Dark or Bright Tone?

[sinkdraiN]

I'm curious what the trend is these days of tone. In the 80-90s so many players were using really bright pieces. I hear that a "dark" trend is spreading in the Universities. I ran this poll before but Im gonna try to get this poll function to work. It should have choices choose from.

[jazzbluescat]

I'm doing a dark tone; somewhere inbetween very dark and medium dark.

[Tsax]

This is a difficult one: I'd say I am striving for a medium dark tone, but I am sure quite a few people would say I am looking for/playing with a medium bright tone. What would you say of Stanley Turrentine, or Sonny Rollins, or Dexter Gordon? I am definitely not looking for a very dark tone. (But I have changed from a Guardala Studio to a STM Link 8* a few weeks ago).
Haven't submitted a rating yet, still doubting wich one to choose: medium dark or medium bright?

[Harrell]

I don't really know the meanings of 'dark' and 'bright' with respect to tone. There's about as much difference between Boots Randolph's tone and Stan Getz' as there can be. Which one is bright and which one is dark?

[SteveZ]

i chose medium bright because the players i try to emulate have that tone, chiefly Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Piotr Baron, and Branford Marsalis (i'm a tenor player).

I suspect you'll get more tenor guys striving for "medium dark" a la Joshua Redman, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Lester Young, etc. and more alto guys pushing the button for "medium bright".

[cd]

I chose medium bright, but that's for tenor which I play more. I opt for a bit less brightness on soprano

[Riff]

I strive for a dark tone using large chamber/low baffle mouthpieces.
Between my NY chamber Link and my SX90R I think I've found what I'm looking for on tenor.
I'm also in favor of a dark alto sound ala Cannonball or Grover. (May need to switch to a Keilwerth alto to get the Grover sound.)
I'm satisfied with my alto sound for now but I'm still open to experimentation. I'm using a metal Link #7 with a Series III alto.

[Harrell]

If you consider King Curtis, Boots Randolph to be bright and Stan Getz to be dark, I don't strive for any single tone type. When playing Rock n Roll, I believe one wants a Curtis/Randolph tone style. For ballads, I believe most listeners will prefer a more "Getz" style of tone. I don't think of these in terms of 'bright' and 'dark' - perhaps 'edge' is a better measuring scale for me.

[Balladeer]

On Tenor I'm striving for a dark tone that is somewhat spread in the lower register and becoming increasingly focused as the notes ascend. I look for a clear sound, too. Eric Alexander shows us this type of tone on 'Estate'. I do not think of Stan Getz as dark...just not edgy. To me, Joe Lovano has a dark tone. For bright, Tom Scott's sound is that - listen to 'Pick Up The Pieces'. My greatest tone challenge today is to get a dark, yet clear tone on tenor. When my tone is dark I hear some 'cobwebs' in the sound, and I continually work at changing my embouchure, oral cavity and air support to remove those unwanted tone gremlins.

On alto I like a bright sound with a mellow foundation underneath. Though I was raised on big band music, I absolutely love Sanborn's alto tone. I'm happy with my alto sound.

On soprano I like a medium - half bright/half dark - sound like Kirk Whalum or Everette Harp. My old soprano only plays in tune with a low-baffle, big-chamber piece. So, I must live with some tone limitations.

[singlereed]

Yes. Both. And all shades between. :P

[Anonymous]

I like to play bright most of the time - I'm usually playing blues rock. But I also like to be able to play dark when I want to. So I have two mouthpiece and reed setups, one for each sound.

[Angle Tears]

For alto, I like bright but not too sharp. I can only say it's brilliance, rich & thick sound. My favor alto sound like Eric Marienthal and Michael Lington.

For tenor, I like medium dark, round, thick & very rich tone. I prefer Stan Getz & Dexter Gordon tone.

For soprano, I like slightly dark (but not dull), very rich & brilliance sound.

[sinkdraiN]

wow, I thought the graph would lean more to the bright end. Looks like the "Dark Side" is winning so far.

I voted for Medium bright. I like Branford's, Margiitza's, and Malach's tone

[smitch]

I have been playing Medium to Medium Bright on Tenor, but I would like to get a little darker. My low end sounds good, but as I get into the higher end I think I sound a little "thin". I want my high end to sound fuller or maybe darker.

[brucesax]

I always thought my sound was bright until I started recording. Only then did I realize that I needed to brighten up my sound more. My suggestion to everyone is to record your sound to really get an accurate representation of what you sound like. The actual sound that you produce & the sound that you hear WHILE you are producing it are two different things.

