[DannyMetalC]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPZFsmoJ9cM

That is using a cheap plastic student tenor mpc. that I chopped 1/4 inch off the shank with a hacksaw...

Just listen to the sax line at the beginning, I am looking for feedback on the tone to make sure it doesnt sound like a stuffy 20's sound.

 

[ericdano]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

Um....not really.....

 

[paulwl]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

You've got a ways to go, but it's a good start. I like that you're able to put some cut and guts thru the horn. Particularly on the Conn, that is hard to do.

 

[patmiller]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

Not my cup of tea. But it does seem to put the C back into RAP.

 

[paulwl]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

[rolleyes] Could be some of you fellas ought to check out this thread: Help with positive criticism

Of course, if you think you're just being candid, upholding standards and honoring a timeless ritual, why, go right ahead.

 

[HawaiianSaxMan84]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

I think theres a saying...Jack of all trades, master of none...something like that. but you know, as stated above, its a good start i guess.

 

[patmiller]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

[rolleyes] Could be some of you fellas ought to check out this thread: Help with positive criticism

Of course, if you think you're just being candid, upholding standards and honoring a timeless ritual, why, go right ahead.

I'm all in favour of positive criticism when appropriate. When I was teaching at university it was departmental policy always to say something positive about students' work. Did it improve performance? Not to any measurable extent. Did it improve morale? That seemed to be the only good result.

The OP's subject line asked a question that implied that he already knew the answer and was more than satisfied. Then after a few seconds of what he was talking about (not enough to judge really) he caused me to listen to 5 minutes of turgid self indulgence minus saxophone while watching a drumkit being played ineffectually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rz2jRHA9fo

 

[paulwl]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

I only needed about 1 minute. Maybe I don't appreciate the fine art of getting ruffled by Kids These Days as much as I ought to. (I ain't getting any younger, and one of these days, I'm going to have a lawn.)

 

[HawaiianSaxMan84]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rz2jRHA9fo

i completely agree

 

[Pete Thomas]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

I like this, and although I completely agree that positive criticism is a good thing, if a student starts with the the assumpton that they are awesome, as they did in this case, then it can help to be brought down to earth a bit.

If someone asks me what I think, then I always try to be positive, ie discuss what is wrong and what is right, but mostly discuss what can be done to solve what is wrong.

What is wrong in this case is mostly not understanding the meaning of the word awesome, so I'd suggest a bit of work with a dictionary.

If the word awesome is actually being used correctly, then perhaps look up the word humility.

 

[paulwl]

Re: A Recording on my 1920 Conn C-Mel doesnt it sound awesome!

 

[DannyMetalC]

In this recording I had been playing saxophone for 3 months. I already heard what I was looking for, that I can get 'cut and guts' out of the horn. (Thankyou paulwl) I was just looking for comments on the tone of the horn to make sure it doesn't sound like a stuffy 20's type of sound. I wasn't asking what anyone thinks of the drumming or the song. I bought the drumkit with money from my gigs and my buddy David asked me to record drums to his rap cover. He emailed me the mp3 sans drums and sax in excitement for my new purchase. I added the sax at the beginning as a bonus surprise for him. And "awesome" was arrogant notice its gone now (thankyou edit)

If the word awesome is actually being used correctly, then perhaps look up the word humility.

It is not being used correctly. Your statement is true.

Not my cup of tea. But it does seem to put the C back into RAP.

You should have left it at this. I did not cause you to watch anything you watched it of your own accord. And then you call my video pompous self indulgence and insult the drumming which isn't the point because I am not a drummer. You vitiate me sir, keep your opinions and Mr. Marsalis' opinions to yourself if they are to be so rude.

I'll have you know I have recently studied under Ron Miles himself who played with Miles Davis, and he inspired me to take up the sax. I have been playing jazz guitar for 10 years, and saxophone for 4 months... not to mention that I learned on a leaky 91 year old horn. I may be a whippersnapper but I don't take insult from anyone, even my elders who have earned to some degree the right to say what they want.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I added the sax at the beginning as a bonus surprise for him. And "awesome" was arrogant notice its gone now (thankyou edit)

It's only gone from your post, not the others, your editing of the subject line kind of makes a mockery of some of the other comments, you should have left well alone I think.

 

[DannyMetalC]

It's only gone from your post, not the others, your editing of the subject line kind of makes a mockery of some of the other comments, you should have left well alone I think.

I realize that its on the others still... it is basic forum function. Whats done is done for fresh eyes, I'm sure they can pick up on what happened.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I realize that its on the others still... it is basic forum function. Whats done is done for fresh eyes, I'm sure they can pick up on what happened.

True, but all I'm saying is once someone has commented on something, it's bad etiquette to edit the thing if it then makes their comment look stupid.

