[DanHitch]

Hey gang, here's a little video demo I made for the new GS reso mouthpiece from getasax.com:

GS Reso demo

I've been really digging this mouthpiece and I would strongly recommend trying one if you haven't. I would love to hear your thoughts/ comments!

 

[saxyjare01]

Love that you tried various reeds with the piece! I always enjoy your playing. I though the Jazz Select was the better match but it all depends on what you want to get out of it.

I didn’t hear much at all regarding altissimo. How does it play in that range?

 

[Nefertiti]

Yeah, Jazz Select all the way!

 

[DryMartini]

What tip size? How is Get a Sax's dealer reputation? I don't think I've purchased from that dealer?

Anyway, One of the nicer sounds I've heard on sotw. The reeds make an unbelievable difference. The V12 Vandoren is super beautiful. Sounds more like Getz than most anything I've heard. I'm surprised how much reeds make a difference. More than I had been realizing. Most of us are on a really tight budget at times and trying a lot of reeds is sometimes not an option, but this is a good reminder to experiment. Very very nice playing. Congrats on your progress. Can you share anything about how you work on your sound or what mental concepts you have? I like how your sound is on a certain air column and is really rich through the registers, and at soft levels too.

 

[Guto]

Brian at GetaSax is top notch! I've been his customer for a few years. Always a pleasure to talk to. I've got one of these pieces a couple months ago as well and they play great.

BTW, awesome playing Dan! Sounding great both in tone and ideas.

 

[DanHitch]

Thanks for listening!

Love that you tried various reeds with the piece! I always enjoy your playing. I though the Jazz Select was the better match but it all depends on what you want to get out of it.

I didn't hear much at all regarding altissimo. How does it play in that range?

Thanks! The mouthpiece can do altissimo really well, it's me that's the problem up there ?

What tip size? How is Get a Sax's dealer reputation? I don't think I've purchased from that dealer?

Anyway, One of the nicer sounds I've heard on sotw. The reeds make an unbelievable difference. The V12 Vandoren is super beautiful. Sounds more like Getz than most anything I've heard. I'm surprised how much reeds make a difference. More than I had been realizing. Most of us are on a really tight budget at times and trying a lot of reeds is sometimes not an option, but this is a good reminder to experiment. Very very nice playing. Congrats on your progress. Can you share anything about how you work on your sound or what mental concepts you have? I like how your sound is on a certain air column and is really rich through the registers, and at soft levels too.

Thank you so much! I'm a huge Stan Getz fan (as you have probably guessed) and I spent a solid 4-5 years trying to capture his sound. One thing in particular that I worked on was trying to control the amount of "air" in the sound, I think that the wider and slower the airstream, the more air in the sound. Especially in the upper register, to get that sound I kinda have the "golf ball in the throat" thing going on, and I know some players also puff out their cheeks to get this effect. Also, the harder the reed, the more you have to push against to broaden the airstream and fluff up the sound, but the effect can still be achieved on moderately soft reeds. Also, beyond the tone alone, I have learned an incredible amount from studying Getz's rhythmic feel, vibrato, articulation and melodicism, and I do believe he was an absolute master in all of these areas!

I'll also say that with the reed changes, I also changed my sound concept and articulation to get different effects... hopingto show the range of possibilities of the mouthpiece and overall reed-friendly-ness. I still haven't found a reed that won't play on it!

 

[Platner]

Yes, Brian at GetaSax is first class. A pleasure to deal with.

 

[allenlowe]

I actually like your sound better than Getz's; his tone has always struck me as weirdly narcissistic, self consciously "pretty." Your tone is richer and warmer, actually closer to players like Buddy Arnold, Al Cohn (well, his is darker) and even Seldon Powell. Very nice.

 

[DanHitch]

Thanks allenlowe! I'm honored to be compared to any of those players!

Also re: Dry Martini:
The mouthpiece in my video is a 7* opening, and Brian at getasax is truly one of the best around and he really knows his stuff!

 

[Dr G]

I'll also say that with the reed changes, I also changed my sound concept and articulation to get different effects... hoping to show the range of possibilities of the mouthpiece and overall reed-friendly-ness. I still haven't found a reed that won't play on it!

I, too, appreciate your demo and your playing, Dan. Thanks for sharing.

