Your first bass sax experience

[Jazzy saxxer 4]

Yesterday I got to finally play the bass sax. It had been sitting it its case on top of a shelf collecting dust, and the band director had promised me he'd let me play it before I graduated. Well last week I graduated, and still did not get to play the bass. Yesterday we had to go back to school to return our band uniforms, and I convinced him to get the bass sax down for me to play.

When I got it out of the case and cleaned off the thick layers of dust I discovered it was an old Conn-Pan American. I slapped on a bari reed and blew...and I actually got a sound out of the beast! It was the coolest experience. Man that horn was a monster--talk about loud! And I somehow had enough air in me to get out low Bb! I even got pictures with me and the bass, which I'm sure will look pretty ridiculous considering when you stand it up on the floor it comes up to my shoulder. The thing was awesome even though it was so heavy and took a lot of air to play. I still can't believe I finally actually played the bass sax! Wonder if/when I'll get to play one again?

..So what was your first experience like playing the bass sax? Please share your stories here.

[Jolle]

Cool pal! I know what you felt when you held that baby. Did you also feel your whole body vibrate with the monster?

My story : http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=37552

greetzz

[gary]

I was over at a sax dealer's house and he insisted I play his bass sax. I don't remember what make it was but I was amazed at how easy it was to play. Breath control was not a problem at all. This thing was one of the easiest saxes to play that I've even blown. The sound was large and very rich; just beautuful. I forgot how much he said he paid for it but it was a lot!

[paulwl]

Iowa State University, 1981. I was a 13 year old alto player and the folks took me to see a student production of West Side Story. What to my sax-conscious eyes should appear but a player in the pit doubling soprano and bass sax! You could hear very little of the big ax, but it sure sounded good.

Anyway, since my dad knew the director of ISU bands, I pestered for and was given a personal audience with the bass sax. It turned out to be a silver Holton that the band had owned since 1942, in an unimaginably vast and battered case held together with angle brackets and wood screws. It had long ago been marched(!) with the Cyclone Band, but was now only allowed out every few years for show pit work, as the director was a little ashamed that the school even had such an outlandish white elephant.

I got to try it for about 15 minutes, though the keys were very stiff and it mostly just bellowed and howled. Dad cut short the fun quickly, lest I get any ideas about ever actually playing such a big mess of an instrument. I finally did, though, in the ISU community band in the summers of '84-'85. I got experience transposing tuba music as well as playing some old stuff that actually had bass sax parts - Holst's Suite in Eb, for example, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Procession of the Nobles. Those keys took some pressure to seal, but seal they did, and I felt a great deal of accomplishment and pride at conquering the mighty bass.

Just 8 years later, I scraped up some cash and got a bass of my own. Altho I don't play bass sax but occasionally, I've had one or another ever since, and once I pick it up it's awfully hard to put down...

[DD]

I"m saving myself for a lasting relationship with a contra!

[Gandalfe]

I actually purchased a Vandoran V5 (SM560) bass sax mouthpiece so that I could play a Triebert bass sax. It was fresh from the tech and I was mortified that I couldn't get many of the notes to sound. The ones I could were very satisfying. But I wanted to play more.

So I've never had the urge to purchase a fixer upper because the cost of the work would be a lot to lose for an instrument that didn't play well. I've also toyed with the idea of getting a Tubax (http://www.contrabass.com/pages/tubax.html) if not an Epplesheim bass sax (http://www.eppelsheim.com/bassax.php).

[gspiegel]

I first played a new Keilwerth that Roberto Romeo brought to a saxophone event. It was free blowing and easy to play--not much different than a bari. There was a waiting line, but I managed a few choruses of "The Work Song." What a blast. The only other experience was with a Buescher set up on a stand at USA Horn, but I could barely get a sound out of it. I think it was leaking. Obviously setup makes a huge difference to playability.

I joke with my wife a lot about getting myself a bass, but I'd have to get a new car to move it around.

