefully these recordings will help.

The following are just a few points from original post found here.

Phrasing

Try connecting a few melodic ideas you would normally play separately, or just try extending a phrase farther than you normally would.

Extending a phrase.mp3

Try playing a series of shorter phrases, or break up a longer phrase into shorter phrases. Also, try breaking up longer phrases by inserting held notes.

Breaking up a phrase.mp3

Cross Rhythms and Polyrhythms

Experiment with basic cross rhythms, grouping your 8th notes into melodic ideas that accent every third or fifth note.

3 over 4 cross rhythm.mp3 5 over 4 cross rhythm.mp3

Try the most basic polyrhythm, triplets. Try playing phrases of continuous triplets instead of 8th notes.

8th notes vs. triplets.mp3

Saxophonists Shauli Einav & Matt Marantz

2011-09-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I wrote about Brian Girley, an up and coming saxophonist, and today I want to introduce two more young saxophonists, Shauli Einav and Matt Marantz. These two guys have completely different approaches to music and are both playing on a very high level.

Shauli Einav's Opus One

Shauli Einav's most recent record, Opus One, is a meeting of the jazz tradition and Einav's heritage which he seemingly effortlessly combines in interesting and imaginative ways. Throughout the recording Einav draws from musical elements of Israel, traditional jazz, and from today's jazz. He manages to blend everything without sounding cliche resulting in an original and beautiful album.

The writing on the recording is fantastic. Einav combines his influences writing compelling music that is not predictable and keeps you wanting more. The musical elements drawn from his heritage are incorporated in a way that strengthen the compositions and expand the jazz idiom. Most of the tunes have a memorable and unique approach when compared to each others, which keeps the writing and the record sounding fresh.

Einav's saxophone playing also draws from his various influences. These elements combine to form his very personal voice on the saxophone. While he draws from many places he is still first and foremost a jazz saxophonist, and you can clearly hear his mastery of the jazz tradition. His strengths as a player and a writer, combined with the great playing of his fellow musicians make for a great recording.

Stop by www.shaulimusic.com to find out more about Shauli Einav and get the album.

Matt Marantz' Offering

Offering, Matt Marantz' debut album, serves as a bold statement of his musical personality. The music is clearly drawn from the more recent generation of jazz, and Marantz creates its beauty through its depth of harmonic and melodic language. Marantz has painted a complex soundscape matching his modern yet very approachable aesthetic.

Marantz' saxophone playing is on display in this record. He has mastered the saxophone to the point that he effortlessly communicates his musical ideas with ease and beauty throughout the record. His improvisation draws from today's genre of saxophone playing, and his approach to sound is clear, emotive and never sullied. His playing is one of the strongest aspects of the record, and the record is worth checking out just for that alone.

The band is tight and comfortably weaves through all of Marantz' intricate compositions. Each member makes a strong contribution to the album. Most importantly, Marantz leads and shapes the group with his impelling compositions and excellent playing.

Go to http://www.mattmarantz.com to grab the album.

Tito Puente Masterworks Live & Brian Girley's Faith

2011-09-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'd like to share that a recording I performed on, ‎"Tito Puente Masterworks Live!!!", was nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album at this years Latin Grammys. I'm excited to have performed on a nominated album! Click here to see the nominees.

I also wanted to share an amazing record with you from a saxophonist of the up and coming generation.

Brian Girley's Faith

Faith is Girley's debut recording as a leader and is an impressive fusion of his melodic and singable writing with the virtuoso and intense solos from the entire group. The recording is multifaceted and represents a range of influences. It remains deep, complex, and musical, while still appealing to the general listener.

Girley's musical instincts are on display throughout the record. Both his improvisations and compositions have beautiful architecture which ebbs and flows in a way that keeps the listener interested and engaged. Brian is a fantastic soloist as well. His melodic lines, harmonic approach, and intensity serve as a sure foundation to his improvisation. Go check it out... now!

Featured on the record are cohorts Julian Shore, Gilad Hekselman, Linda Oh, and Ross Pederson.

You can hear the music and get it directly from Brian's website here.

Track Listing:
1 Could Be Something

2 Bass Intro

3 My Cross to Bare

4 Faith I

5 Judas Kiss

6 Faith II "the backsliders prayer"

7 Mating Complex

8 Cover 2

9 Enduring

Rhythmic Ideas for Improvisation

2011-09-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes players spend a lot of time learning harmony, scales, and related concepts for improvisation, but they don't always spend enough time developing their rhythmic command. Today I wanted to give you some different ideas for practicing and expanding the rhythmic element of your improvisations.

Syncopation and Articulation

Time feel is defined in part by the which notes are articulated and accented. Here are some simple ideas to expand your ability to articulate and accent in different ways:

Practice the most basic jazz articulation, tonguing the upbeats.
Grab an omnibook or transcribe one of Charlies Parker's solos, and play along with the recording. Make sure you are articulating and accenting along with him. You'll find he alternates between upbeats and downbeats depending on the phrase.
Experiment with some of your favorite melodic ideas, accenting their various peaks (like Charlie Parker often did). Experiment accenting other notes in the phrase instead. The more you familiarize yourself with the possibilities you'll find combinations you like and come back to.
Try tonguing every third note, which creates a 3 over 4 cross rhythm.
Experiment with different kinds of articulations in various combinations including legato, staccato, or tonguing every note in a given phrase.

These concepts can all be heard in the solos of rhythmic players like Parker, Rollins, and Potter.

Phrasing

The rhythm of a phrase is equally as important as its melodic contour. Following are some techniques for developing the rhythmic framing of your melodic ideas.

Try starting on different points in the measure including each beat (1, 2, 3, 4) and the & of each beat as well.
Practicing beginning your phrases with different rhythmic values including eighth notes, quarter notes, longer held notes, and various triplets.
Make sure you punctuate your melodic ideas. Give each phrase an ending, as opposed to playing running 8th notes ad nauseum.
Also, experiment ending the phrase at different points in the measure and ending with different rhythmic values.
Try connecting a few melodic ideas you would normally play separately, or just try extending a phrase farther than you normally would.
Try playing a series of shorter phrases, or break up a longer phrase into shorter phrases. Also, try breaking up longer phrases by inserting held notes.

These techniques are meant to give you more possibilities. Take what you like and throw out what you don't.

Cross Rhythms and Polyrhythms

Cross rhythms can easily add intensity and energy to a solo while polyrhythms add another level of rhythmic interest.

Experiment with basic cross rhythms, grouping your 8th notes into melodic ideas that accent every third or fifth note.
Try the most basic polyrhythm, triplets. Try playing phrases of continuous triplets instead of 8th notes.
Now play cross rhythms with your polyrhythms. Group your triplets into melodic ideas that accent every second, fourth or fifth note (Ouch!). Also, try articulating every other triplet note similar to a basic jazz articulation.

If you've made it this far you should be able to think of some other things to try out all by your lonesome.

To finish it out, here is a solo over a Bb blues where I use a fair amount of the above ideas.

Enlightened Ligature by Theo Wanne (Reviewed)

2011-08-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

The last of this set of Theo Wanne reviews is something affordable, his Enlightened Ligature. To me, ligatures are a funny subject simply because there are so many options out there, yet I have't found many that I like or would recommend. The Enlightened Ligature comes pretty close to the mark though, and is available for a large selection of mouthpieces.

A ligature needs to be functional, easy enough to use, and provide the closest version of the sound you're going after. So, how does the Enlightened Ligature measure up? Its definitely functional, meaning it holds the reed securely and easily. It's fairly easy to use, at least a little easier to use than the traditional ligature for a metal Otto Link. Finally, the sound is focused, powerful, and light on its feet.

Sound clips from the play test, Enlightened Ligature + Florida era metal Otto Link:
Ben Plays Enlightened Lig.mp3, Ben Plays Enlightened Lig 2.mp3

Comparison with my vintage metal Link ligature:
The vintage Link ligature does not hold the reed as tightly as the Enlightened ligature, and is slightly more annoying to use. The vintage Link ligature sounds more spread, has a somewhat darker tone quality, and is a little more versatile in terms of tone color.

Comparison sound clips:
Ben Plays Vintage Link Lig.mp3, Ben Plays Vintage Link Lig 2.mp3
Ben Plays Modern Link Lig.mp3

I included the modern link ligature sound clip so you could hear something that really contrasted with the Enlightened ligature. The modern link ligature has a much darker and warmer sound than both the vintage link ligature and the Enlightened ligature.

Conclusion: The Enlightened Ligature is a very functional, easy enough to use ligature with a focused, powerful sound.

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Theo Wanne Reviews: Gaia Metal and Hard Rubber

2011-07-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned last week, Sam Ash recently started carrying Theo Wanne's mouthpieces, so I've had a fresh infusion of mouthpieces to review. Today's subjects are the metal and hard rubber versions of the Gaia, which are Theo Wanne's interpretation and modern version of a combination of classic vintage mouthpieces.

Metal Gaia

Metal Gaia from all sides

I need to preface this review - This is my favorite modern metal mouthpiece I've played. It sounds fantastic and feels fantastic. I'll try to keep the review on point despite my excitement.

Much like the previously reviewed Theo Wanne pieces, the metal and hard rubber Brahma, the metal Gaia's tone has a solid core somewhere in between dark and bright. The overall tone of the mouthpiece leans slightly towards the bright side. Its tone is extremely similar to my Florida era metal Otto Link, only the Gaia is slightly brighter. The metal Gaia's tone color does have some flexibility. I could push the mouthpiece towards brighter and darker colors fairly easily. A lack of flexibility in tone color and a one sided sound were two of my major complaints against the previously reviewed Brahma, but the Gaia is more flexible and malleable making more variations in tone color possible. The piece has plenty of power. The sound has enough punch to make it immediate and cutting but not so much that it becomes edgy or abrasive. Overall, the piece can achieve a sound that is beautiful, versatile, and powerful.

The feeling of blowing through the mouthpiece is very comfortable. There isn't too much or too little resistance. You can easily push the mouthpiece to its limit without fear of losing control or feeling uncomfortable. There is, however a variation in the resistance. There is a slight increase in resistance as you ascend the range of the saxophone, so the lowest notes feel the easiest and by the time you reach the altissimo register there is a small but noticeable increase in back pressure. The increase wasn't enough to bug or hamper me during the play test.

In terms of control the mouthpiece leaves little to be desired. The dynamics, articulation, and register changes all responded smoothly and very quickly as you'd expect from a high quality hand finished mouthpiece.

Here are some clips from my play test session:
Ben Plays Giant Steps on Metal Gaia.mp3
Ben Plays on Metal Gaia.mp3

Conclusion: This is a flexible mouthpiece with a powerful and immediate tone leaning slightly towards the bright side of the spectrum. It feels great to play and has no glaring flaws.

Hard Rubber Gaia

3D right?

The hard rubber version sounds very similar to the metal version. It has the solid core, plenty of power, and a nice mix of highs and lows. The main difference between the two versions is just the fundamental difference between the sound of a hard rubber mouthpiece and a metal mouthpiece.

Playing the piece does feel somewhat different however. The hard rubber Gaia feels a little more resistant than I'm used to. That resistance is even throughout all registers of the horn though. I wouldn't say the resistance is too much but it is apparent.

The control of this mouthpiece, like its metal counterpart, is flawless. There are absolutely no road blocks in terms of articulation, changes in dynamics, changes between register, and changing between full tone and subtone.

Here are some clips from my play test session:
Ben Plays Giant Steps on Hard Rubber Gaia.mp3
Ben Plays on Hard Rubber Gaia.mp3

Conclusion: The hard rubber Gaia has flexibility, punch, vibrance, and a nice mix of highs and lows in the tone. The mouthpiece is slightly more resistant compared to its metal counterpart, but it has great control and feels good otherwise.

Theo Wanne Reviews: Brahma Hard Rubber & Metal

2011-07-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

Theo Wanne's Brahma, both hard rubber and metal models, are under review today. These have recently become widely available, at least out east, through Sam Ash. Sam Ash is honestly becoming one of my favorite music stores due to carrying a nice assortment of sax stuff (my reeds are pretty well priced too).

The Brahma models are part of what Theo calls his "Performance-Line", which is basically the little brother of the "Pro-Line" in terms of cost. A cheaper production process gives the Performance-Line a few hundred dollars advanctage, however these are still costly mouthpieces - $435 for the metal Brahma and $375 for the hard rubber Brahma.

So, what do you get for your $400?

Brahma (Hard Rubber)

The hard rubber Brahma's tone is a nice mix of bright and dark. Its sound has a solid core, which side steps any complaints of a thin sound, but it also has some brighter overtones in the sound giving it power and projection. I do have a complaint, and that is that the mouthpiece is somewhat one sided in its tone color. Though you can push its tone color boundaries, the tone doesn't feel as malleable as some other mouthpieces I've played including Theo's Pro-Line pieces which I'll review in the near future.

The mouthpiece has a healthy amount of back pressure or resistance, actually a bit more than I'm use to or like (on my Florida era metal link). However, the resistance is in no way extreme and is very even from the bottom of the horn up through the altissimo register. The resistance did allow me to push the mouthpiece to loud volumes without losing control. That tends to be the trade off - more resistance often equals more control at higher volumes.

The mouthpiece was easy to control in almost all aspects including intonation, articulation, and dynamics. It responded quickly and easily. In this way it was everything you'd expect from a near $400 mouthpiece. I would like to say that you can get this level of control for somewhat less money. Both the Saxscape mouthpieces and the new "vintage" model hard rubber Link provide a similar level of control and quality at a lower price.

Here are a few clips from my play test:
Ben Noodles on Hard Rubber Brahma.mp3
Ben Plays Giant Steps on Hard Rubber Brahma.mp3

Conclusion: The hard rubber Brahma is an easy to control & powerful mouthpiece with a solid & not too bright sound. However, it lacks flexibility in the tone color department, and in my opinion it's not worth $375 as there are equal or better hard rubber mouthpieces available for less.