Listening, I suspected that concept was dominating the change in reeds. It would be interesting to hear the range of expression of the mouthpiece based only on concept and articulation, with the reed kept as a constant. Isn't that what you would do on the bandstand?

 

[DanHitch]

I, too, appreciate your demo and your playing, Dan. Thanks for sharing.

Listening, I suspected that concept was dominating the change in reeds. It would be interesting to hear the range of expression of the mouthpiece based only on concept and articulation, with the reed kept as a constant. Isn't that what you would do on the bandstand?

Thanks Dr. G! Yeah I definitely changed my sound concept based on the natural tendencies of the reeds I guess... in normal playing situations I would try to choose a reed that's kind of in the middle so I can choose whether to push it brighter or darker. Also, trying a new mouthpiece, I like to see how it responds to different reeds.

Thanks everybody for listening! I'm planning some more videos, so if anyone has any gear/topics they would like to see me cover, let me know!

DH

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Guto]

if anyone has any gear/topics they would like to see me cover, let me know!

Have you tried the Klangbogen yet?

... just kidding, please don't !

 

[Morph1590]

Great review and really great playing, love everything about it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sax Panther]

Sounds really nice - great playing

 

[DanHitch]

Have you tried the Klangbogen yet?

... just kidding, please don't !

I haven't tried those, I'm not sure if they fit on non-selmer vintage horns, but that would be neat to check out. That's one of those pieces of gear that sounds ridiculous, but many people swear by them! I've spoken with great players who search and search for new sonic value in every piece of gear down to the neck strap, and then other players who just play the same horn, mouthpiece, and reeds for their whole career!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Nefertiti]

What were you doing at the end with the fork? Is this some kind of test I should be doing with my mouthpiece reviews? Fork Resonance Test?

 

[Guto]

That’s an interesting test. Not sure how it translates into the mouthpiece sound when you play but it’s interesting to hear the frequency content of their natural resonances.

YT has a video at the Rampone Cassani factory where the guy does the same test on bare sax bodies comparing brass, copper, bronze. It’s very interesting to hear how widely different they sound. I can imagine the body resonance must have some impact on how the horn sounds since it’s so large and thin. It will be vibrating consonant to the notes you’re playing. Not so sure about a heavy small mouthpiece, but at the same time the reed is the source of the sound, so maybe much smaller differences in material resonance there could impact how you sound overall.

 

[DanHitch]

What were you doing at the end with the fork? Is this some kind of test I should be doing with my mouthpiece reviews? Fork Resonance Test?

Ah yes! Fork resonance is of utmost importance! Even more important than the playability of the mouthpiece!! For real though, I was just goofing around, honestly! Although I think that the different sounds that the mouthpieces make when struck could translate to a slightly different playing feel? If they vibrate differently they will feel different to play I guess...

That's an interesting test. Not sure how it translates into the mouthpiece sound when you play but it's interesting to hear the frequency content of their natural resonances.

YT has a video at the Rampone Cassani factory where the guy does the same test on bare sax bodies comparing brass, copper, bronze. It's very interesting to hear how widely different they sound. I can imagine the body resonance must have some impact on how the horn sounds since it's so large and thin. It will be vibrating consonant to the notes you're playing. Not so sure about a heavy small mouthpiece, but at the same time the reed is the source of the sound, so maybe much smaller differences in material resonance there could impact how you sound overall.

Yeah I've seen that Rampone video! (Side note, how cool is it how old and small that company is??) I thought it was very interest how the brass made a resonant bell-like tone when struck, while the copper made a dull thud. Their copper horns are very resonant, so I don't know exactly how that test translates to playability. Interesting though!

 

[Guto]

(Side note, how cool is it how old and small that company is??)

Indeed! Same can be said about Borgani. I visited Borgani in Macerata 4 years ago. In a tiny town, family owned, 12 employees company, with a small lobby with a few saxes on display and pictures of famous players that passed by. Really amazing to see how the tradition carries on when there is passion in what they do.

 

[7notes]

Thanks Dan for that great review - just listening to you play made it worthwhile. How's the exterior texture of the GS mouthpiece? I'm thinking of my Saxscape pieces, which I love, but they're made of Delrin, which is slipperier than traditional hard rubber, and some ligatures tend to slip around on them.