C-Melody fingering

[rabbit]

Forgive my ignorance but I couldn't answer this question using the
'search' function.

How does the fingering of a C-Melody relate to the concert pitch produced?
(Gales of laughter here!) Thanks.

[Pinnman]

It is in concert pitch already. WYSIWYG!

Many C Melodies were marketed (and sold) in the '20s to people who had sheet music in C (usually piano with the melody line as well as the piano score) and who could therefore read for the sax straight off the page.

[rabbit]

Thanx Pinnman, I feel myself working up an excuse to start looking at
C-Mel's. Bix & Trumbauer going on the box right now!

[paulwl]

It is in concert pitch already. WYSIWYG!WYSIWYG8VB! What you see is what you get one octave lower.

The C soprano is the only sax that doesn't transpose at all.

[rabbit]

Verrrrry interesting. Thank you!

[Dave Dolson]

rabbit: Count me as a huge Bix/Tram fan. I'd play my C-Mel more if I could make the thing sound good enough. As it is, I'm strictly a soprano/alto player. SINGING THE BLUES is one my favorites, but there so many good things those guys did. DAVE

[rabbit]

Dave Dolson: Thanks for the shout-out. Certainly you are man of refined taste!

SINGING THE BLUES is a favorite of mine also. Among its many virtues this piece, for me, is a perfect example of that verbally indescribable quality
of "musicality".

You probably already know the piece, but I'm also in thrall of BIX on a
particular take of SAN with P. Whiteman.`

[Dave Dolson]

rabbit: Yup, that was a good'n, too. I led a trad jazz band for many years and our cornetist transcribed Bix's hot chorus on SAN, for two cornets. Whenever we had a sit-in on second cornet, they'd play it as written. It was SO good.

In listening to SAN, I always am enthralled with the heat in Bix's cornet (that vibrato-filled manner in which he turned up the steam). Our band played a bunch of the tunes associated with Bix and Tram - and many of them were the obscure ones, not the so-called Dixieland standards, although we did those, too. I'm thinking (in addition to SINGING' THE BLUES and SAN), SUSIE, BIG BOY, I'M COMIN' VIRGINIA, LOUISIANA, BLUE RIVER, COPENHAGEN, LONELY MELODY, I'LL BE A FRIEND WITH PLEASURE, CLEMENTINE, BORNEO, to name a few, all with the verses. DAVE

[rabbit]

Dave Dolson: Thanx again. Five of the tunes you listed are absent from my collection. I went to iTunes and found not only those but a slew of others.
Thanks to your cue I can now look forward to enjoying 'new' music when I have the time.

By the way, I'm a music lover and not much of a student and certainly no
player. It is a real pleasure for me to have this kind of exchange with an accomplished musician who shares my excitement for this, and I get new
tunes out of it. Well done!

[Dave Dolson]

Rabbit: If you are anywhere near Placerville, I'll be playing there Oct 1 at their one-day trad-jazz festival, with a quartet yet to be announced. Keep in touch and when I know more, I'll let everyone know. Probably little Bix stuff - these folks are mostly New Orleans' style, but that's okay, too. DAVE

[Dave Dolson]

Rabbit: I've got a couple more for you to look up - and enjoy . . . "There Ain't No Sweet Man Worth The Salt of My Tears", Paul Whiteman with Bix and Tram, Bing Crosby on the vocal (some terrific work by Tram); "Changes" Bing and the Rhythm Boys (Whiteman); "Because My Baby Don't Mean Baby Now", Whiteman, Bix. That should keep you busy. DAVE

[rabbit]

Dave: Thanks for everything. We'll mark the calendar & see what happens.

Trad Jazz is fine with me, inspired me to want to play clarinet as a kid.

Before I sign off I just want to say about P. Whiteman: He seems to be
broadly discounted as a jazzman and I'm not qualified to argue it but if
you listen to all the great stuff he enabled by the many legendary figures
he employed MY OPINION is that at least for a Little While he deserved
to be called the King of Jazz. Thanks again.

rabbit