Is a curved soprano saxophone harder to play than a straight soprano saxophone?
Hi I have a curved soprano saxophone at the moment and I was wondering is it easier to play a straight one? I have expirence with the clarinet so thats not a problem. Also has anyone managed to find a good curved soprano sax strap because I can't fine one anywhere which will hold my sax directly into my mouth.
I'm a saxophonist. I play alto but dabbled in soprano when I was part of saxophone quartet. The leader brought along a straight and curved soprano sax and I was curious as you are as to whether the straight soprano was easier to play than the curved.
I can tell you from experience that the straight soprano is much easier to play than the curved. Also, the sonority is everso slightly different, and from a person perspective, I musch prefer the sonority of the straight soprano.
When you think about it logically, the fact that the curved soprano sax is curved means that when you breath, you are going to have to work harder to get the air to flow downwards then upwards than you would do to just blow and let the air flow straight down with a straight soprano.
You may be interested to know that Adolphe Sax’s original sopranos were straight. Larger saxes were curved and looped to enable the players to reach the keys and to allow the instrument to be carried.
In terms of a strap, there are some slings esepcially made for curved sopranos that bare in mind the problems hyou have with holding your sax directly into your mouth.
http://cgi.ebay.com.my/BG-Sling-Neck-Strap-Curved-Soprano-Sax-Saxophone-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ220340962020
http://www.woodwindandbrass.co.uk/acatalog/saxophone_strap_saxophone_harness_neotech.html
"For players of the curved soprano, a simple strap with well padded neck and large metal hook. Quality from BG"
Im told by my friend who was the offical soprano saxophonist in our quartet that these worked better than some of the stocky straps that were better made for alto/tenor/barry saxopones.
You may be interested to know that a straight soprano is best played without a strap as the mouthpiece should be pointing straight out from your mouth not down, and its obviously best from a performance point of view to keep your face pointing forward much of the time.
I hope this has helped you!
May 29th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Neither has specific-to-the-shape intonation, tone, or general ease of playing issues. Obviously, the more professional the horn is, the better it's tone, intonation etc. will be, but the shape of the soprano does not really matter.
However, the shape does affect ease of projection. It is easier to mic a curved soprano because it is basically the same as an alto, and for non-mic playing, it projects the same as all other saxophones.
As for a strap, an alto saxophone strap should work just fine. I've never heard of anything about not holding it directly in the mouth, just make sure your strap is adjusted to the right length, and use your hands to stabilize it.
References :
May 29th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I'm a saxophonist. I play alto but dabbled in soprano when I was part of saxophone quartet. The leader brought along a straight and curved soprano sax and I was curious as you are as to whether the straight soprano was easier to play than the curved.
I can tell you from experience that the straight soprano is much easier to play than the curved. Also, the sonority is everso slightly different, and from a person perspective, I musch prefer the sonority of the straight soprano.
When you think about it logically, the fact that the curved soprano sax is curved means that when you breath, you are going to have to work harder to get the air to flow downwards then upwards than you would do to just blow and let the air flow straight down with a straight soprano.
You may be interested to know that Adolphe Sax’s original sopranos were straight. Larger saxes were curved and looped to enable the players to reach the keys and to allow the instrument to be carried.
In terms of a strap, there are some slings esepcially made for curved sopranos that bare in mind the problems hyou have with holding your sax directly into your mouth.
http://cgi.ebay.com.my/BG-Sling-Neck-Strap-Curved-Soprano-Sax-Saxophone-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ220340962020
http://www.woodwindandbrass.co.uk/acatalog/saxophone_strap_saxophone_harness_neotech.html
"For players of the curved soprano, a simple strap with well padded neck and large metal hook. Quality from BG"
Im told by my friend who was the offical soprano saxophonist in our quartet that these worked better than some of the stocky straps that were better made for alto/tenor/barry saxopones.
You may be interested to know that a straight soprano is best played without a strap as the mouthpiece should be pointing straight out from your mouth not down, and its obviously best from a performance point of view to keep your face pointing forward much of the time.
I hope this has helped you!
References :