Brahma (Metal)

The metal model has a very similar tone to its hard rubber counterpart. It sounds a shade brighter from behind the horn (meaning while playing), but the mouthpiece doesn't necessarily come across as noticeably brighter in the sound clips. It retains a powerful solid core of sound and has a nice mix of highs and lows. Even more so than the hard rubber model, the metal Brahma's tone is one sided and has a somewhat limited tone color palette.

The feeling of blowing through the mouthpiece is very comfortable. The resistance is at a nice intermediate point, not too much and not too little. I felt like I could comfortably push the mouthpiece to its extremes, but I never felt like there was too much back pressure while blowing. The level of resistance was even from the bottom to the top of the horn. I was surprised that the mouthpiece, though tip opening was the same as the hard rubber model, taxed my chops much more quickly. That would be something potential buyers should be aware of.

The control of the mouthpiece is again everything you would expect. It responds even more quickly to dynamic changes than the hard rubber version, articulation feels quick and easy, and intonation is flexible and easy to adjust. Honestly, this is a very good mouthpiece, and I'd probably recommend it over some modern metal mouthpieces with comparable prices or greater. However, a much cheaper alternative might be a modern Otto Link Super Tone Master which has a larger palette of tone colors, though the sound might not be as powerful or immediate.

Here are some clips from my playtest:
Ben Noodles on Metal Brahma
Ben Plays Confirmation on Metal Brahma

Conclusion: The metal Brahma has a powerful tone which isn't too dark or too bright though it is very one sided. It feels great to play and has the control you'd expect for the price.

Improvising with Large Intervals on Standards

2011-07-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I posted an introduction to improvising using larger intervals, and I wanted to continue that train of thought with some ideas on how to get started using large intervals over chord changes.

Drop 2 Triads

Arpeggios are the saxophone players quickest tool for outlining the harmony, and, though in their basic form are made up of smaller intervals, they already create an intervalic mood. Voicing arpeggios in more open voicings (not closed position where their notes are as close as possible) will transform them into large interval constructions. The easiest large interval voicing is the arranger's 'drop 2' voicing. The basic idea is to drop the second to highest note in the original structure to the bottom. This is illustrated with the C triad below. The E, the second to highest note, is dropped below the root, and the interval construction transforms from its original 3rds to the combination of a 6th and a 5th.

Arrangers use this voicing technique, especially in horn sections, to fatten up the sound and give the top note clarity, but when you arpeggiate these type of voicings you discover large interval harmonic building blocks.

I would suggest mastering your drop 2 triads in their various positions throughout the range of the horn. The triads will be applicable as not only basic harmonic illustrators, but also as illustrators of the upper extensions of the harmony Below is an example of all the drop 2 inversions of the C triad arpeggiated throughout the range of the saxophone.

For those of you who need some application suggestions, the C triad can be used for CMaj7, C7, B7sus4(b9), BbMaj7(#11), Bb7(#11), Amin7, AbMaj7(#5). G7sus4, F#7(b9,#11), FMaj7, Fmin(Maj7), Emin(b6), E7(#9,#5) Eb13(b9) D7sus4, Dmin11, C#dim7(Maj7), and I probably missed some!

Hopefully, its obvious that it would be worth it to lay the foundation by learning your major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads in all keys in all drop 2 inversions (though you'll want to learn them in normal closed inversions first).

7th Chords and Rootless Voicings

The next step is to apply the drop 2 technique to your favorite 7th and 9th chords (and beyond). Experiment and see what you come up with. A bebop line might transform from:

to:

This is a very limited example, and the applications of these arpeggiated drop 2 voicings are only limited by creativity or closed mindedness.

One final suggestion is to apply the drop 2 technique to rootless voicing, similar to the voicings a piano player might comp with in their left hand. The two common 4 note voicings build from the 3rd (3,5,7,9) and 7th (7,9,3,5). So in C major in closed position they would be:

When piano players comp they switch the voicing they according to what will maintain the smoothest voice leading. They try to maintain smooth motion and avoid leaps moving from one voicing to the next. Following is a classic example of a 2-5-1 in C using these rootless voicings:

What I've found helpful, is to practice arpeggiating drop 2 versions of these voicings through chord progressions. This has extended my harmonic vocabulary and brought these large interval constructions to my fingertips instead of the being left in the recesses of my mind. Here is the 2-5-1 in C arpeggiated with drop 2 voicings:

I'd like to stress that these are just tools, and just like you wouldn't spit out arpeggio after arpeggio in a solo, these are not meant for verbatim insertion!

To sum everything up I'd like to play an example of this. Due to being on vacation I won't be able to record something today, but check back later in the week for a recording of Confirmation applying these concepts to the improvisation.

Finally, I recently did an interview with Doron Orenstein over at bestsaxophonewebsiteever.com covering various musical topics. Check it out here.

Review of Children at Play by Victor Pinto

2011-07-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

Today's post is an extended review and analysis of my newest release (published on Sax On The Web) written by peer saxophonist Victor Pinto. Victor is a very talented up-and-coming saxophonist who recently relocated to New Orleans as well as a jazz enthusiast with an inclination and gift for writing.

"Modern jazz" is a word that bears several meanings for jazz aficionados and musicians. The most conservative of them generally use it as a derogatory word to summarize an over-intellectual, dissonant style which uses technique, harmonic and melodic complexity for their own sake. For the rest of us, "modern jazz" is the continuity of a great tradition carved through a century of innovation, exploration, audaciousness and struggle, incorporating ideas from African, European and Oriental musical traditions.

Ben Britton's Unconventional Riot's 3 track EP Children At Play is the perfect example of the latter. His first effort as a leader of his own band, Children At Play features Gabe Globus-Hoenich on drums, bassist Jordan Berger and Matt Davis on guitar. Ben is also joined by his brother John on one of the tracks, "Partly", which is only fitting considering the Britton brothers co-lead the 2010 self released album Uncertain Living. The presence of a comping guitar as part of the rhythm section instead of the more traditional keyboard yields a lighter, more ambiguous and evocative sound. The same intervals resonate in very different ways on a guitar than on a keyboard, and the instrument's idiosyncrasies limit the number of sounds which can be played at the same time which, again, creates a rather refreshing sonic landscape.

The title track "Children At Play", is built around a very evocative and playful melody. Based on several transforming motives, the fast-changing feel confers a mood swinging quality to the tune. Whether you have kids of your own or reflect back on your tender years, it's easy to hear the connection between the feeling of this tune and childhood experiences of wonders, discoveries and occasional stumble.

Opening with a gradual introduction of the rhythm section, first drums then bass and finally guitar, the band kicks it in a little harder when Ben introduces the first few notes of the melody. The flawless transitions between odd and even meters throughout the piece never sound forced and Ben and his rhythm section navigate through them very naturally.

There is a very interesting contrast between Ben's solo and Matt's. Britton's powerful yet lyrical tenor saxophone concept contrasts in exuberance with Davis' more intimate intervention. The difference in intentions reveals the depth in Ben's composition. The great jazz musicians of the past have left us with many unique interpretations of now "standard" jazz tunes. The reason behind these classic tunes' popularity is this very quality that they are flexible enough to allow for radically different treatments and, even transfigured far from their original versions, retain their identity. "Children At Play", with its two contrasting improvisations, gives us a taste of the possibilities of this quality composition.

“Partly”, the second tune on the EP uses several of Ben's favorite compositional devices: evolving motives and the juxtaposition of improvised sections to written parts in the heads. Introduced by the rhythm section playing chords moving in thirds, the A section of the head is based on a motive evolving with the underlying harmony, displaced rhythmically and treated with a series of additions and substractions. Taking the form of a call and response dialogue, the B section features John improvising the responses to Ben's parts on the head in. Both calls and responses are improvised on the head out. This is somewhat of a classic compositional device in jazz that has unfortunately fallen out of favor and it feels great to hear it used so appropriately.

The tune is reminiscent of The Britton Brothers’ Uncertain Living - an LP really worth checking out by the way; it's a great sounding album that did not generate enough buzz for its quality - obviously because of the two brothers' reunion but also in the way it is constructed and in the mood created by the combo.

John Britton's very expressive trumpet playing is remarkable in its subtlety and variations. Despite the fact he favors a softer touch, John can display great velocity on demand and he never shies away from more powerful moments. Some of lines he improvises surprise by the false impression they’re about to come to an end, only to keep on going for a few more bars and concluding in a naturally coherent way.

Inspired by his brother's handling of the framework laid out by the tune's chords, Ben makes a smooth entrance with a very lyrical, soft restraint. Listening to the rhythm section's controlled reactions to Ben's lines is a delight. Matt Davis’ guitar work, first laying down sound textures with the use of sustained chords, volume crescendos, and later switching to a more rhythmic comping is perfectly complimentary to Globus-Hoenich’s subtle drumming, gradually transforming scarce punctuations into a full drumming eruption. The melodic and rhythmic backbone is exemplary held by Jordan Berger.

Worth noticing is Jordan's bass solo. Far from the recent trend towards a focus on the possibilities for extreme speed and intricacy of the instrument, Mr. Berger demonstrates his ability for creating lines that are both inventive and naturally melodic. His use of double stops, motives, hard plucking of lower notes, inventive rhythmic figures and (dis)placements throughout his solo makes a really coherent statement. The natural tone of Berger's bass takes the center of the stage in this softer passage centered on his instrument. Although more frequent nowadays, the departure from the common recording techniques of the 80's and early 90's, which prominently used a bass pickup captured straight to the console, resulting in a dreadfully unnatural and unpleasant tone, is a very appreciated treat.

"Good Times" is probably the least architectural tune on the EP but also the most to the point, the most primal. It is in sharp contrast with Ben's other compositions which are much more intricate and thought out. Musicianship is best revealed in its simplest form; a sustained note, a simple melody, space and silence. The center point of the piece is definitely the opening line. It is used again for the second section of the head, quickly followed by a series of distinct fragmented melodies and improvised sections, marked by breaks.

The deep pulse of the groove is punctuated by Jordan Berger's throaty bass tone and repeated patterns accenting the offbeats. The rather simple nature of the bass lines contributes to the compulsive and hypnotic aura of the tune. Accompanied with a fierce delivery of cymbal magma and powerful kick and snare pounding, both improvised excursions by Matt Davis and Ben Britton are pushed to new heights. The dissonant nature of the harmony and the rhythm section trance-inducing drive especially propels Ben's improvisation, turning his tenor saxophone’s sound into an intense cry through which it sounds like he is inspired to take more chances.

The tune ends with a skillfully crafted drums solo before Jordan Berger lays down is initial bass line and reintroduces another statement of the melody minus the first section of the opening head.

Ben Britton's saxophone sound is definitely worth writing about: it is indeed the epitome of the jazz tenor saxophone tradition. You can hear the influences of Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane and more modern players like George Garzone, Chris Potter and Donny McCaslin. However, Ben sets himself apart with a very unique tone and phrasing he uses to make a very intense statement. Powerful and raw at times but lyrical and organic when the music asks for it. Ben's masterful display of instrumental technique always serves a musical purpose and allows him to take a lot of chances, melodically and rhythmically, with great success making his improvised excursions always unpredictable and exciting.

Putting a musician's tone into words is not an easy task not only because the way we hear sound vary widely among individuals but also because an accomplished artist will put meaning in the way he/she shapes his/her tone. Some sounds also just don't have words to describe them. One thing for sure though, the most emotional players, but this is especially true for wind instruments, sing to us. Ben definitely displays this vocal quality through his horn, especially in his unique way of voicing the higher register of the horn and his approach to vibrato.

Overall, the audio engineering work on the album is of very high quality but leaves a few things to desire. For one, the rhythm section could sit more forward in the mix, especially bass and drums. Jazz, or any style of music heavily focused on rhythm, requires a solid rhythmic backbone that stands out. The groove-based feel of the tunes would have also benefited from a fatter, more impactful tone coming from the rhythm section side. There are also a few discrepancies when it comes to acoustic spaces. For instance, some elements of Gabe Globus-Hoenich's drum kit sound strangely distant while others stand out.

The amount of reverb on modern jazz guitar is best limited to just the right amount so it adds presence, enhances the size of the natural tone of the instrument rather than drench it an unnatural halo of church-like echo. Matt Davis' personal preferences are just that, personal, but a little less reverb would have generated a tighter rhythm section sound and a clearer voice coming from his instrument.

Children At Play is a great debut album for 27 years old Ben Britton. Although inspired by his peers, Ben's compositions and the sound of his band clearly deliver something different which can only get more mature as time goes by. It is no little feat to get a band to sound as tight and instinctive as those great bands which now serve as models upon which a standard of quality is based: Miles classic quartets and quintets, John Coltrane's and Wayne Shorter's quartets, Chris Potter's "Underground" band, etc. Unconventional Riot is clearly heading in the right direction and we hope for a lot of gigging and touring for this Pennsylvania based band so they can keep treating our ears with such exciting releases and mature as their musical experiences as a band deepens the deep rooted seeds of interplay planted in this album.

Children at Play by Ben Britton's Unconventional Riot

2011-06-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

My kids think it's pretty cool to be on the cover.

After a lot of hard work, I'm excited to announce my newest recording, Children at Play. The title is inspired by a comment Dave Holland made about his record, Prime Directive. In the liner notes he explains that his prime directive is to have fun, and I see it the same way. Jazz musicians a lot like kids. They often get to do what they like best, play. This recording and the compositions on it fit that theme of having fun, at least for me! Take a moment and listen to the track previews, read the reviews, and check out the studio footage.

Listen to the Music
(Click on a link below to listen.)

Children at Play Preview
Partly Preview
Good Times Preview

Download the Music

Get the full EP on iTunes by clicking here.
The EP is also available at other online retailers like emusic, napster, and zune.

Ben Britton – Tenor Sax, Composer
Matt Davis – Guitar
Gabe Globus-Hoenich – Drums
Jordan Berger – Bass
John Britton – Trumpet on “Partly”

Reviews by Music Critics
"a tight, swinging trio of straight-ahead tunes with some subtle musical twists and turns, and a mix of gentleness and wildness that amalgamates..."

