Folding the soprano tent...

[Wordensong]

Hi gang,

I just could not change gears fast enough -- mentally -- when switching from alto [which I have played for 42 years] to soprano [eight months].

When I start with the soprano, everything is fine. All the notes are where I expect them to be. (When improvising.) On the next song, playing the alto, it takes ten seconds or so to snap into key -- to get the fingers playing what the mind or whatever-that-is is hearing.

When I start on the alto, then play the next song on the soprano I want to hide. I can't find anything. It is very embarrasing and frustrating. I can't play anything I'm thinking. It's all a third or a fifth or whatever off.

...So I'm folding the soprano tent, and looking for a sopranino :-) I guess at my age, with such an Eb vibe wired in a bone-level, I just can't do Bb.

Which is a pity, because I always admired the cool tenor players.

Such is life...!

Anyone want to trade a sopranino for a lovely Antigua 590SPC?

All the best,

Steve

[A Greene]

Sorry to hear about your soprano issue. I have similiar problems improvising on alto (Being a tenor/soprano player) I enjoy playing Lead Alto in big bands and try to practice on alto once a week but it just doesn't feel natural.

Sopranino sounds fun but you may also try Bari - you might get more playing opportunities. Good Luck

[Wordensong]

I had the pleasure of speaking with (and playing the soprano) Charlie Berry at the Wedgestone Thanksgiving celebration. Charlie is a music teacher and band director and fine trumpet player. He told me he has exactly the same problem when switching from trumpet to French Horn.

Steve

[JPSaxMan]

It does happen to some players, hence why you'll see some jazz cats that play soprano and tenor...as opposed to tenor and alto or soprano and alto. I personally don't find it to be a problem - as long as I know my changes (for jazz) for either instrument or know my song (for classical) I can usually do fine with switching. I also don't seem to have that much of an issue to switch between soprano to bari...an extreme high to an extreme low. But I know people that have issues with that as well (for obvious reasons).

I think some days vocalists must feel real lucky - especially if they know the kinds of troubles we have with our multi instrumentalism!

[Al Stevens]

Big band section players routinely switch between whatever sax they play and clarinet. I play many instruments C, Eb, Bb, both clefs, two clefs. I think you just have to get used to it. Maybe if you give it a little more time.

[harmonizerNJ]

Steve,
Sometimes I feel like I am getting in a rut with the solos I play on a certain song (and I usually have an assigned horn I play on each song), so I pick up the other horn to help me break out of it. I'm mainly an ear player when it comes to soloing (I don't usually think of the chord names while I solo); I don't know if this has anything to do with this. There is part of me that wants to suggest that you try to keep trying at it for a while longer, because I am wondering if the different key of the soprano could give you another voice like it does for me, if you could find your way to feeling at home with it.

[JPSaxMan]

Harmonizer has a very good point. It takes a while for one to develop their own "voice" on each horn. My very beginning soprano voice was yick - very airy. It still sort of needs development, but now I've started to find a root voice and it's something I'm sticking with for a while.

[Gandalfe]

My change to bari sax from alto was as easy as falling of a log. Going to tenor and then soprano took years. I still prefer to play alto, but in my circles, amateur jazz saxophonists either don't play the changes or only play alto sax. So I adapted. I'm not sure why it took me so long to find my voicing but I just work on it for a long time.

[SuperAction80]

I'm mainly an ear player when it comes to soloing (I don't usually think of the chord names while I solo

If I don't know a song that well, I'll rely on my ear. It works well for the most part unless you're hitting that more abstract fusion jazz. Herbie Handcock is notorious for odd chord changes that don't seem to make much sense on paper, yet they sound beautiful to the ear. When I study a song I learn the chord changes and have a mental image of where the song is going. I seem to hit the changes more naturally this way.

As far as switching from Bb to Eb or vise versa, Al is correct. Just give it a little time and you will get used to it. You may still be spending a lot of time trying to adjust to the individual saxophone instead of the music and that's something that you will get used to after a lot of practice. This isn't an uncommon problem for someone fairly new to doubling. There are other posts from players who are having a hard time going back and fourth from alto to tenor, tenor to soprano, soprano to bari, ect. I suggest playing along to any motivating music through your stereo. Keep both your alto and soprano within arms reach. Switch back and forth every couple songs or so. It's really beneficial to play along with songs that you have no sheet music for. This forces you to rely solely on your ear and you will be able to transpose more naturally after a while.