Glenn

[tensopbass]

Sad that I don't get much chance to play my vintage Conn, though recently I met a guy that had a modern Selmer. The keys were much closer (mine's like trying to strangle a drainpipe) but the sound wasn't in the ballpark, the Conn starts earthquakes on low Bb! We are threatening to do a duet on Sweet Georgia Brown (globetrotters style)

[Chris Peryagh]

When trying out the various makes of bari sax to see which I liked best, I thought I might as well have a go on the H.Couf (Keilwerth) bass in the shop at the same time. And with only my bari sax sling as support it weighed a ton! I wouldn't like one of these hanging round my neck for too long!

[Dave Dolson]

tensopbass: I agree about the comparison between the old vintage bass saxes and the Selmer basses. I've only played the vintage kind, but I've been around some Selmers when they were in ensembles with which I played. No guts, for sure. The vintage basses sound like you can almost see the vibrations coming out of 'em. The Selmers sounded weak.

To answer the intial question, I played one as a teenager when we had a Dixie band (1956 and 57). The bass in that band was a bass saxophone. I played the thing, too.

Recently, I was at a band rehearsal when the leader (a trombone player of limited abilities) brought along his bass sax and asked me to play the bass lines with the group. What a handful for a long-time soprano player!! DAVE

[Steve P]

My first experience was playing my schools dead mint 1922 Conn. What a beauty! And the sound, oh man. If only I could play it every day.
Since then, I have played another Conn, slightly newer, and also Jay Easton let me give his Series II Bass a good workout when he came to visit. Now thats an easy horn to play!

First, i need to buy a bari, but then.... its time for a BASS!

Steve P

[Bar-Ron]

My first experience was at Disneu hearing the Bass in a sidewalk quartet.
Took me years to find one at a reasonable price.
Now that I have an old Conn, I have the ability to rumble and quake.
I highly recommend the investment as the sound adds so much depth to a quartet or sax choir.

I am not fully sure a Selmer does the magic as they sound a little like a low bari. but if one turned up, and you needed to fulfill your hunger, it might be worth it.

[saxgirl9]

Man - I got to play a bass saxophone the other day. I swore that I never would (it is a very lady-like instrument to play). I already play the bari, and I thought that was bad enough.

I was in a store, and they wanted me to try the bass sax, but I really didn't want to. They kept asking me until finally I said "Fine! I'll play it!". I played it, and I sucked, but they said I did better than most people do the first time they play one.

It was to heavy for me to have it on my neck, so I had it on the stand and tilted towards me. It looked really stupid, and to top off the whole embarrasing experience, they took of photo of me playing it and looking like an idea. I'm sure it's on their web site now too, I'm just too afraid to look!

[qazmom]

My first bass sax experience was when i went to buy one. I had wanted it for about a year and have been saving up for one for even longer, before I decided which kind of sax I wanted next. A few days after thanksgiving, I had gone to my music teachers friends house. I went into a sort of "music room" and it was right in the middle on its stand. The Man selling it was 86 and had at least 10 Saxes and all sorts of various instruments that he had collected thought his carrier. It was just like I thought it would be (besides the bell being bigger then I thought it would be). It was so fun. As soon as I played the low Bb I knew I wanted it. Luckily, I got it and I am very happy with it.

[James Wolf]

i first played one when i was 11, It didn't sound too good, but it was pretty awesome. Sadly my director at school (im 14) wont let me play it cause he cant find any scores with it

[Bar-Ron]

i first played one when i was 11, It didn't sound too good, but it was pretty awesome. Sadly my director at school (im 14) wont let me play it cause he cant find any scores with it

Ask him if you can start a sax ensemble or quartet. There is plenty of that type music for that. Our neighboring HS has a Bass sax in a wind ensemble that has added a dimension to their curriculum.

[Martin Williams]

Marched one Junior year of High school, simply because I could

I wanted people to stop and go "Huh? what the heck is he playing??"


It worked to, plus my director me Solo like that, which was the coolest. The solo wasnt anything amazing, but it was cool

[saxtek]

Ask your band director if you can transpose some tuba parts for bass saxophone and then play them in unison with the tubas. The bass sax will add an extra "edge" to the tuba parts that sounds great.