--Bruce Lindsay, Allaboutjazz.com, read the full review here.

"Powerful and raw at times but lyrical and organic when the music asks for it. Ben's masterful display of instrumental technique always serves a musical purpose and allows him to take a lot of chances, melodically and rhythmically, with great success making his improvised excursions always unpredictable and exciting. "

--Victor Pinto, Sax on the Web, read the full review here.

The EP's first review is out! Click here to read a nice review by Carl Abernathy.

Reviews by Fellow Saxophonists

These are some nice things fellow saxophonists have said about the music. They are all fantastic musicians and part of the rising generation of jazz saxophonists, and their positive response to my music has meant a lot to me.

"Unconventional Riot is the debut project for saxophonist Ben Britton as a leader. This a fine example of saxophone playing at its highest level. The level of command of his instruments as well as harmonic control is something to be praised. Ben plays with a knowledge and skill level well beyond his age. I love the blend of intelligent compositions rooted in strong grooves. This blend pushes the listener and also makes his music easily accessible. The songs explore elements of rhythmic development while dealing with complex meters. Ben soars through the changes and meters so naturally it's easy to forget actually how difficult some of the things he is playing are. This is a true testament to the hard work and effort put into this project. Ben is an important voice with a very new sound and concept that I think will flourish in the future."

-- Brian Girley, www.briangirleyjazz.com

"Britton has obviously delved deep into the history of the saxophone during his own studies, developing his own personal improvisational voice among those of the acknowledged past and present titans of the tenor sax. Always musical and coherent, Ben’s fiery musical thoughts and remarkable technical facility grab the listener’s attention and hold it steady while embarking on a musical journey..." & "Britton has demonstrated that he’s put as much thought and preparation into presenting his music so that the composition tells its own story as he has into his saxophone playing."

-- Matt Marantz, click here to read the full review, www.mattmarantz.com

"This fiercely-grooving Philly band, augmented by a couple of NYC defectors, is something you can't afford to miss. When an inspiring and talented group has the ability to go anywhere, and takes full advantage over a whirlwind 24 minute EP, it leaves you thinking 'When is the next record coming out? I'm buying it!'"

-- Cam Collins, www.camcollinsjazz.com

"Many composers of today have made conscious use of odd time signatures in their compositions; Britton is no exception. Unlike many of his peers however, his decision to utilize odd meters in this track especially, directly reflects the approach of the record. Upon listening to this track, I was reminded of how as children we struggle with the task of learning how to walk. Whether by intention or interpretation, the form of this track had me in reminiscence of my challenge of learning this elementary task. What is definitely clear is that Britton, along with his cohorts, have mastered not only the task of walking, but can keep heed with the best of them."

-- Adam Larson , click here to read the full review, www.adamlarsonjazz.com

Videos

Ben's solo on an alternate take of "Children at Play"

Extended preview of John's solo on "Partly"

This is the actual track and final audio from the EP.

Matt's solo on an alternate take of "Children at Play"

Unconventional Riot Live @ Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philly

Introduction to Ben's composition "Ducks in a Row"

Altissimo Crash Course: Beginner through Advanced

2011-06-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today is also the official release of my newest recording. Listen here!

Altissimo can be a fickle friend. I remember a few years ago at a Chris Potter masterclass someone asked something about how he had mastered his altissimo register. He replied that he just goes for it, that he wasn't even always confident it would come out, but he keeps going for it and working on it. Sometimes altissimo can be like that, a leap of faith, so today's post is designed to take some of the mystery out of it and give your confidence a boost as you explore the upper reaches of the saxophone. The article will explore low note overtones as an introduction to voicing (focusing your vocal tract), more advanced techniques and detail oriented work to help intermediate and advanced players improve their voicing control, and altissimo fingerings and exercise ideas.

First Steps

A great (challenging) altissimo method

The first step to unlocking the altissimo register, as most altissimo players will tell you, is learning to focus your airstream. Overtones are a fairly simple way of learning to focus your airstream using your vocal tract, back of your tongue, and air support. For those of you who aren't familiar with overtones, they are a series of higher pitches which can be coaxed out of a lower fundamental fingering. If you haven't tried this before you'll want to start by fingering a low note, low Bb for example (one of the easiest notes to produce overtones on), and making it sound an octave higher without pressing the octave key. It's very simple to do and you've probably already done it by accident. Try to do this by raising the back of your tongue, supporting your air using your stomach muscles, and narrowing the back of your throat. Try to avoid tightening your lips too much. You'll probably get a higher note on your first try.

Practicing overtones allows you to practice focusing the muscles in the back of your mouth that will eventually allow you to extend the range of the saxophone beyond high f or f#. They will also allow you to play your normal range with a fuller and more vibrant tone.

One of the first overtone exercises I give young students and one that I still do each day is as follows (as prescribed by Walt Weiskopf). You can apply this to any scale, but basically you play the overtone version and the normal version of each scale note. The basic idea is to be able to one, produce the overtone, and two, match the fullness of the overtone with your normal pitch. Here is what it looks like written out:

The circle whole note heads represent the fingering used and the diamond note head represents the desired pitch. You'll notice that there are two different overtones that produce the higher Bb and we'll want to practice both of them. Each note can last as long as you'd like, and I often play these notes very long and multiple times as I'm doing this exercise for a warm up. Here is what it sounds like in a basic format without repeating any of the notes exactly as written above: Bb Overtone Scale.mp3

Intermediate and advanced players will want to tackle the above exercise with a couple other concepts in mind. You should be able to apply vibrato to each of the overtone without losing the overtone even slightly. The easier and clearer the vibrato sounds the better. You should also try to achieve perfectly clean entrances. The clean entrances aren't always easy, and your ability to nail the overtone from its entrance might vary from day to day. With a little extra focus on your embouchure you should be able to clean the entrances up which results in more dependable control over overtones and altissimo.

All players should take the time time to extend the range of their overtones. Play each one long and add some vibrato. The easier and clearer the vibrato sounds the better. Here is the overtone series on low Bb written out through high F. Many players run into difficulty after the 2nd octave Bb, and at this point it would be good to work hard at refining the overtones you are able to produce as well as experiment with overtones off of different fingerings. Again, all of these can be produced while holding a low Bb.

You'll soon find out that even though you can play up to high F or F# on your saxophone it might not be easy as pie to play that high F as an overtone using low Bb. Practice makes perfect. Some techniques that might help include playing and holding the regular fingering first and then switching to the regular fingering, or singing the desired note just before you attempt the overtone. There are various tricks for getting the overtones to come out, which can be helpful. Many players feel satisfied by just being able to hit the overtone briefly, but they don't progress beyond that. Playing the overtones long is important as it refines your voicing ability through endurance and mental focus. Working towards consistently being able to hold out overtones will improve your overall control, and it will bring you closer to achieving other more difficult overtones.

Flexing Your Overtone Muscles

As your overtone range extends, and really even before that, its important to do flexibility exercises. The point of flexibility exercises is to increase your ability to jump between overtones in the series as well as clean up those jumps. As you learn to jump cleanly between the overtones your ability in your normal playing to jump cleanly from low notes to high notes will improve also.

There are many overtone flexibility exercises out there, and you should feel free to make them up or adapt others to your ability. Here is one based on a bugle call that I run through each day. Its all based on the low Bb fingering and requires you to be able to play Bb's overtones up through high F.

I used regular notation to clearly show the rhythm. Each of these pitches are overtones produced while holding low Bb. You should practice starting each of these overtones with your airstream only and slurring as you descend from higher to lower, and you should practice tonguing each overtone as well. Either way the entrances should be clean. You could also play this exercise in the key of B, C, or C# by simply playing the same series of overtones off of those respective low notes. I normally play this exercise slowly, so I can concentrate on the clarity of each overtone as I go.

Extending Into the Altissimo Register

If you've been able to get through a lot of the material up to this point you should start experimenting with the altissimo register. At this point we are ready for some altissimo fingerings. Why not skip the lower note overtones and start with the altissimo fingerings? Overtone practices ensures that you are developing good focus in your vocal tract while the altissimo fingerings are easier to cheat on and play with a tight embouchure and less vocal tract focus. The skills you learn working on overtones will allow you to go higher and get around easier than a too tight embouchure would ever facilitate or allow.

There are many altissimo fingering charts out on the web. Following are the fingerings I use on my Selmer Super Balanced Action tenor. They've worked on most vintage tenors I've tried and many modern tenors. Every horn can be a little different, and you'll want to explore some of the various options out on the web.

Diagrams courtesy of the 'Fingering Diagram Builder' on Bret Pimental's woodwind blog.

I recycle the fingerings from Bb through D to continue upwards onto Eb through G. Also, the first fingering in the chart, E, I use as a substitute for the regular palm key E fingering when I'm launching into the altissimo. The normal palm key E most often has a fuller sound.

If one particular note is difficult feel free to skip it and find the next note up that is possible for you. Don't get hung up on progressing chromatically. Find the fingerings and pitches that work for you, and then work on refining those by playing them long, adding vibrato, doing bends, experimenting with articulation, etc. As you challenge yourself and gain more control on the notes you can get out the other more challenging notes will soon become possible.

One of the obvious things to do as you work on mastering these fingerings is to play your scales into the altissimo register. Make sure you start below the altissimo register so you also work on the transition between the normal fingerings to the altissimo fingerings. Advanced players will want to work on articulating scales and other exercises, patterns, and melodies in the altissimo register.

Eventually you'll be able to continue the overtone series into the altissimo register as well. Here is a more complete overtone series on Bb written up through 4th octave Bb.

The 8va indicates sounding an octave higher and the 15ma indicates sounding 2 octaves higher. Play each of these long. Be able to play them softly and clearly. Add a clear vibrato or even try some deep bends. Do your best to keep the sound clear and distortion free as you try out different things. Practice the entrances and get them clean as well. These overtones can be more difficult than the altissimo fingerings, but once achieved will help players continue to refine voicing control.

Putting it to Practice

Finally, for those of you looking for a way to continue developing your skills beyond this. Simply put, improvise up there. Set a lower limit, a lowest note, let's say 2nd ledger line C or palm key D, and don't go below that limit. Practice improvising lines that go over the transition and go as high as you'd like. Pick something easy at first like a blues or rhythm changes, and progress onward from there. I saw Chris Potter demonstrate this exercise on Giant Steps at the same masterclass I mentioned earlier. The sky is the limit. Here are a couple of my practice sessions. The first is a slightly simpler approach and the second is a somewhat more chromatic versions.

Ben Plays Altissimo Blues.mp3 Ben Plays More Altissimo Blues.mp3

Like I mentioned at the top of the post, today I've also released my new recording, "Children at Play". If you've enjoyed the blog or my playing please take a moment to check it out here. The post has previews of the tracks, studio footage, and reviews from sax players like Matt Marantz and Adam Larson. Thanks!

Introduction to Improvising with Large Intervals

2011-06-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Need some large interval exercises?

Throughout the music's history the occasional jazz musician has been interested in creating melodies and improvisations that incorporate larger intervals. Anything larger than a major 3rd usually qualifies. Coleman Hawkins was one of the first saxophonist to incorporate them, and many have followed since then including Wayne Shorter, Eddie Harris, and modern saxophonists like Mark Turner and Chris Potter. Larger intervals have always interested me, so I wanted to share some of the ways that I've worked on them.

Developing the Technique

Before you can start improvising these lines you'll need to have the basic ability to play large intervals cleanly on the saxophone. Following are a couple sets of exercises that worked well for me.

This first set of exercises is based on a scale. Lets start out using the C major scale and the interval of a 4th. Start out on the first note, C, and jump up a 4th to F. Then start on the 2nd note, D, and jump up a 4th to G. Repeat the process unil you reach your upper limit, whether it be the top note of the scale or some real or imagined upper limit of the saxophone. Then descend in a similar fashion. Keep all the notes within the scale meaning you'll sometimes play an augmented 4th. Here is a one octave example written out:

This is a very limited example. You could play this exercise with any scale, and more importantly with any interval. I would suggest trying it with 5ths, 6th, 7ths, and octaves. The object here is to be able to play quickly and more importantly, cleanly. Pay attention to intonation, entrances, and tone quality.

Another set of exercise I found really helpful are from Walt Weiskopf's book "Beyond the Horn". These are based on 7th arpeggios and octave jumping. The idea is to ascend up the 7th arpeggio 2 octaves and then descend, however you jump to the opposite octave for each arpeggio note. Here it is written out for CMajor7:

Again practice for cleanliness, tone, and speed. This might not sound great, but it's a fantastic technical exercise. Apply it to any 7th arpeggio or variation you'd like.

A Simple Start

An easy way to get started creating with larger intervals would be to write a simple vamp or bass line. This is no longer just an exercise, so work to make it sound musical. You might want to combine larger and smaller intervals, but there are lots of ways to approach this. Here is a simple vamp that serves as the bass line in my composition, "Ducks in a Row":

You don't need anything long or elaborate, just something simple and fun to work with. Once you've got something you like, try improvising using the vamp as a jumping point, creating variations, etc.

Eventually you're going to want to write a melody, which will give you a chance to dig a little deeper into the colors larger intervals have to offer. Here is the original melody (it has since been edited) to the A section of "Ducks in a Row":

If you'd like to see it larger you can find a link to a PDF lead sheet of this tune (and a play-along mp3) at the bottom of the article.

With a large interval melody in hand you should be on your way to improvising with your developing intervallic language. I would suggest repeating this process with some other vamps and melodies, and, of course, practice improvising over the vamps as well. Once you feel ready, move onto something with moving harmony, which can be more challenging. I'll be writing in a future post.

Here is an example of me messing around with my vamp as an introduction to the song at a live performance. Though I admit much of what I'm playing is based on smaller intervals, there is a fair amount of larger intervals at various points during the introduction. If you let the whole thing play through you'll hear the melody as well.

Also, here is Chris Potter playing an absolutely fantastic solo over my same tune. Plenty of larger interval lines to check out here.

For those of you who are really interested in using the tune as a practice vehicle here are links to a play-along of it and PDF lead sheets in various transpositions.

