help, new bee??

[ash4cam]

i recently bought yamaha soprano sax yss-475.
i have started learning it .
i want to know a few about it .
when i play it it sounds a bit heavy,it doent sound as sharp as may be when we listen to kenny g ,it doesnt sound as sharp and as high pitched as that.
i want to know why is it so????
i am using rico 2.5 inch reed with that.

also i would like to know if there is some site on the web where i can find sound samples of how different notes like e,g,f,a,b,c etc should sound inj different keys???

also i dont know much about english music notations and also about sheet music.where can i find comprehensive information on that???
i think thats tooo much i am asking for .
thanks in advance
regards
ashish

[VegasChris]

Hi, I am just starting to learn sax as well, but maybe I can answer some of your questions.

First, when you're playing the sax it will sound different to you than it will to someone listening to you play. Did you ever hear a tape recording of your voice and notice how different it sounds? It's the same thing.

Another thing you should know is that Kenny G records on some pretty heavy-duty studio equiment, which can change (or maybe I should say "enhance") the sound of a horn. I don't know what Kenny G woud sound like just sitting in a room with him with no amplification or equalization, but my guess is the sound would probably be something different than what you hear on the recordings.

If you're just starting out I don't think you want to invest in a $3,000+ vintage Selmer, but until that point the mouthpiece can make a significant difference in the way you sound. You may want to experiement with different mouthpieces and see which gives you something close to the sound you want. I think Kenny plays a Dukoff D8, which has a pretty big tip opening. For me, as a relative beginner, I have found that larger tip openings are harder to play, so I'm using smaller tip openings while I build up my chops. You should experiment with different reeds as well, as a reed that plays one way in one mouthpiece will play a different way in another mouthpieces (especially if the tip openings are different).

You should listen to as many different sax players as you can. You may decide you like the sound of someone else better than Kenny. Or you may decide that you want to craft your own sound, maybe borrowing a little from Kenny and one or more other sax players.

A good instructor can be very important when you're starting out, and I would recommend that you practice a lot, listen to other players a lot, and read a lot (the SOTW website and forum are great for this). That's my strategy.

Like I said, I'm just learning the sax, so if I'm wrong on any of these points someone please correct me.