IMHO, you can make a darker sound on a bright mouthpiece by changing your embochure (padding the reed with your lower lip) but you can't brighten up your sound on a typically dark mouthpiece.

[Roger Aldridge]

alto and soprano = medium dark

c-melody = medium dark to medium bright

[c.c]

The sound that you hear is actually closer to your real sound than you think. When the sound coming out from your horn travels through a microphone and speakers, the recording equipment could alter your sound acoutically, unless your gear is top-notch.

I always thought my sound was too dark until I started recording. I found it to be just right.

[c.c]

I forgot to mention, the position of the mic can change your sound even if you don't move the mixer.

[frankbiff]

medium dark

[Mike W]

I like bright on soprano and tenor and both on alto.

[Keith Ridenhour]

I'd have to say medium bright.Over the last few years I spent alot of time trying to copy breckers sound. I do like a dark tone and I've gone dark quite a few times (Ponzol M1 comes to mind) and every time I do I get lost in the stage mix and have to come back to a bright sound to be heard by myself and the mik. I am thinking more and more about getting the sound I like in the practice room and then doing what I have to reedwise to be heard at the gig and not worrying so much about performance sound.( Often I get no mains at all.) Anyway , the times I've gotten a dark , smokey sound that I like, it didn't work for RnB, rock so I had to alter it in a hurry. But I like a "fat , dark sound with an edge." For smooth jazz, Steve Cole. RnB Lenny PIcket, jazz Brecker or Mitzner or Berg. K

[Riff]

At the moment its 52% medium dark and 34% medium bright.
That means 86% of us are just "middle-of-the-road". :roll:

I voted very dark- I guess I'm special. :wink:

With the horn I have (King Super 20 Silver Sonic Alto) it's virtually impossible to get anything other than a ` sound.... So i'd say medium bright is my sound. :D

ooooppps.... sorry :oops: ..... I left out the word bright in my previous post.

[T-MAN]

I get a nice, fat, edgy sound out of my Ponzol M2......which is medium bright. :wink:

[super20dan]

bright ! bright! bright! -paint striping bright! no whimpy metal links for me!

[max]

dark! dark! dark! - dark with edge! Fat, powerful, dark metal Links for me!! :D

[Dr G]

Phat

[AJL]

Dark - Link City Smolders

[Cameron Wigmore]

I'm using a MK VI with a rubber ottolink, and I'm shooting for a nice fat "open" sound. When I used a metal link I fought to keep the sound from getting too buzy, but with this one, (7*), I can work on opening up my sound for a big fat round tone with a little edge.

[gd]

If Lee Konitz circa 1955 (e.g., Tranquility or The Real lps) is dark, then i dig DARK, very little vibrato and mellow, as in melted.
Color me slow and swinging.

[fusionjazzmadman]

I want to sound bright like Wayne Shorter but i still use a metal otto link or i'm i completely wrong and wayne shorter isn't very bright at all. For me he is bright and players like dexter gordon and sonny rollins are dark

[hodges1]

i am working on a sound that is not too dark, yet not too bright, between medium dark and medium bright. i like a good depth in playing and power, with some blues, yet, i don't want to sound so dark that i feel like i am in a chamber, at the same time, i don't want to sound so bright that i feel like i am loosing my depth that some darkness carries.

[saxusa]

I quess I fall into the 80's to 90's trend. I prefer a medium bright sound 8) .

[Gaijin-san]

I guess I'm not allowed to vote, because there's no "All of the Above" option. It truly depends on the combo/group setup, and the flavor of the song. Really, it's going to change quite a lot if the song is very Pop, Rock, Ballad, Irish or Celtic Folk song, etc. The list goes on.

[zadu]

Dark, liquid, smoky, Maria Muldaur, Mel Torme, on the alto 8) , and Bright, ballistic, on the tenor :P . It sure is hard to describe, I think it was Elvis Costello who said "talking about music is like dancing about architecture".

[Tears June]

How you classify these player's sound - Slightly Dark, Medium Dark, very Dark, Slightly Bright, Medium Bright, Very Bright.

Stan Getz
Dexter Gordon
Eric Alexander
Joshua Redman
Andy Snitzer
Sonny Stitt (Tenor)


:cry:

[DanF]

Bright on tenor and dark on alto

[popsax]

I checked off medium bright. In reality I like to have a medium sound. Not to bright and not to dark but just right.

[jazzbluescat]

You ever met a chick named Goldilocks, that had like three bears visitors?
:D

[popsax]

Yeah. She wasn't very bright.

[saxappeal]

Stan Getz - call it what you will.