PlayAlong DucksInaRow.mp3

DucksInaRowTenor.pdf

DucksInaRowEb.pdf

DucksInaRowC.pdf

DucksInaRowTrumpet.pdf

Tenor Mouthpieces: Meyer & Vandoren Jumbo Java

2011-06-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

First, something completely unrelated. This is a video clip from an alternate take I really liked of the title track of my upcoming EP. At this point we had just recently arriving to good earphone mix. Its nice when you can hear yourself (not to mention the rest of the band)! You can also hear and see more here.

For today's post I wanted to explore some common hard rubber tenor mouthpiece you often find in music stores. The Meyer and Vandoren's Jumbo Java are two very common ones. I thought about reviewing a Claud Lakey as well, but I recently played one for 2 seconds, which was long enough to remember how abrasively bright and edgy those mouthpieces are. I settled on these two, which both surprised me in their own way.

Meyer
Tip Opening: 7M (nearly an Otto Link 5*)
Reed: rico jazz select unfiled 3M
Ligature: normal metal 2 screw

This is one of the first mouthpieces I owned on tenor and on alto. I loved it on alto and I hated it on tenor. I've always remembered it as alive and beautiful on alto and dead and muffled on tenor. Recent experience has changed that perception for me.

The Meyer on tenor is definitely a warm and dark sounding mouthpiece, but it isn't dead sounding. I was pleasantly surprised by a nice spectrum of overtones that accompanied the overall dark tone. The mouthpiece has enough vibrance to give the sound a bit of presence. The piece definitely had more presence than I remembered, but I don't know if it's enough for most players. On a side note, that vibrance can quickly be stifled by a badly formed embouchure. I experimented with different embouchures while playtesting and the mouthpiece is very sensitive to how the embouchure is formed. As soon as I put too much pressure on the sides of the reed, the sound died and the mouthpiece sounded dead as dead gets. I've been toying around with the idea of recommending this mouthpiece to students for that very reason. As long as they are paying attention to their sound, it would force them to play with a well formed embouchure.

The ease of playing, flexibility, and response of this mouthpiece are average. In this way it doesn't stand out from the pack. It plays well but not exceptionally in any of the categories. The mouthpiece does play very evenly from the bottom of the top of the saxophone's range though the altissimo register does take more focus than some other mouthpieces.

Conclusion: Though the mouthpiece is a solid entry among darker sounding mouthpieces, it might not have quite enough presence to satisfy the average tenor player.

Vandoren Jumbo Java
Tip Opening: T75 (about a 7* in Otto Link terms)
Reed: rico jazz select unfiled 3S
Ligature: normal metal 2 screw

This playtest toppled another of my misconceptions. I had always thought that the Vandoren Jumbo Java mouthpieces were otherworldly bright, and though these are fairly bright mouthpieces they aren't anywhere near the scary realm of Claude Lakeys!

The Jumbo Java has a powerful bright sound with some warmer colors present as well. The tone is even through the range of the horn, and though the altissimo register isn't as full sounding as the rest of the range it isn't thin sounding either. The sound isn't extremely flexible, meaning there isn't the same large spectrum of less edge to more edge you might be able to access on another mouthpiece, but it does get the job done.

Where the mouthpiece really stands out is in its response. Low Bb comes out extremely easily both with a full tone and subtoned. The mouthpiece is very sensitive to changes in dynamics making it easy to smoothly change from soft to loud quickly. The tonguing, in parallel fashion, also feels effortless as the mouthpiece responds very quickly to articulation as well. Playing the mouthpiece just feels easy overall.

Conclusion: This is a powerful and brighter sounding mouthpiece that feels great to play.

Reeds & Humidity, Embouchure, & Get a free copy of my Upcoming Recording: Children at Play

2011-05-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today, I've got a number of things on my mind, so I'm just going to write about them all. First and foremost, my group Unconventional Riot just went to the studio last week and made our first recording which will come your way very soon as a mini-album or EP titled Children at Play. I've started a blog-site for the group at riot.benbrittonjazz.com where you can see a video of the band playing live last week and find out some more about the group and the imminent release. In preparing release I'm collecting ideas about how to promote the EP, and for the 3 best ideas I'll be giving away free digital copies of the entire EP. Post your ideas in the comments of the contest post at riot.benbrittonjazz.com.

Reeds & Humidity

I have recently had a little run in with my reeds. Your going to need a little context though. Over the winter time I found a great way to store my reeds. I have an air tight bottle into which I put a few pieces of mouthwash laden sponge. The mouthwash in the sponges fights off mold for a good week or two and keeps the reeds humid. This was working great until the higher humidity levels hit here in PA in the the last little while.

We all deal with humidity and reeds, so here are my 2 cents on the subject. When reeds are in a low humidity environment they shrink, just like the wooden doors in your house. They can get too soft and thin sounding when the humidity goes below the reed's ideal level. In a high humidity environment they expand, and like the doors in your house that can become difficult to open and shut, the reeds can become too hard and edgy sounding as they expand too much.

Like I was saying earlier, as the humidity hit, my reed keeping system met its match. The humidity inside the air tight container was now too high and my reeds began playing a little too hard and edgy. I solved the problem by cutting some holes into the top of my old bullion container with a pairing knife. It's definitely not neat looking, but it works great. When the humidity drops again I'll cover the holes up with masking tape or something along those lines.

Embouchure (The Frown)

Last, but not least, I recently had a realization that I'd like to share with you. I've always been under the impression that a relaxed (somewhat loose feeling) frown is the embouchure that best allows the reed to vibrate. I was WRONG and here is how. A relaxed frown apparently doesn't get enough of your bottom lip out of the way of the reed. You need a more pronounced frown to completely free up reed and hence the sound. Its somewhat tricky to find just the right frowning feeling, but once you find it you'll need a healthy amount of it. My new embouchure uses more of my frowning muscles and has a cleaner and less fuzzy sound. Here are the clips of when I first started experimenting with this. You can hear that I wasn't completely comfortable with the pronounced frown yet, but the cleaner sound is very apparent.

Ben plays with a relaxed frown - loose frown.mp3
Ben plays with a pronounced frown - pronounced frown.mp3

Mouthpiece Refacers Keith Bradbury & Matt Voss

2011-05-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Today, I have a double bill for you. The first is mouthpiece refacer Keith Bradbury known online as Mojo and located in Vineland, NJ. The second is Matt Voss a refacer working in NYC.

Mojo Refaced Hard Rubber Link

Mojo

After some time being unhappy with my mouthpiece, a Florida era metal Otto Link, I took the plunge and decided to have it worked on. At the recommendation of Ken Barry from Saxscape I decided to take it to Keith Bradbury who is just an hour or so from Philly and a veteran well respected refacer.

My two concerns I had with the mouthpiece were its resistance and flexibility, which are two things Mojo really has figured out. On arrival he charted my mouthpiece's facing onto a graph on his computer and analyzed it. His first step in changing the mouthpiece was to simply clean up the mouthpiece's facing slightly and see if that was a step in the right direction. Five minutes later I was playtesting the mouthpiece and it had clearly improved.

Following clean up we slowly changed the mouthpiece to be somewhat more free blowing. I playtested it at each step and confirmed it was going correctly which it was. This process was very interesting as Mojo has some mathematics worked out that he follows (as many mouthpiece architects do), and he would show me the next step graphed out on the computer. The work went quickly and was finished in just over 2 hours. All said and done my mouthpiece now plays better than it ever has.

I've recorded the mouthpiece and you can hear it with a similar reed before and after the work.

Before: Ben Plays Motif Based Improv.mp3
After: Ben Plays Giant Steps.mp3

Voss Refaced Metal Link

Matt Voss

I've known about NYC native Matt Voss for a few months, and I've been curious in trying out his work for a while. The opportunity came recently and I was able to play a modern Otto Link NY Super Tone Master that Matt had completely reworked.

Matt believes that a refacer should be able to take a modern stock mouthpiece and really shape it into whatever is needed, and he has proven that ability with the mouthpiece I played. What started out as a mouthpiece known for its warm deep tone was given some fairly different tonal qualities. The mouthpiece has retained much of its depth while taking on some brightness and power. It feels very even throughout the lower and upper registers of the horn though it is somewhat more resistant in the altissimo register. Overall, the work is beautiful and well crafted, and the mouthpiece feels consistent and focused.

Here is a clip of Matt's piece: Ben Plays Voss' Link.mp3

John Coltrane's Solo on I Mean You

2011-05-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

I recently pulled out this transcription I worked on a few years ago of Trane's solo on I Mean You from the record Discovery at the Five Spot. I was listening to the album and wanted to check out what Coltrane was doing harmonically and rhythmically during some of his crazier lines. This phase of Trane's playing is marked by his use of all the extensions of the arpeggios up through the 13th, and combining that concept with some delayed resolutions and chromatic movement really sum up what he is doing harmonically. Click on the link and check it out for yourself below.

Transcription (Bb instruments) >> I Mean You Trane Solo.pdf

Learning Odd Time Signatures

2011-04-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Something that you don't get in a well rounded college education, or at least it wasn't seriously addressed in mine, is how to learn to play in odd time signatures. Just do it? Well, of course that will help but here is a process that helped me.

First, figure out a rhythmic pattern that fits well with and defines whatever odd time signature you'd like to learn. For example, the following example is an easy pattern that nicely defines 7/4.

Once you've mastered the basic rhythm try applying it to a chord changes. Here is an example clip where I play something that basically sounds like a bass line. It follows the 7/4 rhythmic pattern above and I take it through a blues in concert C.

Ben plays a bass line in 7.mp3

After you can play through the changes with out getting lost or losing the rhythm begin to elaborate, embellish, fill in holes, leave space, etc. You might start out just filling out a certain part of the pattern with 8th notes for a start. Here is an example of what I call stage 2, embellishing the basic pattern.

Ben elaborates on a bass line in 7.mp3

Once you feel like you can leave space or stray from the pattern without losing the next down beat, you're ready to start really improvising in the odd meter. Begin by experimenting with starting and stopping your phrases in different spots of the measure. You could try ending on the and of 6 or beginning on beat 2 or any of the other many possibilities. Find the ones that are most challenging and concentrate on those. The best test is of your ability with a given odd meter is to record yourself improvising unaccompanied and then listen back and see if you can hear the meter and changes clear. Here is an example of stage 3, freedom from the original pattern.

Ben plays in 7.mp3
Ben plays in 7 outake.mp3

After all of that, here is a list of things to do that will undoubtedly help you continue along the odd meter journey.

Playing unaccompanied will make you a strong independent player, but its also necessary to practice playing odd meters with a rhythm section as that will add its own surprises. I have some odd meter play-alongs below for those of you who would like to play odd time signature all day long while your band mates are at their day jobs.
Transcribe some great players and see what they are doing rhythmically over odd meters. Duh... Again, see below.
Finally, take any musical concept rhythmic or otherwise that you like to use in 4/4 and figure it out in the odd meter.

Practice resources for odd time signatures including play-alongs, lead sheets, and even some transcriptions of Chris Potter in 7/4 and 13/8 visit www.thebrittonbrothers.com and go to the free stuff section.

Time and Feel

2011-04-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

One common factor to all the players I love to listen to is a fantastic time feel, and a consistent time feel, to me, can make the difference between a good solo and a great one. I wanted to share some of the things I've learned from great players that have helped me as well as some of my own thoughts.

my metronome.

Tap your foot on 1 and 3 (feel the beat in terms of 1 and 3). I've found feeling the pulse in terms of 1 and 3 will give you a clearer idea of where the down beat is than tapping or feeling 2 and 4, and it will give you a more relaxed and even time feel than feeling 1, 2, 3, 4. Two great saxophonists gave me this advice ironcially on the same day, Jonas Ganzemuller and Steve Wilson.
Various Metronome Exercises. Putting the metronome on 2 and 4 is a great exercise, and is one of the main practice methods Walt Weiskopf gave me. Steve Wilson and George Garzone both suggested that you balance that practice with putting the metronome on beats 1 and 3 as well. George Garzone went on to give me two other important exercises. The first is putting the metronome on each quarter note of the measure. This proved to be the most instrumental metronome exercise for me as it allowed me to learn hear my 8th note lines in exact relationship to the pulse. The other exercise is putting the metronome on each 8th note in the measure, and I'll talk about this one a little more later.
Lock in with the ride cymbal pattern (swung 8th notes). Various guys have given me this suggestion including Steve Wilson and Clay Jenkins. The idea is that you can hear both the constant quarter note pulse and the swung 8th note pulse in the drummer's ride cymbal pattern. I have to agree that locking in my 8th notes with ride cymbal is the fastest way to sure up the time and make it feel good.
Don't let the articulation get in the way. The fact is, every time we tongue a note there is a small break in the sound. This break can be small and well placed, or it can be cumbersome and badly place. Heavy tonguing can really bog down a time feel and delay tongued notes so they sound behind the beat.. Lighter tonguing lends to a lighter more forward moving time feel. Chris Potter and Rich Perry were the two guys to make this suggestion to me. Rich Perry and George Garzone also both suggested practicing without any articulation at all and then carefully adding it back in.
Exercise for locking in your 8th notes. This is an exercise and not an end result, and it's based in some exercises George Garone gave me. The idea is that you straighten out your 8th note so that you can feel each quarter note and 8th note more accurately. This exercise is great when combined with the metronome on all 8th notes. First, practice improvising with straight 8th notes locked perfectly into the metronome which is also on 8th notes. Once you feel comfortable and feel like each 8th note is perfectly locked in. Switch the metronome to quarter notes and keep your 8th notes straight. Once you have the even feel locked in perfectly with each quarter note begin swinging your 8th notes, but make sure you maintain your quarter notes perfectly locked in. Transfer that feel to playing with a rhythm section and locking in with the ride cymbal. At first this exercise feels really constraining, but the end result is great control of the time feel and swing feel.

Listen to and emulate time fees you love. When you listen pay close attention to how the players time feel relates to the rhythm section. Listen to those who you like best, play along with them, and then try to emulate the time feel while playing with a rhythm section. This last one might be the most important!

