Soprillo Owners, How is Your Honeymoon Going?

[MJ]

To the handful of soprillo owners who exist, please comment on your experience with this unique instrument. Some topics to consider: the learning curve involved with playing the soprillo well, its use in ensemble playing, and its performance as a solo instrument.

I'd particularly like to know if you'd recommend a soprillo to an average saxophone player. Soprillo.com is very informative on the subject, but I'd like to hear from "players in the trenches," too.


Thank you for sharing your insights.

[Chizzy]

What I like is how easy they are to purchase now too!
http://www.saxophones.co.uk/acatalog/Xtreme_saxes_by_Benedikt_Eppelsheim.html

I love the sound of very deep and very high saxes, when I'm earning me own cash I'll porbably fork out for a soprillo, but the tubax is too expensive really, doubt I'll get much use other then novelty out of it.

[allreeds]

I bought a soprillo last August, and really enjoy playing the horn. I have used it along side a section oif saxes, including sopraninos and sopranos, and find it plays well in tune. Reeds tend to be an issue at times, looking forward to getting some White Master Bb VanDoren clarinet reeds, cut them down and try that.

Notes above octave G can be squeal-ly and out of tune...air support, and some adjusted fingerings can help.

Dr. Allreeds

[saxtek]

The soprillo is difficult to play. Don't expect to just pick it up and play it. If you've played soprano or sopranino, you'll have no trouble up to high G as has been mentioned. however, the soprillo is capable of world-record high notes, and they ain't easy.
The Tubax, on the other hand, is very user friendly.

[saxtek]

I forgot about the "Honeymoon" part of the question.

I really like my Soprillo. The first time I used it in performance I played a solo with old friends at a reunion of Wayne Cochran's CC Riders. When playing at a louder volume under these circumstances, the Soprillo played BETTER. No less than 3 people came up from the audience to ask, "What WAS that thing?"

[jvanullen]

I love my soprillo, especially when playing Bach :).

[saxagenarian]

My wonderful new soprillo (serial number 90) arrived here in the frigid Minnesota boonies on Wednesday. The neighbors and local dog pack are increasingly upset, but it did play fairly well right out of the box. There are some difficulties playing above the high G, but even after a couple of days the notes are beginning to come (I am a sopranino and soprano player, albeit a poor one, so my chops may already be sufficiently hardened to handle the horn a little bit).

I suspect that some of you Chicago folks might detect an added shrill characteristic in those winds coming down on you from the Northwest...

Stay high everybody!!!

[magicpsn01]

I purchased my Soprillo about a year ago. I haven’t played it much with groups other than a Saxophone Christmas (here are some pictures http://www.sjsaxmas.com/gallery.htm ). The organizer mentioned that for 06, he planning on arranging a piece for the Soprillo’s because he had five people ask him if the could play. There were 214 Saxes ranging from Subcontra to my Soprillo.

OK…a little off the subject. I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who finds playing high A and above a bit difficult. Up to high G is OK, although every time I play I get some sort of input from my wife (if you know what I mean)! She does not like it!! But I do, and that is what matters. I know the Soprillo can sound very sweet, as Nigel has demonstrated. He is my inspiration…one of these day’s my wife will say she likes it!!!!!

[Dr G]

This issue of difficulty above high G makes me wonder if there is a chronic venting problem. Have any of you tried playing the range of the horn without using the octave key? Are the neck pips clear and of the correct size (assuming that the soprillo has two octave vents like most of the saxophone family)? Does the key lift high enough for proper venting?

[Merlin]

This issue of difficulty above high G makes me wonder if there is a chronic venting problem. Have any of you tried playing the range of the horn without using the octave key? Are the neck pips clear and of the correct size (assuming that the soprillo has two octave vents like most of the saxophone family)? Does the key lift high enough for proper venting?

The soprillo has one vent. It's ON the mouthpiece.

[Dr G]

Whoa! OK. Good to know - one more reason for me to stick with my (relatively) big horns. I had read about the mouthpiece vent but did not know it was the only vent.

Thanks.

[saxtek]

The Soprillo has two octave vents like any other saxophone. As a matter of fact, the Soprillo octave mechanism looks a lot like the popular Selmer-style mechanism.

The acoustically correct position for the upper octave key is so close to the tip of the reed that it must be located on the mouthpiece, not the neck.

[magicpsn01]

Saxtek – You beat me too replying. I thought that it had the normal two, but I was at work and had to wait until I got home to check. Just got home...I checked…and it does have two. :)

[saxtek]

I had to look at my Soprillo to make sure. The Eppelsheim score so far is:

1. Soprillo - 2 vents
2. Eppelsheim bass - 2 vents + optional altissimo valve
3. Tubax - 3 automatic vents + altissimo vent

I thought the Eppelsheim bass was going to have 3 vents, but it doesn't need 'em. It works great with two.

[Gandalfe]

Okay, I've had this soprillo (http://gandalfe.spaces.live.com) for about five months and I've been working on sound production on and off the whole time. I've selected the more open chamber Eppelsheim (http://www.eppelsheim.com/soprillo.php?lang=en) mouthpiece because the sound production is better.

I can go as high as B3 with a 3.5 reed. Note, I'm a 2.5 reed user on all other instruments. Jay Easton (http://www.jayeaston.com/) sez I have a loose emboucher. That helps with the tenor, bari, bass sax and bass clarinet. It's not much help with the soprillo.

But I have noticed that the sopranino sax is no longer a challenge for me other than working on the intonation. I used to think the sopranino was hard until I started working on the soprillo. 8-)

[saxtek]

Benedikt Eppelsheim has made some subtle changes to the Bb soprillo. For me the new horn plays a little easier above high G. Still, practice is the most important thing.

The new Soprillo has pearls on the keys in the usual places for the first three fingers of each hand. Now it looks a little more like a conventional soprano saxophone, except for its slightly tipped bell, and of course, its extemely small size (Approximately 12" long without the mouthpiece).

When played above mezzo-forte, like in many live performances, this tiny horn gets better and better.

Clip of a small (Bb Soprillo, Eb sopranino, Bb soprano, and Eb alto) sax quartet is on my myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/saxpsychosis