October 26, 2018
There are four main components of an effects pedal setup: Microphone Preamp Effects Loop Power Source Microphone / Pickup Once you have your instrument, you will need a good microphone to play into. Another alternative for brass players is to use a Yamaha Silent Brass Mute: with a pickup in the mute it can be […]
A double is an additional instrument you might want to, or need to play. Standard doubles for a saxophonist might include flute, clarinet, piccolo, bass clarinet or any other instrument in the woodwind family. My first double was the clarinet. When I began high school I found many saxophone players playing clarinet. The majority of them had started […]
October 25, 2018
Levels of Saxophone Saxophones are divided into different groups based on playing level: beginner (or student), intermediate, and professional (or performance) saxophones. Pretty much all student saxophonists start playing on a beginner horn, which makes perfect sense! But once a student has reached a certain playing level, they’ll probably start thinking about stepping up to […]
Trombones, trumpets and saxophones are all great sounding instruments that can present a few difficulties when you’re in the studio. For example, their large dynamic range can easily overload microphone capsules, preamps and A/D converters, making the instruments hard to compress. A delicate frequency response often makes horns sound harsh, too bright or too thin. […]
Altissimo is a funny word that is best defined as the high notes on the saxophone that start when the regular fingering scale ends. The saxophone normally goes up to a high F or F# (sometimes even high G) and the fingering chart ends there. These Altissimo notes are the high notes you hear pro […]
I hold the opinion that strings are among the most beautiful and expressive instruments in the world. Strings in popular music have brought us songs like “Tonight, Tonight” by Smashing Pumpkins, “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith, and “Apologize” by One Republic. These are all great songs in their own right, but when […]
As most musicians know, various finishes can definitely have an impact on the sound of your saxophone. In fact, knowing the type of finish on the instrument you’re looking at purchasing is considered a crucial bit of information. Depending on the finish you’re able to know how bright or dark the tone will be without […]
October 24, 2018
Tuba Parts The bass voice in the brass family, the tuba is both fun and challenging to learn. There are many different kinds of tubas, making them an instrument that can be used in various types of music. While most orchestras and bands use BBb or CC tubas, there are also BBb, CC, EEb, and […]
Choosing a Saxophone Mouthpiece A huge part of the overall success of a saxophone player, the correct saxophone mouthpiece is a choice made purely out of personal preference. Designed to allow musicians to play different genres, it’s crucial to understand how each mouthpiece is crafted to maximize your sound. To start, you’ll want to look at the two main […]
Euphonium Breakdown The modern baritone and euphonium was constructed around 1828. It was during this time that the first brass instrument family with valves was created. Similar to the voice of a cello in a symphony orchestra, euphoniums have a rich and deep sound, and overtime they’ve grown to be more popular than baritones. However, […]