Philadelphia Mouthpiece Refacer Steve Cutcher

2011-04-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

I recently met Mr. Steve Cutcher (sjcmdc@juno.com), an excellent saxophonist and, to the luck of saxophonists in Philadelphia and abroad, an excellent mouthpiece refacer as well. I had the opportunity to check out his work which is a very large collection of mouthpieces he has refaced over the years. One of his philosophies is that you should be able to take a relatively cheap mouthpiece and turn it into a great player, and he has nailed this one on the head.

The two highlights of his collection were two modern hard rubber Otto Links he had completely transformed. I was skeptical as I put the first rubber Link on my horn, but I was pleasantly surprised as I found the mouthpiece played evenly throughout all the registers of the horn. The normal increased and somewhat overbearing resistance in the upper register that is usually present in modern rubber Links was completely absent. Babbitt hadn't even accomplished this completely when I recently tried their "vintage" model rubber link. Following are some specifics on each piece.

Rubber Link #1

This Link has an alive and vibrant sound with a nice balanced combination of highs and lows. It is a powerful piece that has enough resistance so that you can push it to its extreme with no fear of the sound breaking up. The mouthpiece isn't as malleable or flexible as some, but the sound is beautiful and big. The response of the mouthpiece is quick enough to feel comfortable, though not as responsive as #2, which I'll talk about shortly.

Here is a clip of the mouthpiece: Ben Plays Refaced 1.mp3

Rubber Link #2

This one has a warmer sound than #1, showing Steve's range of ability. While it doesn't feel as powerful as #1, it does feel more flexible and more responsive. The increase flexibility and responsiveness make it feel extremely easy to get around the horn. I still felt like I could push the mouthpiece to its limit comfortably despite its warmer tone quality and less resistant feel, which is a real compliment to the mouthpiece and the refacer.

Here is a clip of something more subtle: Ben Plays Refaced 2.mp3

Conclusion: Steve Cutcher's two refaced modern rubber Links show his skill as a mouthpiece refacer. They feel and sound great. Any saxophonists looking to get in contact with Steve can reach him at sjcmdc@juno.com

Getting To Know Your Mouthpiece: Ligature Position

2011-04-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Ben's Old & Slightly Worn Mouthpiece

There are many ways to approach achieving your ideal sound. Some people worry only about equipment, while others believe if they do enough tone exercises on their Yamaha 4C mouthpiece they'll eventually sound like Michael Brecker. I believe that both the right equipment and tone exercises are necessary, but today I'd like to suggest a less significant, more subtle, yet still important aspect of the saxophonist's search for their sound.

Ligature placement on the mouthpiece might not significantly affect what is heard in front of the horn, but it can significantly affect the sound from behind the horn as well as the feeling of playing the horn. There are several main experiments I'd like to suggest.

Ligature toward the front

Ligature toward the back

First, is how far back or forward the ligature is placed. You might like it at one extreme or the other or possibly someplace in between. I'd suggest experimenting with the extremes (pictured on my mouthpiece above) first so that you have a better chance at detecting any contrasts. Of course, try the middle too and figure out what works for you.

Ligature off-center

Second, try rotating the ligature to the left so that the force of the ligature isn't focused directly on the center of the reed but rather focused on the left side of the reed. Also, try it on the right side of the reed. If there is some inconsistency with the rails or table of the mouthpiece this experiment could potentially reveal that. Doing this myself I found that my mouthpiece feels easier to play and more expressive with the ligature off center.

Though these two variations are simple enough you might find yourself going back and forth for at a couple of hours trying different combinations. I'd suggest having a couple of different ligatures and reeds to confirm your findings. Also, make sure to try the different placements out in different rooms with varying levels of of natural reverberation. The more consistent your conclusions on ligature placement are when changing up the room, reed, and ligature, the more confident you can be that you've figured out the best placement.

Like I mentioned before, when trying different ligature placements myself I can hear significant differences in the sound and the feeling of playing the saxophone, however they don't carry so significantly to listeners in front of the saxophone. Following are some recording I did with the different ligature placements. For the record this reed is a little more buzzy than my normal fare.

Ligature on the Right.mp3
The above is an mp3 clip with my ligature toward the back and rotated so its putting pressure on the right side of the reed. This is my preferred ligature placement. On my particular mouthpiece this is what feels and sounds the best from the my (the player's) perspective.

Ligature in the Middle.mp3
This is an mp3 clip with the ligature centered. It sounds a little brighter, but it's also a little distorted, feels slightly more difficult to play, and is less expressive.

Ligature Forward.mp3
Finally, here is an mp3 clip of my ligature towards the front of the mouthpiece, which for me doesn't sound as full from behind the horn.

Not For Sale: My SBA

2011-03-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

I changed my mind - the SBA stays. I apologize to any hopeful potential buyers. At my gig today I played a Mark VI for part of the gig... Sorry, Mark VI owners, but, on the gig, my SBA won fair and square. When I say won, I just mean it sounded more like me.

Vandoren Optimum Ligature on a Link (Reviewed)

2011-03-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Recently, my attention has been turned to ligatures. I was experimenting with some different ligatures on my Florida era Otto Link metal mouthpiece, and I arrived to the conclusion that the modern Otto Link ligature not only works well but sounds fantastic. On the way to that conclusion I revisited my Vandoren Optimum ligature.

It's a somewhat lesser known fact that the Optimum Ligature made for the metal V16 tenor mouthpiece fits very nicely on a metal Otto Link tenor mouthpiece. It definitely needs to be considered as a third major player in the Otto Link ligature arsenal. In my opinion the #1 player is the original ligature produced by Otto Link. The two 2nd prize winners are the 2 screw metal ligature made for Selmer's metal mouthpieces and Vandoren's Optimum V16 tenor ligature. Of course, a Rovner ligature also fits, but I don't recommend them because of their extreme dampening quality.

So, just how well does the Optimum work? Importantly, it secures the reed very well, and you can easily put a lot of pressure on the reed for a very tight hold. As far as sound production goes, the ligature definitely plays a role. No matter which of the three interchangeable pressure plates you use, the Optimum enhances many of the deeper overtones and adds a rich tone quality to the Link. It also rounds out the sound of the Link, which unfortunately takes away from the definition of the tone.

The three pressure plates seem to each be a variation on a theme. They all sound like gradients of the rich round tone I described above. I personally preferred the pressure plates with the four raised dots near its corners. This plate seemed to alter the sound the least from my perspective.

As always, the proof is in the playing. This was recorded nearly a year ago now, when I was using this ligature on the regular basis - SchlomoSoloExcerpt.mp3 (I'm using my preferred 4 dot pressure plate here)

Conclusion: The Vandoren Optimum (Tenor V16) ligature serves as a valid alternate ligature for a tenor metal Otto Link mouthpiece. It encourages a warm rich tone, however it rounds out the tone to such an extreme that it takes away from the tone's definition.

Improvisation Kickstart Part II: Motif Based Improv

2011-03-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

In the first post I suggested writing out a solo exploring some concept or idea, and gave you an example solo that I'd written out over the changes of All Of Me. Well, this time my suggestion is even more ambiguous. The exercise is to improvise using a motif or small musical idea, and the point of the exercise is to force you to create new lines and practice a more complete improvisation. Focusing on motifs tends to make you play new things as opposed to following the normal lines and variations you might usually play while soloing.

The motif or musical idea you pick can be anything. The only rule is it needs to be simple and short enough that you can remember it and easily use it. Then, you improvise on it changing and varying it freely as you go along. Rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic variation summarize the possibilities, and you'll probably do all 3 at the same time as you explore a given motif. First, try the exercise without chord changes. Improvise on a motif over one chord, a vamp, a free texture, or some other context that doesn't force you to follow the harmony. Once that becomes comfortable and fun, try the exercise over a simple chord progression, maybe a 12 bar blues.Finally, try the exercise over your favorite tunes.

For my example, I chose to improvise over the chord changes to Donna Lee. Normally, I would be starting and stopping a lot as I try to iron out any kinks during the exercise, but for the sake of the listener I push write on through in this example. The exercise starts out with the following motif:

In the first half of the first chorus this idea gets morphed, varied, and eventually changed into arpeggio-type lines. Various versions of this line reappear throughout the entire example. Going into the second half of the first chorus a new motif is introduced, which consists of 3 descending notes which are repeated down an octave. This new motif is explored for the entire second half of the chorus. Throughout the example other ideas are introduced and explored. I'm not keen on analyzing my own playing in depth, so I'll spare you the details, but here is my example of motif based improvisation for today:

Ben Plays Motif Based Improv.mp3

Saxophonist's Check List

2011-03-11T10:02:00.000-08:00

Today's post is a list of important items that we saxophonists should keep in mind, probably on the daily basis, to avoid getting into bad habits. With saxophone, at least for me, it seems easy for bad habits to creep in unnoticed, so the following is check list I created to keep myself focused and playing my best.

Note to last week's readers: I put my horn in the shop for the weekend (who knows a horn in such bad repair could feel so good?), so I don't have the promised explorations during improvisations article and exercise for you today. However, it will be here next weekend.

Checklist

Embouchure and Aural Cavity - Each day I need to check to make sure the corners of my mouth are more or less frowning and getting the tension off my reed. I need to check to make sure my bottom lip is in the right untucked position (like when you say the letter V) that gives me the expressive tone I'm shooting for. I also need to make sure that my lower jaw and embouchure aren't to tight putting undue pressure on my reed allowing me to get a clear crisp sound. I battle that last one by doing various overtone exercises at the beginning of each practice session. Finally, I need to check that I've taken in enough mouthpiece. If I'm not vigilant I tend to backup on the mouthpiece, which again puts more pressure on the reed and doesn't allow me to be as expressive as I could otherwise.

Articulation - This is another technical aspect I have to check each day or can easily go out of whack. I make sure that I'm not letting too much of my tongue come into contact with too much of the reed. If my tonguing is too heavy it tends to add extra resistance to the feel of playing and it distorts the overall sound of my playing. Tip of the tongue to tip of the reed works great in my case. It also helps me to specifically practice articulating while constructing improvised line to really lock it in for the day.

Sense of Time - To keep my rhythmic feel accurate I have to daily practice with a rhythm section of some sort (live or play along). Metronomes have their place too, but in order to really make it happen your best shot is play with the real thing (drums, bass, and chords). I try to hit various feels, straight eighths, odd time signatures, and modern swing, as each feel requires its own rhythmic conception to be played with forward propelling motion.

Sound Conception - I've recently noticed that if I take a few minutes and specifically practice the inflections and sound textures that I feel our part of my personal approach I more quickly arrive to the sound concept I want that day (as opposed to just practicing long tones, etc.)

Quick Addition: Writing Out a Solo (for Beginners)

2011-03-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

Interest was expressed in an easier example of the written solo exercise, so here is a written solo I composed over a simple blues progression. The concept I chose to explore was neighbor tones, both neighbor tones from the appropriate scale and chromatic neighbor tones or tones a half step away from my goal chord tone.

In this example I've used neighbor tones to approach the chord tones 1, 3, 5, and 7 of the different chords. I used various neighboring tones and up to 3 at a time. I approached chord tone 1 or the root of of various chords in measure 1, measure 7, and measure 8. I approached the 3rd of various chords in measure 5, measure 9, measure 10, and measures 11-12. I approached the 5th of D7 in measure 10, and I approached the 7th of various chords in measures 5-6, leading into the downbeat of measure 8, and leading into the downbeat of measure 11.

Some other concepts beginner or intermediate players might think about using as a focus for a similar written exercise might include:

Scalar Passages
Arpeggios
Delayed or Anticipated Resolutions (delaying or anticipating the next chord change)
Common Substitutions or Alterations (#11, tritone substitution, etc.)
Pentatonics
Varying the rhythm of phrase beginnings and endings

There are really limitless options and you should pick something that challenges and interests you.

Here is the PDF of the my written exercise of G blues - Blues ex.pdf

Improvisation Kick Start: Writing Out A Solo

2011-03-02T08:11:00.000-08:00

Writing out a solo does two things for me. One, it helps me memorize the changes of an unfamiliar song quickly, and second, it gives me the chance to develop some ideas more carefully than I otherwise would be able to. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be improvising, and I'm usually happier with the more spontaneous feel of an improvised solo. However, writing out a solo for practice purposes gives me a chance to dig deeper than I usually would into a certain concept or number of concepts. By the way, this isn't an original idea at all. Lennie Tristano had his students writing out exercises back in the 1940s, and the Lee Konit'z tune, "Subconcious-Lee", actually started as one of those exercises.

What concepts be those? Well, for this example, shown below in tenor key, I combined polyrhythms with bebop over the changes of "All of Me."

Here is a clip of me playing the exercise - All Of Me Etude Ben Britton.wav

I concentrated on repeating polyrhythmic groups of 3s and 5s, and to illustrate how deeply you can explore a concept in one chorus here is the full list of polyrhythms: a repeating pattern of 5 eighth notes in measure 7, a repeating pattern taking up 3 quarter notes spanning from the last 2 beats of measure 7 through the down beat of measure 12, a repeating pattern of 3 eighth notes in measures 13 and 14, a repeating pattern of 5 sixteenth notes starting on the 2nd sixteenth note of the last beat of measure 21, a short repeating pattern of 3 sixteenth notes starting in the middle of the first beat of measure 23, and finally another repeating pattern of 3 eighth notes in measures 27 and 28. Mixed in with all that is some bebop language, chromatic voice leading, and rhythmic shifting, which just kind of found its way in there while I was writing.

After writing out the solo, I practiced it for a while. I actually practiced the hardest parts away from the horn while driving in the car, just memorizing the lines and thinking through them at tempo. Now, I'm at the stage where I'm improvising and experimenting with different polyrhythmic ideas using ones similar to those I've written out as well as delving into unfamiliar territory. Next post I'll talk about the next stage of the process which is carrying the that heavy experimentation, which musicians sometimes feel more comfortable doing while writing, into improvisation.