You'll have to change the key, the clef, and move the notes on the staff. It's not an easy transposition, but if your band director will help you get started and if you go slowly and carefully at first, it gets easier. I would write the parts out ahead of time. Good luck!

[James Wolf]

ok thanks for the info, although i think he might sell the schools bass sax, and i like to play my tenor...

[TenTenTooter]

My first bass experience was a little stressing. I was searching through a community college closset for a bari sax when I found a Beaugnier stencil bass sax sitting in the back. The director loaned it out to me after I promised to pay for any minor work it would need to play well and I rushed off home to try and play the thing. Got home, opened the case, and the neck was missing :cry:

Made some phone calls to music stores in my area and found one that had a bass in stock so I went over and borrowed the neck for a bit in one of the store practice rooms so I could play it. It was a loose fit, but I'd played on worse and figgered it would be alright.

Couldn't get much of a sound of any kind out of the thing, so defeated, I removed the neck and began putting the horn away when... CLANK CLANK CRASH!!! I looked and found the original neck sitting in the bow of the sax, it was lodged inside the body tube to the bass and moving the horn around jiggled it loose to fall through the horn to my great happiness :D

Popped the original neck on and damn! I liked it... a lot. I've been practicing it at home the last two years now and I'll finally get a chance to play it in the school's saxophone ensemble this semester.

Can't wait! :thumbrig:
-Scott

[Bar-Ron]

My first bass experience was a little stressing. I was searching through a community college closset for a bari sax when I found a Beaugnier stencil bass sax sitting in the back. The director loaned it out to me after I promised to pay for any minor work it would need to play well and I rushed off home to try and play the thing. Got home, opened the case, and the neck was missing :cry:

Made some phone calls to music stores in my area and found one that had a bass in stock so I went over and borrowed the neck for a bit in one of the store practice rooms so I could play it. It was a loose fit, but I'd played on worse and figgered it would be alright.

Couldn't get much of a sound of any kind out of the thing, so defeated, I removed the neck and began putting the horn away when... CLANK CLANK CRASH!!! I looked and found the original neck sitting in the bow of the sax, it was lodged inside the body tube to the bass and moving the horn around jiggled it loose to fall through the horn to my great happiness :D

Popped the original neck on and damn! I liked it... a lot. I've been practicing it at home the last two years now and I'll finally get a chance to play it in the school's saxophone ensemble this semester.

Can't wait! :thumbrig:
-Scott

Play it with fervor!!
Nothing moans like a bass, nothing rumbles like a Bass, nothing, no not nothin'.....it is the unsung members of Adolph's wonderful invention. Shame on composers for not exploring its melodious thunder!!!

What music are you playing?

[Bar-Ron]

ok thanks for the info, although i think he might sell the schools bass sax, and i like to play my tenor...

Let us know when the ....... well let us know when it is up for sale.

[tensopbass]

After 4 years of owning a Conn bass, I finally got to play it in public. We had two bari players available for bigband at summer school so I got the bari part transposed to bass.There were quite a few raised eyebrows in the audience and lots of nods of approval when I eased out the odd C and Bb.
Later I was invited to play Carnival of the Animals, "elephant". Huge fun!

[Bootman]

Many years ago when a friend purchased his Bass in from the US. I was hooked from day one. I had to have one......Now I have bass number 2, it wont be sold. It is an incredible horn to gig on or play in a quartet etc.....

[acti0n_jacks0n]

Marched one Junior year of High school, simply because I could

Good god, sir.

You are my hero. :D

Oo if I could march one..

I would give up being Drum Major, just to have the opportunity to play one, let alone march one. :)

[saxtek]

My father was a professional saxophone player who always wanted to own one of each type of saxophone. He didn't find his bass sax until I had gone to college. At college (Dartmouth) I found an old Conn bass sax in the storeroom, and I used it in marching band. Later, my Dad let me borrow his bass.

It wasn't easy, and I went nuts searching out mouthpieces that let me play the full range of the big horn in tune with a good sound, but I was on a mission. Later I lucked into finding another bass like my father's.