What a gorgeous sound.

[bari_sax_diva]

What if you strive for different things on different horns or in various situations? The same tone that works for rock and roll doesn't cut it for small-group jazz.

[a901man]

The darker and more mellow the sweeter and more pretty. A sax can be pretty loud instrument, but it doesn't have to be. It also feels a lot more forgiving to play when the sound is dark. I like hard rubber/large chamber usually for my mouthpiece. That is my preference with most saxes.

[stefank]

It depends whether I'm planing in the community band or doing R&Bish stuff - now will I use the Morgan 3C or the Dukoff?

[Ben Marrow]

Think Ike Quebec.

[shotgun]

Small acoustic group, playing jazz and standards — dark, STM or Morgan

Amplified group, playing R&B, rock — as bright as I can make it, Berg or Reglein

[mlscnr]

I try to channel Getz on alto.

[Ruediger Kramer]

very dark...

-

[playitfunky]

Dark is great but a lot of the work out there is r&b and blues, funk etc. You sort of need something to cut through all the amplified guitars and vocals. Dark and mellow is cool though, but it's just not me I guess.

[playitfunky]

Small acoustic group, playing jazz and standards — dark, STM or Morgan

Amplified group, playing R&B, rock — as bright as I can make it, Berg or Reglein

Exactly if you want to work both sides then you either have to have a sound in the middle, or have two different set ups.

[jazzcat58]

mainly bright ,i would say for me although i can sound quite mellow, and with some dark playing thrown in.
I tend to use open mouthpieces so the sound is always a bit louder generally.

[Pete Thomas]

Exactly if you want to work both sides then you either have to have a sound in the middle, or have two different set ups.

Or be able to vary your sound with the same set up.

[CMelodyMan]

Light and warm ala Art Pepper.

[baylistenor]

I have met a few Goldilocks who had other visitors :shock: ........but to digress I try for bright because I always get this round ball sound with little edge even if i use a screamer piece -I am forced to conclude after spending a fortune on these things that by default - its my sound!

[Jazz House]

ON soprano bright. On tenor Medium

[littlewailer]

As Bright as it gets.

If I could have Lenny Picketts sound I'd be in heaven.

[Spooner]

It really all depends on what the song calls for. My band's music usually has me playing a medium bright tone, but it all comes down to what the feel needs to be. I think it's possible to have you own distinct voice and still be able to cover a lot of bases.

[shotgun]

Sometimes I know in advance — like a wedding gig — that the band will be called upon to do a sentimental ballad or slow dance. I'll keep the STM in my pocket or on the clarinet peg and slip it on when the need arises (Legere or other synthetic reeds make a quick transition practical). It's definitely a plus if you can get contrasting sounds out of the same gear but I really do enjoy having a few different gauges in the arsenal and in a relaxed venue I often have time to choose the piece I wish to use. Even in a roadhouse setting, after blowing a jump blues set on the Berg, it's fun (but not habitual) to start the second set playing "Georgia" on the Link.

[zxcvbnm]

Very very dark, but at the same time very very sweet. But I play legit, so whatever.

[Andy71]

Medium dark here, it is what I like and what I aim for.

[hgiles]

I want to be on the dark side of the line generally, but unfortunately a lot of situations dictate that I go brighter than I want to.

When I am out listening to saxophonists, I always enjoy and appreciate the darker players playing in smaller (quieter?) combos.

[oldbluesman]

Dark sound for my small trio setting rico a5
medium for weddings and private parties rico b5
bright for night clubs concerts and festivals rico c5

[sinkdraiN]

This poll would have been interesting to compare with the 80's/90's where everyone seemed to be playing either a Dukoff or a Guardala.

[Billt4mn]

I don't really know the meanings of 'dark' and 'bright' with respect to tone. There's about as much difference between Boots Randolph's tone and Stan Getz' as there can be. Which one is bright and which one is dark?
Boots medium-to-bright, Getz dark. In my subjective opinion.
I think "bright" and "dark" are like the old saying about pornography: I can't explain it, but I know it when I see it.

[barker]

This poll would have been interesting to compare with the 80's/90's where everyone seemed to be playing either a Dukoff or a Guardala.

I agree. A lot more players seem to be striving for a dark tone now.

The music I play generally requires a bright, projecting tone on tenor which has always been my natural sound. However, with a recently-acquired JJ DV I have a much greater tonal range than previously and can go quite dark if needed.

[jazzcat58]

Medium bright for me really, but it varies if i need to but on the whole its punchy ,bright , nice to mix it up just depends on the music.
cheers bryan