For anyone interested below are links to high quality PDFs of my exercise on the changes of "All Of Me" for tenor, alto, and concert.

All Of Me Exercise for Bb instruments - PDF
All Of Me Exercise for Eb instruments - PDF
All Of Me Exercise for C instruments - PDF

Saxscape Mouthpieces Part 2: SL (Slant), Xtra Dark, and Fat Cat

2011-02-19T09:40:00.000-08:00

Last week I featured Saxscape's Naima, a fantastic sounding mouthpiece, and this week I'll overview three more Saxscape models: the SL, a tribute to the Slant, the Xtra Dark, a standout dark mouthpiece with a kick, and the Fat Cat, a much more agile mouthpiece than its name suggests. These three and all of Saxscape's other mouthpieces are in a hard rubber format made from an environment friendly synthetic material.

SL

The SL is Ken Barry's recreation of the classic Otto Link Slant. It's not a physical replica so much as a recreation of the Slant's sound. The SL's tone is a warm and colorful one, and on first impression it is similar to but a little warmer sounding than Otto Link's recent Slant recreation (the "Vintage" model). The colors in the tone also resemble Saxscape's Naima, just in a darker less punchy format. The mouthpiece feels great to play and there are no flaws to report as far as playability and response. Overall, the SL is a solid warm sounding mouthpiece with good playability and response.

Here is a clip of me playing a couple choruses of Beatrice on the SL.
Ben Plays Saxscape SL.wav

Xtra Dark

Among dark mouthpieces the Xtra Dark is a standout set apart for a few characteristics that make it a lot of fun to play. First, is the fact that its sound is easy to hear and well defined even from behind the horn. The tone's subtlety and definition are easy to hear while playing, and it excels in this category relative to other dark sounding mouthpieces. Second, is the ease of the altissimo register, which sings in a way untypical of a darker mouthpiece. There is little or no increased resistance in the altissimo register, and the tone refuses to thin. Third, is the tone color of the mouthpiece. While producing a thoroughly dark tone "inspired by the Selmer hard rubber pieces," it also has character and flexibility toward some brighter colors reminiscent of the SL and Naima. Overall, the Xtra Dark model feels great to play and produces a flexible dark tone which combined create a really fun playing experience.

Here is a clip of me playing the first two A sections of Body and Soul on the Xtra Dark.
Ben Plays Saxscape Xtra Dark.wav

Fat Cat

While the Naima, SL, and Xtra Dark all felt like different gradients in a related tone color family, the Fat Cat sounds and feels like an entirely different beast. Though Saxscape's website says this piece "has a fair amount of resistance," I found it to be the least resistant of the bunch. The response is quick and over all feels very easy blowing. The free blowing aspect of the Fat Cat iss almost too much as my sound started to break up when I really pushed the mouthpiece. The tone is a combination of highs, lows, and mids with the focus on the mids and highs, that gave the mouthpiece a slightly spread light on its feet tone quality. Overall, the Fat Cat is an easy to play vibrant sounding mouthpiece with nearly too little resistance.

Here is a clip of me improvising freely on the Fat Cat.
Ben Plays Saxscape Fat Cat.wav

Note to the readers (not related to the review): Next week I'll begin a new weekly exploration of saxophone technique and improvisation. Occasional reviews will continue, but the overall focus of the blog will be switching from saxophone equipment to saxophone playing. Please, come back next weekend and check it out!

Saxscape Mouthpieces Part 1: The Naima

2011-02-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

My home is pretty conveniently located - an hour from Philly, two and a half hours from NYC, and, as I've recently learned, less than two hours from mouthpiece artist/craftsman Ken Barry. I recently met him and had the opportunity to play a number of his mouthpieces. His love is hard rubber mouthpieces (synthetic, actually), and he has really dedicated himself to his craft. His brand is Saxscape and includes a strong line up of 5 or 6 models currently in production. This week I'll examine his Naima model.

Naima

The Naima is Ken's most prized model. It's the mouthpiece he plays on the regular basis, and it was easy for me to hear why. This is one of the best sounding hard rubber mouthpieces I've ever played on. Ken's goal, with the Naima, was to recreate the sound of the metal Florida-era Otto Link in a hard rubber (synthetic) mouthpiece, and that drive has brought about a really fantastic mouthpiece.

Full-bodied, colorful and powerful are all descriptors of the Naima's tone. It has a brilliance that give the tone focus and projection, but it also has a beautiful depth of tone that fills it out and colors it. Its sound isn't overly bright or overly dark but is a nice balanced combination of lows, mids and highs. There is enough punch in the tone to provide definition to the sound, but nothing that stands out as "edgy" or draws attention to itself. The Naima's sound really makes an impression (in my mind, at least) with its beautiful proportions of brilliance, depth, definition, and power.

Playing on the mouthpiece, thankfully, is also a great experience. It is easy to play the full range of the horn including altissimo. The response is good and leaves little to be desired. Of special note was the extreme ease of transitioning between a subtone and a full tone, which is a definite testament to Ken's craftsmanship. Most importantly, no matter the dynamic or intensity, playing the mouthpiece feels comfortable.

Hear is a chorus of Confirmation I recorded while play testing:

Ben Plays Saxscape's Naima

Conclusion: The Naima produces a gorgeous balanced and defined sound. Its feels great to play, and for once I have nothing negative to say!

Otto Link's "Vintage" Metal Mouthpiece

2011-02-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

The phrase "to each their own" comes to mind when I think about my experience playing Otto Link's new "vintage" metal mouthpiece. Every mouthpiece has its own sonic qualities and those of the metal "vintage" model make it fairly unique among mouthpieces manufactured today.

The metal "vintage" model goes for a truly vintage sound. It produces a very dark sound with decent definition. From the audience's perspective the sound does have some focus, but from the player's perspective the tone has little definition or focus. While the model will appeal to players looking to find a dark tone in a metal mouthpiece designed with the jazz saxophonist in mind, the struggle to hear the subtleties in sound while you play is a definite disadvantage. This is what Otto Link promised, a return to the mouthpieces of yesteryear, and some of their earlier metal mouthpieces (New York era) have very similar qualities.

The playability of the mouthpiece is fairly average when compared to other well made mouthpieces. The mouthpiece responds nicely to dynamics and articulation, and it feels similar in those respects to a modern production mouthpiece. Otto Link didn't want to take too many steps backwards! The mouthpiece does take a more air than their current metal models, but otherwise the average saxophonist should feel comfortable on the mouthpiece.

Here is a quick clip from a practice session on the mouthpiece -

Ben practicing on Otto Link's metal "vintage" model mouthpiece

Conclusion: Otto Link's new metal "vintage" model is a very dark sounding mouthpiece that will feel comfortable to most jazz saxophonists. Its serious disadvantage is its inability to allow the player to hear (from behind the horn/mouthpiece) the definition and focus of the tone.

Otto Link's "Vintage" Hard Rubber Mouthpiece (Reviewed)

2011-01-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

One sure way to sell anything in the world of saxophone is to market it as vintage. It seems like every sax player's curiosity is perked at the mention of the word, and I'm certainly no different. Otto Link's most recent hard rubber mouthpiece entry is their "Vintage" model, so they've successfully caught are attention. Now the question is will the "Vintage" model live up to its name...

Tackling the tone first, the sound of this mouthpiece is clear, clean, and crisp. The tone has an even mix of both bright and dark sound qualities, which allows the player to coax it in either direction. The clarity and complete lack of stuffiness help the tone project, and the slight edge present in the tone furthers its carrying power. Its ability to project is paired with a uniformity of sound even when playing very loudly, which made me feel like this is one of the few traditional style hard rubber tenor mouthpieces (that I've played) that I would feel comfortable really pushing in a loud setting.

Unlike the normal Otto Link hard rubber, the "Vintage" model, is uniform in its easy to blow feeling from the bottom of the horn up through the palm keys. The normal model starts clamming up in the upper register, but the "Vintage" model happily accepts your air until you reach the altissimo register. Unfortunately, as you reach the altissimo range, the mouthpiece clams up somewhat and feels a little resistant. That is the mouthpiece's one serious flaw, which could be overcome with practice. I was able to coax a clear and solid tone out of the altissimo register, but it took some effort.

The mouthpiece's response parallels its easy to play feeling. Articulation feels fast and easy as does the feel of changing registers. As the mouthpiece feels slightly more resistant in the altissimo register, naturally, the ease of jumping to that register also suffers. Its still manageable, but simply doesn't feel as responsive as the other registers.

In truth, I love this mouthpiece, and it has everything I would want in a hard rubber mouthpiece except an altissimo register equal to the lower, middle and upper registers. I felt like, because of its clarity and slight edge, I easily found my sound. I also felt comfortable on it because I like to play loudly, and it doesn't complain when I push it. This is really a great mouthpiece and, besides the altissimo register, seems to be the near hard rubber twin to my Florida Otto Link metal tenor mouthpiece (true vintage) that I play on everyday.

As always the proof is in the pudding:

Ben plays a Otto Link "Vintage" model hard rubber mouthpiece

EDIT: For those who are interested in hearing its softer side here is the first A section of Round Midnight.

Conclusion: The Otto Link "Vintage" model hard is a clear and crisp sounding traditional hard rubber mouthpiece that lives up to its vintage aspirations. Its one weakness is a somewhat more resistant altissimo register.

Jody Jazz DV NY Reviewed

2011-01-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

Some of the claims Jody Jazz makes about their DV NY mouthpiece would interest almost any saxophone player, and the fact that it's one of the few high end mouthpieces you can find in a local music store (Sam Ash) makes the mouthpiece even more interesting to those of us who insist on trying before buying. I've recently had the chance to play one of these, so I'll be examining some of those claims Jody Jazz is making in detail.

When you look at the right side of the DV NY website you'll see a bullet point list labeled "What Does The DV NY Do?", and the first bullet claims a big and dark tone. I found this to be true on both counts. The sound is big and it carries well due to the full spectrum of dark and bright elements present in the sound. The tone is generally dark, but it is accompanied by a vibrance that comes from the brighter overtones also present in the sound. Since the mouthpiece relies mainly on its vibrance for projection rather than edge or punch, when compared to a mouthpiece with more edge the DV NY has a less definition to the tone. Despite this the mouthpiece still has a powerful warm sound.

Another claim Jody Jazz makes is that the DV NY produces a "vintage sound" reminiscent of the 50s and 60s. The dark quality of the tone definitely put the mouthpiece puts it in the running. Though the DV NY does an excellent job at producing a vintage like sound it does lack a little of the edge which some 50s and 60s mouthpieces had and others didn't. Your preference on edge will be a major factor in determining if the DV NY is the right fit for your vintage sound pursuits. On a side note, given the right reed I feel like the mouthpiece could even be pushed in a more contemporary direction.

Third from the top on the DV NY's website we see a section explaining the goals or aims of the mouthpiece, and the first goal is summed up as "no stuffiness and little resistance." The DV NY nails this one on the head. It is a very free blowing mouthpiece, and even with a harder reed it responds with little resistance to your airflow. This also seems to result in easy feeling articulation, which happens to be another claim on the bulleted list.

The final claim I'd like to examine, also from the bulleted list, is its claim to excellent altissimo, which I would agree with only to an extent. The altissimo register of the mouthpiece is excellent in terms of its full sound and uniform continuation of the normal register's tone quality. However, I would say it is only average in its ease of producing the altissimo register. The DV NY, like many other mouthpieces, requires focus to produce the altissimo register reliably, and I have played other mouthpieces that have felt easier and more reliable in the altissmo register. However, the DV NY does have an above average and "excellent" depth of tone in the altissimo register that other mouthpieces would have trouble competing with.

Here is a sound clip for you to hear the tone quality for yourself. If you'd like to compare it to my normal setup which is a metal Florida Otto Link, just go to the last post.

Ben Plays a Jody Jazz DV NY

Set up - Jody Jazz DV NY 8* tenor mouthpiece, Rico Jazz Select Filed 3S reeds

Conclusion: The Jody Jazz DV NY lives up to many of its expectations. Most importantly, it has a big and dark tone with no stuffiness and little resistance, and it provides a rounded vibrant take on the 50s and 60s era jazz saxophone sound.

Zoom H4N Reviewed: Sax-Related Recording

2010-12-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

I received a request to review the Zoom H4n hand held digital recorder, and I've finally had enough time to fully explore the thing. As far as saxophone goes the H4n is fantastic, and I'll go into the details of close micing a sax using the H4n. Of course, its also useful for a number of other things, and I'll talk about those as well.

The H4n is one of Zoom's newer handheld recording devices, and so, of course, it needed the best features of the old device and some new features to set it apart. What stands out from the get go is its ability to plug in two external microphones (phantom powered if you like). You can record simultaneously with the built in mics and the two external mics, which results in a number of possibilities for making a mixable live recording. For those of you who are wondering, you can use the accessories that come with the H4n to mount it onto any microphone stand. Handy, right?

Another standout feature is the Zoom's new ability to do 4 track recording on the device. Not only can you record up to 4 editable and mixable tracks but there is an easy to use click track feature and even an array of digital effects like reverbs and oscillators. Another important mention is its ability to record in number of different WAV and mp3 formats. The only drawback is that you cannot simultaneously use the stamina mode (two double A batteries last you 11 hours in stamina mode) and record to mp3 at the same time, but its easy enough to convert to mp3 afterward using iTunes or a similar program. Two double A batteries in normal mode last closer to 6 hours, and you can always just plug the thing in.

Now, for all of you saxophonists, how well does the H4n record saxophone? Well, barring the studio, this is my favorite way to close mic my saxophone, meaning playing into a microphone someplace between 6 inches to a foot from the bell. The sound quality is fantastic and really captures the entire breadth of tone coming from the saxophone. I like the Zoom much better than my middle class Shure condenser microphone simply for the H4n's ability to capture the full spectrum of the saxophone's tone. If you like you're able to get a very live sound including little details like the clicking of the keys, or you can adjust the microphone sensitivity down and get a much closer to studio feeling while still capturing the entire depth of tone. The following tracks are two examples of close micing the saxophone using the H4n. I also used the H4n's 4 track recording capabilities to make these tracks.

