Sopranino

[mostly alto guy]

Anyone have experience playing one of these little devils (981)? I'm finding soprano gets easier with practice; is it the same with the 'nino?

[singlereed]

Yes I bought one a few months back and had no difficulty with it at all. The SN981 does seem like a bit of a relic, though, the palm keys and LH table look like a hang on from an earlier age, and the keywork is not as comfortable under the fingers as other Yanis. Still, it was easy enough to blow and despite only going up to E and having no front F, notes beyond were easy enough to achieve with a bit of experimentation.

I liked playing it but since I had virtually no opportunity to use it, I sold it to help balance my finances and to pay for upgrading my tenor, which I use a lot. The SN981 can be had for a lot less than the Selmer one, though I think I'd prefer to own a Selmer if I had a use for it.

[tomsch]

I owned a Yani sopranino for about a year. During that time it was fun to mess around with but I ended up playing it on one gig and several times in church.

[Dave Dolson]

Y'all know I love Yanagisawa saxophones, but when I bought a new 'nino, it was a Rampone & Cazzani gold-plated model. It has modern-style palm keys and lefty pinky table, plus it has front-F and is keyed to high F# (whatever good THAT is is beyond me). It plays well (for a screecher). I once tried a new Selmer 'nino and did not care for it at all - may have been the mouthpiece/reed combo at the store, but still, I walked away without buying it (and I would have bought it had it played well). I have not had the opportunity to try a Yana 'nino, though. DAVE