beginner seeking advice on doubling tenor and alto

[gwilly]

hi everyone...
i've been playing a yamaha 61 tenor for about six months... i'm in my mid forties and an experienced guitarist who fancied a new challenge... i'm putting in quite alot of hours and making good progress on the tenor... but i have recently acquired an old buescher aristo series 1 alto.... i have to say it sounds gorgeous....

i'm thinking of keeping one horn at work so i can get some practice in during the day... and perhaps using the tenor at home in the evenings... am i going to mess up my progress by changing mouthpieces all the time? should i stick with the one horn until i'm more experienced? could i benefit from a more flexible embouchure from doubling on these two?

it exciting to play the alto but i still love the tenor... do i have to choose! is it a girlfriend mistress thing!... i'm normally a faithful guy!:twisted:

forgot to add... i'm currently renovating a c mel to play as well!:shock:

all advice appreciated... :?

[zadu]

Sounds like you're having fun with this. All Right!:) Fortunately you don't have to choose, you just have to put into each horn the amount of work that it takes to let you play the way you want to sound. The switch between tenor and alto is'nt too drastic, and once you find yourself on alto it should get easier. I had a gig last night that required four saxes,S A T B, and aside of the music, i was thinking "man what a blast this is" regarding the instrument changes.
It's more of a "joy of group sax' thing than a girlfriend thing!!LOL

[gary]

gwilly, I play both interchangeably all the time. Of course my chops can adjust quicker than yours can, but nevertheless it can be done with little problems. You just need to be aware that when you switch back and forth, that the alto normally needs a firmer embouchure and particularly the opposite on tenor. Also you might have your tenor at a slightly lower position on your body than you do your alto....and don't bite on the alto. If you get tired, stop.

[RCNELSON]

Keep on practicing and playing both. I have a pit job coming up in which I'm playing both plus soprano, clarinet, flute and piccolo. The ultimate challenge for me. It simply takes time and experience. Be sure before playing either in a rehearsal OR in a public setting to get a good warmup: long tones, a handful of scales, etc.

[bluesaxgirl]

I used to interchange between bari and alto (bari for jazz band, alto for concert), and had no problem after the first few consecutive days of practicing. I can go playing alto for a month and then picking up bari and its fine. I would think the transition between alto and tenor would be even easier.

[notes_norton]

I play tenor and alto and used to also double on soprano (sold it when I bought my WX5 wind synth).

If you play them both regularly, you won't have a problem.

The thing to remember is that tenor and alto are different. By this I mean they express themselves differently. Take the time to find out what the sax wants to say and use it to do that.

I've seen a lot of players play multiple saxes and play them all in the same way -- and I wonder, "why spend the money on two saxes if you aren't going to make them sound different?"

Charlie Parker is saying, "You don't play the sax, you let it play you." After years of playing, I discovered what he meant by that. Listen to each sax and let it tell you how it wants to be played.

Insights and incites by Notes

[gwilly]

hi folks and thanks for the replies...

having thought about it .. as a guitarist for nearly 25 years i thought nothing of swapping between acoustic steel, classical, electric light gauge, jazz gauge electric.. and any other feel or type of guitar that came my way...

i reckon i dealt with them all pretty well... and most importantly they improved my versatility.... depending which way you go it varied in difficulty, cos some things are actually harder to play ......

but taking this on .. and listening to positive advice from posters i now feel good about working on both alto and tenor..

the buescher aristo series 1.... just bought on ebay... and i really have lost it for this horn... tone is gorgeous.... is living at work for some practice after work..... so nice to come out mellowed out and enthused instead of stressed...

and the yam 61 tenor is at home waiting for a late night visit... probably take s 10 -15 minutes till i'm getting back to speed on it

thanks all
paul

[saxphil]

Hey Paul, maybe you can play sop in your sleep. :)

[notes_norton]

<...snip...>having thought about it .. as a guitarist for nearly 25 years i thought nothing of swapping between acoustic steel, classical, electric light gauge, jazz gauge electric.. and any other feel or type of guitar that came my way... <...>

I'm a sax player who doubles on Guitar (I have a Gibson ES-330, an Epiphone Casino, an ESP/LTD EC50, and an Epiphone Flat-top). I'm not nearly as comfortable on guitar as I am on sax.

But just as you play differently when you go from an electric to a flat top to a classical nylon-string guitar, you will find yourself playing your tenor and alto differently if you listen to what they want to say. That's the trick.

I think you will do just fine!

Insights and incites by Notes

[asaxman]

Tenor is the difficult horn for me. I could take a month off from alto, or soprano, and I'll sound OK. I have to play tenor, pretty much, everyday to get the sound I want, (same on flute). Good Luck, Your opinion may vary!

[notes_norton]

Tenor is the difficult horn for me. I could take a month off from alto, or soprano, and I'll sound OK. I have to play tenor, pretty much, everyday to get the sound I want, (same on flute). Good Luck, Your opinion may vary!

With me it's flute. Saxophones, no problem, but if I take a vacation, it takes a while to get my flute embouchure back.

Notes

[Xulld]

With me it's flute. Saxophones, no problem, but if I take a vacation, it takes a while to get my flute embouchure back.

Notes
I tink im gunna get me a flute! sounds fun!