[sirreed555]

im soon to acquire a soprano sax and i love kenny g's music, if anybody could possibly help me find some of his music that would be awesome.

i also hav a tenor and alto so im trying to find all of his music

 

[daigle65]

I see this is your first post, I feel I have to warn you of the coming onslaught, prepare yourself:angry4:

 

[bari_sax_diva]

Yeah, it's kinda like walking into a rural bar, telling a couple of ******* jokes, and having the enormous guy at the end of the bar walk up and say, "You 'aint from around here, are ye?"

 

[calisax]

-----

 

[gary]

sirreed, have I got a deal for you. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

There are a lot of songs you will probably want to play eventually, not only from my man, the G'ster, as MIDI files just waiting for you to download.

My suggestion is for you to get a simple, free music notation program (you can download one - google it). Then you can download (http://www.vanbasco.com/midisearch.html) MIDI files of your favourite music, enter it into your notation program, and you will not only have the music to the melodies you want, but often a reasonable transcription of the improvised sections. Plus, you will have a recorded background you can play along with.

Just so you'll know what's available, here's a sampling of available MIDI files of the G'ster's songs. http://www.vanbasco.com/search.html?q=kenny+g&resultsperpage=10

Happy hunting und viel Spaß!

 

[martysax]

sirreed, have I got a deal for you. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

I always thought it was: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you've given him a reason to sit on a boat and drink beer for a lifetime."

 

[sirreed555]

thnx u guys that answered, i wanted kenny g's music because i just recently hav decided to start majorly deciding my style of sax and working on different music, and i've played more compliticated jazz and i just wanted to try smooth jazz

 

[daigle65]

I was just pulling your leg sirreed555.
If you use the search function for Kenny G you'll find some threads with some pretty vitriolic posts, hence the warning.
If you like him that's cool.
As for myself, I don't have any particular opinions about his music.

 

[Pete Thomas]

This might be useful:

http://www.jazzwise.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8423

EDIT: and don't worry, there are a few of us here who think Kenny G is a good player. At least, he's better than I am.

 

[calisax]

thnx u guys that answered, i wanted kenny g's music because i just recently hav decided to start majorly deciding my style of sax and working on different music, and i've played more compliticated jazz and i just wanted to try smooth jazz

Truth is sirreed, sheet music won't help you for KG's sound... Just listen, listen, then listen, and give it a try. Seriously, his style doesn't translate well on paper.

 

[sirreed555]

really, well calisax do u hav ne tips for me. i really want to become a great jazz player, sheet music is just the only thing i know right now

 

[calisax]

really, well calisax do u hav ne tips for me. i really want to become a great jazz player, sheet music is just the only thing i know right now

Seriously, after years of trying out different sax models, mouthpieces, reed brands and thicknesses... it all came down to real practice time and "Attitude." Pay close attention to the type of sound you're going for. I eventually discovered that mine was something between Sonny Stitt, Brecker, and Ben Webster. Improvisation is the key. You can study notes all you want, but your voice resonates from the act of 'free play'... Tonguing exercises, altissimo, and lower range - tone control... That's my best advice for you. If you know how to read music, then don't sweat the notes on the page. Listen to Bird... Improv. Practice, practice, practice. For the record, I like KG. He's a great player, and a unique voice. The ones who bash him on this forum are full of jealousy. Pay no mind.

 

[sirreed555]

thnx calisax, im definitely gonna be practicing alot and working hard on my improv.

from what i've played my reed thickness and mouthpiece really didnt change my sound that much, i play best on just a plain old plastic mouthpiece with a 2.5 reed, is that bad or not matter much, i hav an otto link steel mouthpiece i just dont use it

and do u know where i can get some altissimo fingerings, i really dont hav nebody around to teach me sax so it's pretty much up to what i can find on the net

thanks again

 

[calisax]

thnx calisax, im definitely gonna be practicing alot and working hard on my improv.

from what i've played my reed thickness and mouthpiece really didnt change my sound that much, i play best on just a plain old plastic mouthpiece with a 2.5 reed, is that bad or not matter much, i hav an otto link steel mouthpiece i just dont use it

and do u know where i can get some altissimo fingerings, i really dont hav nebody around to teach me sax so it's pretty much up to what i can find on the net

thanks again

Best guide for altissimo, in my opinion, is "Top tones for saxophone" by Carl Fischer... Otherwise, you can find some useful documentation at, I believe it's Saxhut, or maybe - Saxden . com... try both. Finding the right mouthpiece takes soooooooo much searching and what not. Stick with what you've got for now, and maybe go with number '2' reed to free up the lower range. Are you playing alto or tenor right now?

 

[sirreed555]

im playing my tenor right now, and im not really good at my low range always it varies from day to day

 

[calisax]

Check it for leaks. If you're having difficulty hitting the lower notes, close up the mouthpiece ' get a 5* or maybe even a 4... Beechler s5s diamond inlay is a great piece for altissmo, and happens to be the exact piece KG uses for alto.

 

[sirreed555]

check for leaks in my mouthpiece or sax?

 

[calisax]

check for leaks in my mouthpiece or sax?

Sax. they drop a string of lights down the top opening of the horn and press in all the keys to determine whether any keys are not closing properly.

 

[LateNiteSax]

Sirreed, please go get, or download, Sonny Rollin's Saxophone Colossus and you will quickly forget about Kenny Boy.

 

[sirreed555]

alright, i'll try that

and my otto link mouthpiece is a 4, i just havent played on it much. my plastic ones dont say what they are but do u think i should play it?