The first bass sax experience is like opening a door to a new world. The bass is not a big baritone. It is a new environment, a new sound, a challenge, and it will make you a better saxophone player.

[TetsuoK]

Listening to all the recordings of bass sax I can find, looking at the pictures, the amount of time it goes into hand crafting one, and all the accounts of you all in playing one....

I never knew it was possible to have a craving for a vice I didn't even have yet!

[Gandalfe]

Um, then don't look at this link (http://www.amazon.com/Chasin-Gypsy-James-Carter/dp/B00004TJ75/) of James Carter on bass sax, especially the song I'll never be the Same. Our own Paul Woltz of Seattle sounds like this guy... 8-)

[rs1sensen]

I played the bass for the first time today! My band director bought a Conn several years ago from another school for $250, replaced a few pads, and now has a pretty awesome saxophone. Barely a dent on the thing! Which is something that rather surprised me.

Usually I play alto, so it was a bit of a change, I must say. I'm rather glad I haven't been doing much soprano playing as of late, or it would have been worse. I found that I pretty much had to let my mouth go as loose as it would go, and that if I put enough air through it, it was actually quite a pretty sound in its upper register. Of course, the low stuff was the most fun, I could almost make my whole body shake with the force of the thing.

What an incredible instrument though, I think someday I'll have to buy one :)

[hakukani]

First time I played low Bb, My eyes went all funny, and I had to sneeze a couple of times before continuing.

[SOTSDO]

Don't confuse different with "worthwhile" when it comes to bass sax playing. Like any other extreme, the bass is of limited use, as can be seen by the lack of "normal" venues to use one.

Even in the "normal" bass sax venues these days ("hot", 1920's stuff, Dixieland), it's there for the "Look at that!" factor as much as for the utility. That it is not "essential" is witnessed by the fact that much of each of these genre is done without one without any harm.

As I always say, just because you can play Flight of The Bumblebee on the tuba doesn't mean that you should...

(And, it's not that I'm anti-bass sax. I'm just practical...)

[Gandalfe]

Don't confuse different with "worthwhile" when it comes to bass sax playing. Like any other extreme, the bass is of limited use, as can be seen by the lack of "normal" venues to use one.Then I probably shouldn't ask your opinion about the soprillo either. 8-)

[TenTenTooter]

What music are you playing?

Octet by Walter Hartley and the Prelude of the Hansel and Gretel opera.

[jazzsax07]

I bought one for another school in my district then one for my school. Students played each in sax ensembles. Then one year when neither one was being used a former student and I both played them at Saxophone Christmas where there were 175 saxes playing. What an exciting experience.

[bari_sax_diva]

I first played a new Keilwerth that Roberto Romeo brought to a saxophone event. It was free blowing and easy to play--not much different than a bari. There was a waiting line, but I managed a few choruses of "The Work Song." What a blast.

I think I've played that same horn a couple of times--Roberto had it in the shop for a long time. The first time I was there, he told me Tim Price had been in the day before and had put the horn through its paces. Small world. :)

[Graysax]

ahhhh...lets see - My Bass Sax History....

1st encounter was in college at SUNY Fredonia - Played Many, Many semesters of bass in the ensemble. (Keep in mind Hartley was there so we proofed everything in ensemble before he sent them out. (conn stencil)

This led to the 1992 Rascher Study Week at Yale - I was one of 5 Basses - With Paul Cohen's Contra Under us......ALL I WILL SAY IS OMG (I have the recording of this 50 piece ens somewhere) - For all you triva folks - thats the last American Camp Mr. Rascher Conducted. (same conn stencil)

Few years have lapsed - Buddy of Mine Dr. David Wright asked me to play with the AppalachianSaxophone Ensemble on His College's Bass. - Like riding a Bike!!! (Martin Stencil) (BTW _ thats the one in my avitar - I got to have it for a coulpe weeks to get back into the swing of things - so it happened to follow me to a big band gig 1 time)

Recently I have been doing a number of subbing gig's with the WEST POINT BAND. Keith Brion - The leading sousa guy - wanted a bass in the band - "to add articulation to the Tuba's". I still dont own one - which they said - was not a problem - I could use their Selmer Series II Bass - ob by the way had only been used for 4 gigs before that. - Lets see - Play with west point, Play Bass , Get Paid for it - um DUH ya!!!