My Favorite Things and Fifth to the Throne

The live setting is the most obvious place for the H4n, which it excels at. I've recorded a number of different events, and the Zoom has surprised me with its excellent sound quality and accuracy. The automatic microphone level adjustment feature makes live recording especially easy. The feature prevents clipping by adjusting the microphone level lower automatically as it records. The small let down here is that the only way to turn the microphone level back up is start recording a new track or simply turn off the feature, which could cause a problem if you were using the feature and had some uncharacteristically loud sounds in the middle of the track. Here are two examples of live recording I've done using the H4n. Both of these were recorded live at Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philly with my group Unconventional Riot.

Ben plays Beatrice and Introduction to Ducks In a Row

Now that you've heard all the positive, I should also inform you of the negative. The menus and navigation system are a little elaborate and require a little exploration to get to what you need. The features are straight forward and easy to use, but the click wheel and multiple sub menus sometime make you wish you had something a little more intuitive.

There was one particular problem I found which was very surprising. The first 4 track recording I did I had recorded the electric piano into my computer using Audacity. I then grabbed the WAV file and put it onto my Zoom without a hitch. The second time I attempted this same procedure I recorded the electric piano using Cubase LE 5, which came with H4n. When I attempted to import the WAV file the Zoom would not recognize the file. Instead I had to use the H4n's stereo mic input to rerecorded the track directly onto the device. I haven't spent much time trying to figure out why the H4n wouldn't recognize the WAV file produced by its accompanying Cubase software, but it wasn't anything obvious. That has easily been my most negative expeience using the Zoom.

Conclusion: Zoom's H4n is fantastic for close micing a saxophone, and it excels at recording in live musical settings. The positive, in this case, easily outweigh the negative including an expansive and less than intuitive menu system and some partial incompatibility with its accompanying software.

Throwdown: Yamaha's Custom EX Tenor Saxophone vs. Selmer's Reference 36 Tenor Saxophone

2010-12-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

Last week I wrote that Yamaha's Custom Z tenor sax was similar to the Selmer Mark VI at least in the focused, warm yet punchy sound it produces. If the Custom Z reminds me of the Mark VI, Yamaha's Custom EX reminds of Selmer's Super Balanced Action even more so.

Yamaha Custom EX Tenor

I've also recently play tested a Selmer Reference 36 Tenor, which is Selmer's modern horn "built in the spirit" of their original 1936 Balanced Action (similar to the SBA in feel and tone), so I thought it would be remiss if I didn't comppare the Custom EX and the Reference 36 for all of you looking to get a saxophone similar to the SBA without paying anywhere from $6,000 (Ebay) to $14,000 (Roberto's in NYC).

For those of you who are feeling out of the loop Selmer's SBA (Super Balanced Action) is their model that came after the 1936 Balanced Action and before the 1954 Mark VI. Both the Mark VI and SBA are two of the most coveted saxophone models of all time. For those of you who are in the loop, here is a lesser know fact for you. The SBAs were actually labeled Super Action and not Super Balanced Action by Selmer. Despite the 'Balanced' of the previous model being formally changed to 'Super' as the new line launched, Super Balanced Action is the name most of the sax community uses today.

Before I get started I should mention that I originally played the Custom EX with its Custom G3 neck, which was good, but the EX played even better with the Custom G1 neck I borrowed from the nearby Custom Z. I believe you can get the best results out of the EX with the Custom G1 neck, and I'll go into the details on the necks later.

Tone

The Custom EX's tone is similar to an SBA. The tone is big and a little spread. There are plenty of deep overtones present in the tone also similar to the SBA. I believe the SBA has a little more core or meat to the tone than the EX, but there is a marked similarity between the two.

The Reference 36 tone reminds me more of a Mark VI than an SBA or the earlier Balanced Action. It has a big focused tone and sounds less spread than an SBA. The Reference 36 tone has plenty of core or meat to it. Its tone reminds me a lot of Yamaha's Custom Z which I reviewed last week.

Response and Feel

Selmer Reference 36 Tenor

The Custom EX really shines in the feel of blowing through the horn. It is very free blowing and has very little back pressure. Its not quite as free blowing as my SBA but it comes closer than most modern horns I've played. This means the Custom EX requires more air support and focus, much like a vintage horn, to maintain a supported tone as you move from note to note. A horn with more back pressure or resistance requires less air support and focus for quick response from note to note, one of the advantages and what some consider to be a crutch of most modern horns. That crutch can also be a disadvantage because it often results in a less malleable tone. The free blowing feel of the Custom EX does require the added air support and focus, but it also adds a greater flexibility and range of color to the tone.

A quick note on the Yamaha necks - The main reason I prefered the Custom G1 neck over the Custom G3 neck is because it provided a nice balance between a free blowing feel and quick response while moving up and down the horn. The G3 neck didn't respond quite as quickly. The
G1 neck also provided a little more core to the sound.

Selmer's Reference 36 seems to take the more modern approach. It feels less free blowing than an SBA, your average Mark VI and the Custom EX. This results in a quick and easy response while moving from note to note, again similar to the Custom Z I reviewed last week. Though it comes closer than many modern horns it doesn't really recreate the feel of blowing through a vintage horn like a Mark VI, SBA or Balanced Action.

Conclusion: In my opinion, Yamaha's Custom EX comes closer than Selmer's Reference 36 to feeling and sounding like the SBA or Balanced Action tenors of yesteryear. Saxes vary even within models, so take this conclusion with a grain of salt and try them for yourself!

Ben Britton's Unconventional Riot

2010-12-15T20:30:00.000-08:00

A little shameless self promotion and a short recording for your enjoyment:

I've started a new group, and we're playing our first show this coming Tuesday at Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philly. For more details on that head over to the facebook page or my website.

So, I recorded a demo today (on keys and sax) of one of the compositions we'll be playing, Fifth to the Throne.

Ben plays Fifth to the Throne

Quick Tip #1: Pull Your Neck Strap Up

2010-12-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

Just a quick lesson for young and old alike. Adjust your neck strap up high enough so that your head doesn't lean or tilt down at all when you play the instrument. This will aid you in producing a fully supported tone.

Throughout the history of the saxophone we have heard unsupported tones from amateur and even professional saxophone players, but the best players, even the ones with a much more inflected approach like Sonny Rollins or Grant Stewart for example, play with fully supported tones.

Adjusting your neck strap won't fix all your problems, but it will make a notable difference.

Sound Clips: (Sorry for the soft talking!)

Neck Strap Down (head tilting down slightly)

Neck Strap Up (Head level or slightly up)

Yamaha Custom Z Tenor Saxophone

2010-12-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday I got to play Yamaha's Custom Z and EX tenor saxophones. I know Yamaha is a highly recommended brand, so I wanted to throw in my two cents for anyone who is thinking about buying one. Today, I'll tackle the Custom Z and you can expect to see something on the Custom EX next week.

The Custom Z, in my estimation, is Yamaha's attempt at a Selmer Mark VI similar to the Reference 54, Selmer's most recent attempt to recreate their Mark VI model saxophone from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The good news is that it has all the modern conveniences you would expect from a horn made today. The intonation is of modern design, which is more naturally in tune than most vintage horns. It has a high F# key, which many people find convenient, and it has Yamaha's modern style key work, which will feel perfectly comfortable for anyone coming from another Yamaha or similar saxophone. The bad news is that Yamaha has not managed to recreated the free-blowing resistance-free feel so important to the Mark VI and other similar vintage horns.

The tone quality is similar to the Mark VI. It's focused, punchy, clear and remains even throughout the horn. The response of the horn however, though more free-blowing than many horns on the modern market, does have more back pressure or resistance than many vintage horns including the Mark VI. The Custom Z's altissimo register also feels resistant though the overtone series feels effortless and sounds beautiful in all registers of the horn.

The key work matches the rest of the Yamaha horns and feels equally as convenient as other modern key work designs. The horn's overall design conveniently allows for the traditional altissimo fingerings using the front fork F as a launching pad up through altissimo G and eventually reaching the palm keys for altissimo B through D and again for E through G above that.

Conclusion: The Yamaha Custom Z tenor is a throwback to the Mark VI that lives up to its aspirations in the sound department but is somewhat too resistant to really feel like a modern Mark VI. It will almost definitely appeal to the saxophonist who feels more at home on modern horns but wants the Mark VI sound.

My Favorite Things

2010-12-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

I started experimenting with my new zoom recorder and I've managed to coax a fantastic recording quality out of it as a direct sax mic (Not that I had to do much). The following is an arrangement of "My Favorite Things" that I recorded on it. I recorded the electric piano-rhodes sound directly into the computer and then overdubbed the sax using my zoom. I apologize for the slight clipping on the electric piano-rhodes during one section of the tune. I didn't catch it until I was too far into the recording to want to start over.

MP3 - My Favorite Things MP3 and a high quality WAV file of the track - My Favorite Things WAV

I would like to make recordings like this more often. If you'd like to hear more of my music please donate 99 cents or whatever amount of money you'd like toward my next track using the pay pal donation button below. I'll be posting tracks on the regular basis, and with your support I could even hire other musicians to play with me. Thanks to all who support my music!

Rico Final Episode: Rico Reserve Classic Alto Reeds

2010-12-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Today's subject, and the final Rico product in a series of reviews, is the Rico Reserve Classic alto reed. This is a brand new reed Rico has recently designed and released, and it is being advertised as the "most consistent reed available". I'll be examining the reed and that important claim. It's also important to note that the classic reed is only available for Alto saxophone though the normal reserve reed is availble on the other saxophones.

The reeds' tone could be described as pure, balanced, and slightly dark. At softer strengths the dark overtones are less pronounced, and naturally as you progress to a harder reed strength the sound darkens. I found I could play on either a 2.5 or a 3 reed strength and the 2.5 varied in its the darkness of the tone while the 3's weere consistently slightly dark. The tone seems most appropriate for classical playing, and most would probably find that the tone isn't punchy or fat enough for a jazz setting.

The reeds response and flexibility is fantastic though somewhat variable. The box of 2.5 strength reeds I played through had a couple reeds that responded very easily to articulation and inflection, a majority that responded well, and a few duds that seemed unresponsive and even became less responsive in the lower register. The box of 3 strength reeds I played on had more consistensy in their responsiveness and flexibility. They tended to respond very quickly and easily from the bottom of the horn to the top. In general the reeds sing into the altissimo register and feel effortless as you ascend into that extreme upper range.

Finally, let's examine the claim that these are the most consistent reeds available. They do seem to be very consistent, but, as I have described above, the box of 2.5 strength reeds was somewhat inconsistent. I had 7 or 8 good reeds and 1 or 2 less responsive reeds. Happily, only one reeds was unplayable due to being so soft it sounded unsupported. The strength of the reeds was pretty consistent overall. The box of 3 strength reeds was very consistent and the box of 2.5 strength reeds was pretty consistent. I think the lessons here is that no matter how consistent the cane and cut is there are still other factors that also determine overall reed consistensy.

Conclusion: These are pure and slightly dark sounding reeds most suitable for the classical saxophonist. They are very consistent though no cane reed can claim 100% consistency yet.

Rico Reviews Episode 2: Filed vs. Unfiled (Rico Jazz Select)

2010-11-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the products Rico was kind enough to provide free of charge, today I’d like to pit the unfiled and filed Rico Jazz Select reeds in a battle to the death.

Overall, the Rico Jazz Selects are good reeds, but I wanted to get into the dirty details of the differences and similarities between the cuts. I broke the battle down into three main categories: tone quality, response, and consistency.

Tone Quality
Unfiled: Deep slightly spread tone with enough vibrance to give the sound some presence, even tone throughout range and dynamics

Filed: Focused vibrant tone with more highs than lows, even tone throughout range and dynamics

Response
Unfiled: Feels easy to play through and responds promptly to articulation

Filed: Feels slightly more resistant than the unfiled reeds, responds even more quickly to articulation

Consistency
Unfiled: Often needs to be soaked/warmed up, variable reed quality (like most brands...), pretty consistent reed strength

Filed: Often plays out of the box, some variability in reed quality but less variability than the unfiled reeds, pretty consistent reed strength

Play Test
Unfiled: Ben Plays Donna Lee

Filed: Ben Plays Donna Lee again

Conclusion: The two cuts offer different tone qualities with neither lacking in presence. The other differences between the two cuts, though many, are almost negligible once you have decided on the cut that best fits the kind of sound you're going for. The one drawback for both cuts, especially the unfiled, is the inconsistency in reed quality.

Rico Reviews Episode 1: Rico Metalite Mouthpiece

2010-11-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

After my review of their orange box reeds, Rico was kind enough to send over some samples of their products free of charge including the Metalite mouthpiece. Expect a little more Rico in the near future as well.

$25. That is usually the cheapest price you can pay for a playable mouthpiece. $25 is also about the highest price you’ll pay for a Rico Metalite mouthpiece judging from the price listings on Google Shopping. It was quite a surprise to find out that the mouthpiece is also very good.

The sound, which to me is one of the most important selling points of any mouthpiece, is full bodied with a nice mix of highs and lows. The mouthpiece leans toward the highs, which makes sense as its suppose to be providing the brilliance of a metal mouthpiece in a non-metal format, but it isn’t overly bright. There is enough edge in the tone to give it presence and sound complete. The mouthpiece does retain its tone quality at different dynamic ranges, and with a good reed you can really push it dynamically without worrying about the tone breaking up.

The mouthpiece does require a fair amount of jaw or embouchure pressure to produce the tone and respond well to articulation. This also means that the mouthpiece is very sensitive to changes in jaw and embouchure pressure, and inflections and bends are easy to produce. For an intermediate or advanced player the needed pressure and control wouldn't be a problem, but a younger player or a beginner might find these aspects of the mouthpiece challenging.

Here is a sound clip I blew playing an M7 Rico Metalite Tenor mouthpiece and a rico orange box 3 1/2 reed:

Ben plays Cherokee

Conclusion: This is a good vibrant mouthpiece at a very cheap price that delivers on its promise. It's probably best suited for intermediate or advanced players.

