low A

[Bluemilk262]

are there any tenors that have a low A key?

[Storamin]

are there any tenors that have a low A key?
I've never seen a tenor with a low A, but I once saw a Alto with a Low A.

[Bootman]

Only Altos and baris, there is 2 Bass saxes with low A keys.

I would love a saxello with a low A key though.

[Randall]

Boot,
I met the guy who made the Low A JK bass saxes in Germany at the JK factory....
Big news- they are NOT made of stainless steel! They are made of brass, nickel plated and brushed a bit.
Still, I'd love to give that monster a toot....set off a few seismographs! :twisted:

[Bootman]

Randall,
Are we talking rods here?

I can put you in touch with the owner if you want the monster.

[Randall]

Hey Boot,
No I mean the whole horn is made of brass and plated...it is NOT stainless steel, as we all believed- even though it looks like it.
Do I want it? Of course!
Do I want to stay married more? you bet.... :lol:

[Bootman]

A lovely horn and I would love to own the beast too but out of my price range even as cheap as it is.

SWMBO would disown me if I brought that home.

[russps]

A friend of mine claims that his sax teacher (from over 20 years ago) had a low A Mark VII tenor. I don't belive it, but hey, you never know.

Russ

[Jazzed]

Whatever happened to the lo A trick: playing lo Bb, bend down a bit and raise your right knee. Put the knee into the bell enough to lower the pitch to A. My teacher showed this to me many years ago. Once in a blue moon I still use it. This requires good balance, since you end up standing on your left leg only.

Anybody else here remember this?

[Bflat]

Jazzed - re: the low A trick - can't do it, but I've seen it done.

Bflat

[Bootman]

The trick works well, but you have to useyour left knee and stand on your right leg. Itis a simple matter of angles. It also works on Alto, Low Bb Bari and Bass sax too. I have been able to do it on the straight tenor using the calf muscle of the left leg and the thigh on a Saxello.

It is a really useful technique when you really need a low A ina given tune.

[paulwl]

The stainless steel bass sax failed because it weighed 200 lbs. It was later bought by a fun park for use as a water slide. :lol:

Around the time of the low A MkVI alto, Selmer put out at least one brochure advertising a low A MkVI tenor - in teeny print on the back cover. AFAIK, not one was ever ordered or built.

[Jazzed]

The trick works well, but you have to use your left knee and stand on your right leg.

Sorry for the backwards info. :oops:

Bootman's correct!

[MonchMan]

I posted this link in the Bari Forum http://www.gigdust.com/articles_instrument.html#bari_low , but now you guys have me thinking same trick on a Tenor or Alto. :idea:

hmmmmmmmmmmm :idea:

[AMASAX]

paulwl, could you supply details on the Selmer brochure you mentioned contained the small print for a low A tenor? I have several US catalogs from the 50s-70s, but none of them list this little item...

[Ptrick]

I am pretty sure I have seen a MkVII with a low A - I think I remember a kid in high school that had one.... could be wrong...? It wasn't a tenor but and alto.

[PB]

The most important thing before your left knee is arriving the bell not to drink before....
REALLY important!!

[PB]

`is` is missing I think.

[Gandar]

I am pretty sure I have seen a MkVII with a low A - I think I remember a kid in high school that had one.... could be wrong...? It wasn't a tenor but and alto.

I saw few on Saxpics-website, though I think they were VI's...

/edit: Low A Alto, not tenor.

[hornstar]

I saw Fishbone the other night, Angelo Moore used the knee trick to play Low A on tenor quite often.

[Joey the Saint]

Whatever happened to the lo A trick: playing lo Bb, bend down a bit and raise your right knee. Put the knee into the bell enough to lower the pitch to A. My teacher showed this to me many years ago. Once in a blue moon I still use it. This requires good balance, since you end up standing on your left leg only.

Anybody else here remember this?

--

I do this when I'm feeling frisky (or when I'm drunk); my flexibility is pretty good so I actually kick my left leg up and over and set it across the bell.

Does anyone else use the behind-the-back trick?

[SteveS]

I used to own a low-A Mark VI alto. Did not have quite the same sound as the low Bb Mark VI. Salesman talked me into that one back in '72.

Low-A tenors? Never saw one. Never heard of one.

[woodwindmaster06]

I wish, I dont know why they don't make em, people want them they should develop the extended range for all saxophones.

[UOPJohnny]

I remember seeing a picture of a Selmer Low A Prototype tenor....

I've been looking for that again for a month, and can't find it.

Gosh...

Anyway, about the low A trick, I was taught to put my foot in the bell. It works really well... for me at least. A lot of people can't do it though. But I can usually get my low A accurate to +/- 3 cents.

[Paul Cohen]

Selmer of Paris did make at least one low A tenor. I have an amazing Selmer Paris C Melody from the 1930s with a range to low A. The mechanism feels comfortable and the instrument plays exceptionally well.
Paul Cohen

[JohnSBA]

Though I can't recall who stated this (It was while I was selling my MKVI Low A Alto on Ebay), that Dolnet did manufacture a few Low A tenors. Sorry, I have not seen any evidence (though I have seen a Dolnet Low A alto),

[Biff]

Selmer of Paris did make at least one low A tenor. I have an amazing Selmer Paris C Melody from the 1930s with a range to low A. The mechanism feels comfortable and the instrument plays exceptionally well.
Paul Cohen

Dude! :shock: can you post some pics? i would loev to see that. or even just email them to me so i can see!

[Bootman]

Paul Cohen,
I would love to see some pics of the Low A C melody and tenor if possible.

[SaxyLady_2000]

I was browsing BrookMays Website and came across a tenor with a low A key. The brand is J.Erich Tenor Sax W/F# Outfit W/T75 MPC. It claims to be a family business, which is probably why I've never heard of J. Erich saxophones before. Just thought y'all like to know! :)

[Paul Cohen]

Paul Cohen,
I would love to see some pics of the Low A C melody and tenor if possible.

Sorry, no pics yet. When I get to them, they will be part of an article (unfinished for some years now) about very rare and unknown Selmers in my collection. By the way, it is only the C melody (also known as C tenor) with the low A, not both C and Bb tenors. Anyone passing through Northern NJ is invited to stop by and see them in person.
Paul Cohen

[Pete]

SaxyLady, sorry to spoil your fun, but the picture on the BrookMays.com website is of a standard low Bb horn. I'm downloading the J. Erich catalog right now, but I'm almost positive that it's just a misprint on the website.

=======

Confirmed. There's a misprint in the catalog that you can download from BrookMays. (The soprano pictured in the catalog also has its mouthpiece on upside down. The horns are numbered similarily to the Yamahas -- and look very similar, too ....)

Anyhow, if you were to find a modern low A Bb tenor, it's look like this one (http://web.archive.org/web/20011117131647/w3.one.net/~aharman/tenora.jpg), from the defunct Smeller Saxophone (http://web.archive.org/web/20010717074940/http://w3.one.net/~aharman/newsax.htm) joke website.