I did a 2nd gig for them for a recording of all Percy Grainger stuff. I played whenever the section parts called for 5 saxes. Never Knew the orgional orchestration for Children's March called for Bass Sax as well - ya know that long freeking not at the end - well lets just say it aint just the Bassoon.

Anyhow - I guess while I have done some extensive playing on a Series II Bass - I think you might want to know my thoughts....

Intonation was interesting. Alt. Fingerings were more in tune than the stack fingerings. I Personally think that these basses come from the factory with the pad heigths too low. And when you are sitting between the West Point Tubas and Upright Bass Player - you know when pitch isnt right!!!

Played it with a Stock C* - surprisingly wonderful - looked inside - round chamber - In a moment of stupidity - I searched the world for one to buy for my self - ya - dont need it - friend listed it for me curently in MPC's forsale section - still available.

Action - I have never played such a QUICK Bass - It was an overgrown Bari.

Tone - I dont think the tone is bad - or small - just different. Take a conn 10M vs a VI - i think its the same difference between the Selmer Bass and a Vintage horn. Lets say low Bb on that Series II grabed some attention.

A shout out to the West Point Guys - Awsome people - made me feel at home since the 1st rehersal I walked in on - true professionals!!!!

After all that - no I still dont have one of my own - maybe someday.

[TenorKid13]

Teacher brought it in, i played it.....it was awesome. I almost cried when i had to leave.:D

[Conrado]

Um, then don't look at this link of James Carter on bass sax, especially the song I'll never be the Same. Our own Paul Woltz of Seattle sounds like this guy... Gandalfe Post

Hearing James Carter playing Nuages on bass sax (from the same album posted by Gandalfe) nearly blew me out of my seat as i was driving and listening to this jazz station. I had never before heard James Carter nor had i ever heard any song with bass sax playing the lead. I was already thinking about getting a bari after not playing for some 41 years, and that was the final straw...i had to play sax again (even if not a bass). I don't know if he plays it on that album, but the International Woodwind site has a link to a Youtube clip of Carter playing the IW bass sax backstage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh7TuPsOBUM

[Little Sax]

Played my first Bass Sax (Buescher) this past Tuesday at PM Woodwinds (http://www.pmwoodwind.com/). I was really surprised how easy blowing it was. I'm going to have to get one of these someday...

[akumaJFR]

I got a chance to try the Buescher stencil bass sax at JunkDude last week, and good lord it's a monster. Feels like holding a 4x4 wooden post :) I couldn't make much sound out of it, but I was using a runyon custom bari sax mpc with a fibracell reed. Dave also said it hadn't been repadded yet and was in need of it. Funny story though, he said a 14 or 15 year old kid came in a couple of weeks prior and played it like a champ. He said it was pretty humorous since the sax was about as tall as he was :) I'd love to give it another shot. Maybe when I go to school next year they'll have need of a bass sax for sax ensemble :)

[Gandalfe]

I got a chance to try the Buescher stencil bass sax at JunkDude last week, and good lord it's a monster. Feels like holding a 4x4 wooden post. I couldn't make much sound out of it...Hmm... I play a lot of saxes, that's true, but I've never played a well tweaked sax that didn't speak right off the bat. I wish you could try my or another bass sax. Because they are not that much harder than a bari to play. Playing them well however is another story all together. 8-)

I got a chance to play Jay Easton's Eppelsheim contrabass sax and from the get go I could play the full range of the instrument as easily as I could on a tenor or alto sax. That's the way it should be.

That said, when I got a used Buescher bass sax I couldn't play it very much, but that was because the bottom end of the instrument had been smashed. Once Paul Woltz spent an hour on it, the instrument played handily from the top of it's range to the bottom.