On to positive criticism:

If you have only been playing 3 months then the sound is good. I would have made the saxophone more hooky, ie more memorable melodic statement and make it bit less noodly. Then when it comes back in it could do with either repeating or developing what happened in the intro. Currently, when it comes back in it's a bit lost behind the guitar (or is it more of a mandolinny kind of thing, hard to tell on my speakers)

The other criticism (hopefully positive) would be that while the playing is obviously good, to have less of the mandolinny thing altogether, and also use the recording software to get it more in the groove.

 

[Fader]

The bad: it's not up to standard in any way.

The good: you're makin music and doing it on you own terms. What you learned from this exercise is a little more about sequencing and playing different things than you knew before. Maybe other stuff too - mileage may vary. Keep on doing it and there might well be some pro level production coming out of your space in the future. (if you put in the hours)

You might have to make 1000 beats to get to the first good one but your skilz will improve with each one. The tools available today are incredible.

If it can be imagined, it can be created....

Back to the drawing board. It takes a certain kind of guts to post your stuff like that.

My .02 - Keep on keepin on.

 

[DannyMetalC]

Pete and Fader, thankyou for the feedback. We will work on this song some more and see where it can go. I will post a better example of the type of playing I do once its up on youtube as well... some jazz, some third-wave ska, and some acoustic rock. I just hope that I can get a great sound out of this old Conn otherwise I may look into getting a Martin c-melody. So far though my university instructors and fellow students have been very impressed with this Conn. Most of them told me DONT get a C-Melody! Which made me want one even more...
Now I regularly gig with it and use it at school for my lessons and performances and several of the saxophone nuts at school are going to get a vintage C-Melody because of me. (You know... the guys with a baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano, but not a c-melody!)

 

[patmiller]

You should have left it at this. I did not cause you to watch anything you watched it of your own accord. And then you call my video pompous self indulgence and insult the drumming which isn't the point because I am not a drummer. You vitiate me sir, keep your opinions and Mr. Marsalis' opinions to yourself if they are to be so rude.

I'll have you know I have recently studied under Ron Miles himself who played with Miles Davis, and he inspired me to take up the sax. I have been playing jazz guitar for 10 years, and saxophone for 4 months... not to mention that I learned on a leaky 91 year old horn. I may be a whippersnapper but I don't take insult from anyone, even my elders who have earned to some degree the right to say what they want.

Everything you say seems to reinforce my point (and Brandord Marsalis's). But if you feel insulted and vitiated by opinions that don't align wih your own then perhaps a public forum is not the place to invite them and then edit out the invitation thereby making the comments look gratuitous.

BTW I didn't use the word "pompous". I stick by the word "turgid" and I apologise for "self indulgence" (although I won't edit it out). Was the drumming "ineffectual" and does saying so amount to an insult? I accept that you're not a drummer.

 

[Fader]

Hey man - it's a tough room when you ask for a critique around here. I don't post even published and sold music here lightly. Im used to harsh criticism though - at least here it's musicians and there might be something to learn. I have to take it from ad execs. They aak for a rock tune and then say, "Can you make it more like the Pointer Sisters?" after you submit.... (true story)

 

[DannyMetalC]

Everything you say seems to reinforce my point (and Brandord Marsalis's). But if you feel insulted and vitiated by opinions that don't align wih your own then perhaps a public forum is not the place to invite them and then edit out the invitation thereby making the comments look gratuitous.
BTW I didn't use the word "pompous". I stick by the word "turgid" and I apologise for "self indulgence" (although I won't edit it out). Was the drumming "ineffectual" and does saying so amount to an insult? I accept that you're not a drummer.

Pompous is a synonym for turgid. I accept the apology. Neither you nor Branford can generalize every aspiring musician as there are countless millions of musicians, and thousands out of those millions do work very hard to be better musicians and deserve some credit for where they stand at that particular moment in their musical ability. Others have their mother blow 4,000 USD, better spent on college, paying a company to create a music video of them just to put on youtube (even though they cant sing :faceinpalm I feel that these sort of "musicians" better fit the category Mr. Marsalis is describing, and it is a category thereby meaning it has boundary conditions. I don't care that you called the song crap because you are so punny, but the posting of the video of Branford was out of line. You judged me not only as a musician but as a person.
The original thread title was referring to the sound of the Conn only, not the song. It was too short for you to "judge" the sax sound? I don't think so, because you were able to "judge" me in the category of lazy attention seeking students so quickly and you don't even know me or what I've done.

As far as "ineffectual" drumming let us explore a basic purpose of drums as a time keeping percussion instrument. In examining the recording, I find that the drums do indeed keep up the tempo and timing of the song in question. Therefore to me, even though not a drummer, it seems that the role of the drumming may have been "effectively" accomplished. Albeit lacking a large degree of technique and speed, there was no point in which the drumming should have been called ineffective. Therefore, by calling drumming that was effective "ineffectual," an insult could be perceived. Goodness! This thread isn't even about the drumkit, drumming, drummer, or any other related aspects of that instrument!

Tell me what you think about the tonal qualities of the horn man!