A Surprising Turn of Events: Rico Reeds, the Orange Box Reviewed

2010-11-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

I would have never guessed these reeds would turn out to be a part of my regular setup, but they have now been on my mouthpiece every day for a week. Three gigs and counting...

I have been playing the orange box reeds on my Florida Otto Link metal mouthpiece, and I get a full and balanced tone throughout the registers of the horn. There is enough bite and vibrance to cut, but the tone isn't too bright or edgy either. I should also mention that I place my ligature toward the back of the mouthpiece, and reeds can sound a little thin if I place the ligature further to the front.

The response of the reeds is fantastic though they need to be pushed a little more in the low end to get the same easy feeling as the rest of the range. Climbing into the altissimo register feels very easy. The extreme flexibility and ease of play does have a down side. The reeds don’t last as long as other types of reed which are made with a less flexible cane.

As far as reed consistency goes, I’ve now played on six orange box reeds and I’ve only had one that I would not play on a gig. That being said there is a great degree of variation between reed strengths in a single box. I’m playing on size 3 ½ reeds and the strengths have ranged from almost too easy to almost too hard. There does seem to a fair amount of inconsistency in that respect.

I’ll let you all judge for yourself. Here are a couple of sound clips for your critical ears. First, is a full range-ish chromatic scale, and the second is a blues.

Full Range-ish Chromatic Scale

Ben Plays the Blues

Conclusion: Rico orange box reeds are surprisingly good when combined with the right setup. They can produces a full and balanced tone. On the negative side the reeds don’t last as long as some other types, and they are fairly inconsistent in terms of reed strength.

Ben's New Setup: 3 ½ Orange Box Rico Reeds, 7* Florida Metal Otto Link, Selmer Super Action Tenor

Cannonball Vintage Pro Series Tenor

2010-11-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

I’ve never known a saxophone to have a mental disorder, but this one sure comes close! More on that later.

I saw this Cannonball Vintage Pro tenor sax on the wall in Sam Ash with its beautiful deep amber laquer just begging to be played. The vintage look and profile screamed Mark VI, so I thought I’d see how close Cannonball had gotten. Just holding the horn in my hands let me know something was different. The key work filled up my medium sized hands, much like the key work on modern horns. I am accustomed to the smaller feel of vintage horns, but the Cannonball’s key work still felt very good. My fingers laid naturally onto the keys. Nothing felt quirky or out of place.

Playing the horn felt much like playing a Selmer Reference 54. It felt fairly free blowing, but not as free blowing as a true vintage horn. Some would find that a disadvantage and others would like the slightly more resistant feel. The tone was very similar to a Mark VI, possibly a little brighter but still very focused, until I reached octave key B. At this point the saxophone transformed, and the tone became much brighter and little edgier. This strangely transformed tone continued up into the altissimo range of the horn. Now that was a weird experience, and it was the first time I’ve come across such a defined boundary line. Octave key A and down had a nice Mark VI-ish sound, and Octave key B and up sounded like an entirely different horn. I did not have the chance to play another Cannonball Vintage Pro horn, so I cannot say if this is a odd one time event or whether this is the general tendency of the horns. I can recommend vigorously play testing any horn before you make a final purchase!

Conclusion: This is a great looking horn that feels good in your hands. It sounds like a vintage horn up to a certain point, but unfortunately it loses that characteristic vintage sound when your reach the upper register.

Buescher True Tone Tenor Sax & V16 Metal Tenor Mouthpiece

2010-10-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the stars align and a vintage Buescher True Tone Tenor from 1921 just falls into your lap free of charge. At least, that’s what happened to me last week. My brother was given the horn by a random listener while playing a gig at a farmer’s market. It was his intention to sell the thing, but it was so banged up that he decided it wasn’t worth his time. So, I’m now the proud owner of my first ever pre-1950s horn.

The horn came in its original case, which also stored two vintage mouthpieces, a Buescher hard rubber that I’m assuming came with the horn and an early model Selmer hard rubber that looks much more played on. They both have very small tip openings typical of mouthpieces of that time period, and they are virtually unplayable without strength five and a half reeds. The unplayable mouthpieces will not be making the review today, however I will do my best to provide a complete and modern perspective on the vintage Buescher horn.

Buescher True Tone Tenor (1921)

Let’s start with the positive. The horn has a beautiful warm sound, which is uniform from the bottom to the top of the horn and maintains its integrity from soft to loud. The sound is less spread than a Selmer Super (Balanced) Action, but not quite as as focused as the average Mark VI. These sound traits give the sax its own unique territory when measuring up against its vintage contemporaries. The horn has the free-blowing feel you would expect from a vintage sax, and even with the leaks its feels great to play. The lower register does feels more resistant and becomes more and more free-blowing as you reach the top of the horn’s range. The altissimo register inherits the easy feeling of the high register and feels effortless to play. The feeling of blowing through the horn and the sound that comes out is great, but the rest is not so great.

On the negative side, the horn’s key work is from the dinosaur-age. The upper and lower stacks (left and right hands) are not offset, meaning you have to bring your right hand further and uncomfortably around the horn. The G#, low C#, low B, low Bb keys are ill placed and require more finger strength than average. The octave mechanism is raised higher than the thumb rest making it less convenient and less comfortable. The D palm key is much too low, and the list continues. The G# is dependant of the rest of the key work much like a clarinet, so that you have to either press the G# key only when playing G# or use an interesting but poorly positioned key in between the E and the F key which closes the G# for you. The clincher is that the horn is missing a front high F key. Throughout the decade following 1921 the front high F did become a standard on True Tones, but sadly my horn predates the standardization of the front high F key. This dinosaur-age key work makes the horn less than desirable when compared to the numerous saxophones available to the modern player.

Here are two clips I recorded to give you an idea of the horn’s inherent sound qualities. The first clip is of me playing the Buescher, and the second is of me playing my Super (Balanced) Action for comparison. I tried to start them in a similar vein, but it really just ended up being me playing around and having fun.

Ben playing his Buescher True Tone

Ben playing his Selmer Super-Action

Conclusion: Though this warm and easy playing vintage horn sounds great its dinosaur-age key work make the horn undesirable when compared to many other saxophones.

V16 Metal Tenor (T75)

In each of these review I want to include a piece of equipment easily available to you, so though completely unrelated to the Buescher I’m taking on the V16 Metal tenor mouthpiece here as well.

This mouthpiece plays most appropriate for an electrified setting. In an acoustic setting I’m afraid its top heavy mix of highs and a few lows would seem out of place. I can safely call this a bright mouthpiece. There is a fair amount of edge especially when I was playing with a filed Rico Jazz Select. When I switched to an unfiled Select the edge converted into a kind of buzz. The edge/buzz is not overpowering as in
some mouthpieces, but it is definitely present.

The mouthpiece takes a medium amount of air, though I wouldn’t call it resistant except in the lower register of the horn. This slight resistance in the mouthpiece gives it an even tone from piano to fortissimo and gives the altissimo register some real strength. That’s definitely a fair trade in my book.

Conclusion: This is a bright mouthpiece with its inherent tone quality bordering on thin, however the tone does retain its integrity throughout the range and dynamics of the saxophone.

Jody Jazz Tenor HR* and Classic Mouthpieces Reviewed

2010-10-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I wanted to pick a theme for my first review, and I thought it was going to be ‘Jody Jazz Hard Rubber Mouthpieces,’ but come to find out the Classic model, which in at least one of its two colors looks an awful lot like a hard rubber mouthpiece, is actually formed from a “proprietary polycarbonate alloy with a synthetic rubber mix.” So, all my dreams have been ruined, but we’ll get on with the review anyhow.

Jody Jazz HR* Tenor

Some hard rubber mouthpieces have both feet firmly planted in a dark round room with sound absorbent materials covering every surface so that the only edge you hear is when you bite the reed and play ff. The Jody Jazz HR* Tenor mouthpiece is in a different room than those afore mentioned hard rubber pieces. Jody’s HR* has a dark-heavy blend of dark and bright overtones. This piece is not bright by any means, but the tone does have a strong presence due to some brighter overtones and a slight edge. The dark edge gives the mouthpiece a kind of smoky sound and gives it a unique sound stamp. That sound stamp also proves to be the piece’s one weakness, but no mouthpiece is perfect, right?

The piece is effortless from low B-flat up to the upper echelon of the altissimo range whether playing softly, loudly, subtone, or full-tone. The sound remains full in the entire range of the horn, and the altissimo range retains a full body tone, which isn’t true of every mouthpiece as we’ll see later on. When tonguing the mouthpiece responds quickly giving it a light on its feet feeling. Unfortunately, the mouthpiece does break up when nearing the ff dynamic range. The smoky sound becomes slightly edgier or reedier and less pleasant, but this could vary with a harder strength reed or possibly a different brand of reed.

The dark-heavy mix of dark and bright overtones would lend well to many settings. I wouldn’t want to use it in a more contemporary fusion or funk setting, but George Garzone would beg to differ (and he always sounds great).

Conclusion: The piece has a nice mix of dark and bright overtones in a mainly round, dark, and strong sound setting . However, there is a reedy side that comes out when you really push the piece.

Jody Jazz Classic Tenor

The Classic model is somewhat of an enigma to me. You can buy the sleek looking mouthpiece in traditional black or in a transparent bold red, which was all fine and good until I had different playing experiences with the two colors of what should be the same mouthpieces. Both the red and black mouthpieces were marked with the same tip opening size and of identical shape. However, there were some physical differences to the mouthpieces. The red one was noticeably bigger, was much looser on my cork than the black piece, and came with the removable baffle currently advertized on the Jody Jazz Classic Tenor’s website page. So, I’ll have to proceed on the premise that there is something different about these two particular pieces. Maybe the black one is an older edition of the mouthpiece or something along those lines. I’ve emailed Jody Jazz and I’ll post an update when I know more about the situation. Without further ado...

Update: Jody Espina had the following to say on the general approach to playing his mouthpieces and observed difference between the mouthpieces:

"Very nice review, thank you. . . . it would be nice to know the tip opening and especially the reed strength. I find that when people are coming from other mouthpieces that aren't as free blowing they tend to use a softer reed and when they play a free blowing piece their reed is too soft to do the mouthpiece justice, especially in the high register. This is even more true on our DV and DV NY series where you definitely have to go up in reed strength to get the most out of the mouthpiece.

I can't explain the difference in those two pieces as the bore should be exactly the same. As far as the missing spoiler goes the store must have msiplaced it or had it stolen. Sam Ash has told us that our mouthpieces are the #1 stolen mouthpiece for them.

Thanks again for the review,

Jody Espina - President

JodyJazz"

The tip opening and reed strength can be found in the comment section now.

Ruby Red

Like I mentioned earlier, this mouthpiece sits looser on my cork. Looser than the HR*, looser than the black Classic, looser than my Florida Otto Link, and looser than many other mouthpieces I’ve played on. What does that mean? I have no idea, but I’m giving you fair warning that you might need a new cork if you buy one of these.

More seriously, this is a great playing mouthpiece. It’s another easy to play free-blowing mouthpiece, though in my experience it is slightly more resistant than the HR*. That slight resistance only helps the mouthpiece as I can push it to ff without any real change in the tone quality. The tone quality is also constant from low Bb up until the altissimo register where the sound quality does change. The altissimo register plays easily on the mouthpiece, but unfortunately it loses some of its depth of tone. With practice I’m guessing this could be overcome, at least in large degree, but I definitely noticed that of the 3 Jody Jazz mouthpieces I play tested, this one has the most noticeable tone quality change when playing altissimo.

The removable baffle that comes with the mouthpiece basically give you two mouthpieces in one. Without the removable baffle the tone has a nice balanced mix of dark and bright overtones, and the tone quality is generally round and vibrant. There is a slight edge in the sound, but it's just enough to enhance the sound quality and give it a strong presence. With the removable baffle in place the highs of the sound are brought to the forefront, and the piece’s edginess is also increased. The tone goes from a sound you might expect from a traditional or modern jazz musician to a tone you'd expect to hear from a contemporary smooth jazz musician or even a rock saxophonist. Basically, you have got options. All of that said, the highs emphasized by the removable baffle are not as vibrant as you what you would get from a metal mouthpiece designed for that purpose.

Conclusion: This is another easy to play free-blowing mouthpiece with a balanced mix of highs and lows. Without the spoiler you’ve got just enough highs and edge, and with the spoiler you’ve entered the funk, smooth jazz, and even rock scene though you might really want a metal mouthpiece for those musical situations. The only downside to the mouthpiece was its thinner though easy to play altissimo register.

Classic Black

This mouthpiece does not have a removable baffle in the box, and honestly, it does not need one. It's bright and edgy from the get-go. It is edgier than even the red Classic with the removable baffle in place. To my ears the mouthpiece sounds a little thin and was lacking some of the darker overtones it needs to complete the sound. The mouthpiece would definitely cut due to its bright and edgy nature, and it would appeal to saxophonists who need that ability and are looking to do it with a non-metal mouthpiece.

Despite the differences in sonic qualities the black Classic does have all the same free-blowing qualities of the red model. It's easy to play from bottom to top and at all dynamics. The altissimo register is easy to play, and the mouthpiece fully maintains its depth of tone in the upper register unlike the red Classic.

Conclusion: This is a bright and edgy mouthpiece and is meant to cut. Though a little thin sounding it maintains its sonic integrity from soft to loud and from low to the altissimo register. It would be an easy alternative for a musician looking for a cutting mouthpiece in a non-metal format.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first review or found it helpful. Comments are welcome.

Test Setup: Jody Jazz Tenor HR* with Vandoren Optimum ligature and Rico Jazz Select Filed reeds, Jody Jazz Tenor Black & Red Classics with Rovner and normal 2 screw metal ligatures and Rico Jazz Select Filed reeds.

Normal Setup: Metal Florida Otto Link with Vandoren Optimum ligature and Rico Jazz Select Filed reeds.