[sycc]

The sopranino has the same range as the flute. Sopraninos are said to be pichy whiny and shrill. I even heard the term tin whistle used. Yet flutes and Eb clarinets solo all the time. I think w/ sopraninos we are in a catch 22. To get a good one lots of $$$$ has to be spent. Most people buy them as a occaonsonal 5th sax and get a bargain one. This is where the problems start. To get a decent nino you must spend some $$$$. They are not forgiving like the bigger saxes. Someday I would like to try the Yanagisawa nino. I'm sure it is great. I went overboard(mid life crisis{turning 40}plus the death of my Dad in April made me want to try a nino while I am relatively young rather than put it off til later years) w/ the R&C nino to get the high F and F# and the big bore warmth. Kinda like going from a Yanagisawa T-901 to a Selmer reference 54/36 tenor. T-901s are great saxes and the selmer refs take up a notch. I took it up a notch w/ my nino. I'll let you all know how it works out!!!

 

[Grumps]

The sopranino has the same range as the flute. Sopraninos are said to be pichy whiny and shrill. I even heard the term tin whistle used.

When I saw my first one in a shop, I asked what they were for. I was told they can be used to play difficult, high range trumpet parts in orchestras. I don't know too many orchestra players to confirm that however, but I do know that in roughly twenty-five years that I've had mine, I really haven't found much use for it. What might make that worse is that I currently gig with alto, tenor, soprano and bari, and I generally spend more time practicing with the horn I've got to use for a job. Oh, I say I'm gonna take out the sopranino and give it a go, but I'd be surprised if I actually play it more than once or twice a year. Hope you find use for yours though, and please let us know how you fit it in for practical use.

 

[sycc]

We will use w/ our sax trio. Maybe in stars and stripes forever(would sound neat on the piccolo part). Church solos would be cool too!!!!!I tend to favor the Eb saxes over the Bb ones. I feel the Bb saxes have a slight bite to there sound while the Eb saxes have a fuller sound. This probably has to do w/ playing along w/ hymns in church. With soprano/tenor you are either playing high or low. With alto/baritone you are right in the middle sweet range of the sax.

 

[martysax]

Oh, I say I'm gonna take out the sopranino and give it a go, but I'd be surprised if I actually play it more than once or twice a year. Hope you find use for yours though, and please let us know how you fit it in for practical use.

I'm having a hard time putting my new King Curvy to regular use. I could cover all of it's range easily on my alto. I have to wait to be in a band that plays some of that smooth jazz stuff.

Nino? Why would you subject your family and audience, don't forget pets, to that high pitched shrill? In addition, my big-*** hands have enough fun on the sop; how does big Grumps' hands fit on that little horn? Does intense practice cause chaffing of the fingers requiring baby powder?

I'm sorry if I just went off on a tangent, new batch in town and I'm just settling into my second coffee, and I'M ON VACATION!

 

[sycc]

I have decent sized hands and R&C did a nice job w/ the key positioning. It feels like your playing a soprano(doesn't sound like it though)!!! You ,honest to Pete, really could "fly" on this sax on some up tempo tunes. So far our cocker spaniel "Imo" hasn't protested. And he is a year old so he hears quite well.

 

[Dave Dolson]

sycc: I'm glad that you are enjoying the R&C 'nino. You already know my thoughts about those things (and the price) through my PM to you.

I'm like Grumps although I didn't own one for 27 years. I actually played mine on a gig once and never took it out in public again. No, I didn't have any trouble playing it and for such a high horn, it had a good sound. It was just useless in my kind of music.

BUT, I'm wondering about your comment about "big bore warmth." Huh?
DAVE

 

[sycc]

The R&C has a bigger bore than the Selmer and Yani ninos. It has a warm sound. Kinda like a Keilwerth sounds warm due to it's bigger bore!!!

 

[sycc]

I know I am gonna regret doing this but here's the link: http://saxforte.com/saxophones/Eb_Sopranino/eb_sopranino.html It talks about the R&C bore.

 

[Grumps]

I'm having a hard time putting my new King Curvy to regular use. I could cover all of it's range easily on my alto. I have to wait to be in a band that plays some of that smooth jazz stuff.

Yeah, if you're playing mostly R&B and R&R, sopranos don't have the right voice. I use my curved soprano to solo with playing dixieland for its funny looks compared to our clarinet player's bass sax. My straight one (which is black) I also use for dixieland, but only when we don't have a clarinet player (which I am not). The guitar player in my R&B/R&R/Jazz group brings his soprano to gigs, but only plays it for jazz numbers.

But back to sopranino... I used to use mine when I played with an alternative rock group (playing mostly originals) back in the mid to late 80's, but only for one song (called Bug BBQ). When I had my curved soprano refinished (which took over a year... long story), I'd bring the sopranino to the dixieland gigs as the novelty horn, but as it's also black, folks just think it's a little clarinet, not a sax; and that's why I get more crowd response with the curved soprano.

 

[mostly alto guy]

I have a Yani 'nino, and while I have yet to play it in a gig, I like to pull it out and doodle. It's a hoot. If a sax player can afford a decent 'nino, it's a great intonation and tone trainer; if you can sound good on 'nino, you'll be fine on most any other sax. There's no faster action on a sax than on a good 'nino. And if you can switch quickly, it can take the place of altissimo!

 

[Little Sax]

I picked up a used Yani several years ago and it had some strange intonation issues. Once I had a tech go over it (with me) for a while, it became far more tame. There is still quite an adjustment that needs to be made with the embouchure for C3 depending on which fingering I'm using, but I've gotten used to it. (Before adjustment, if I fingered B2 and hit the octave, I would sound C3....)

I've only played it in public once, at an open sax choir reading, but it was a lot of fun. (About 35+ people ranging from Tubax to my 'nino.) Anyway, the tech/working-pro who adjusted my 'nino grabbed it when he was done and went to town on it with a bunch of Parker licks. He commented that it would be quite a kick to play BeBop on a 'nino.

*He* sounded awesome with it at least.

 

[RS]

I too have a Yani 'nino. But I don't play it much. Take it out once in a while for a lark. It's a fun little horn but intonation is tricky and the old style keywork is awkward for my hands. If Yani ever came out with a 'nino with modern keywork I'd be interested, especially if they offered it in bronze. The R&C 'nino in silver plate looks pretty slick. I'd like to give one of these a toot sometime.

 

[Dave Dolson]

sycc: I don't believe the big-bore claim.

I may be more inclined to believe if someone measured the inside of their MANY 'ninos and submitted comparsions. But who can do that?

I've tried to refute these claims before and so far, no one has been able to substantiate a claim of their bore-size being different than someone else's.

For instance. I've measured three of my altos (various vintages and brands) and three of my sopranos (various vintages and brands), but only on the outside. Little, if any difference at three different points along the tubes.

SO many make these statements about their bore-sizes, so few can back them up. I could be wrong; show me the proof. DAVE

 

[sycc]

It would be kinda neat if sax makers listed their bore size. On brass instuments you see .560 for example for a particular trombone(although admitingly that is for bell size).

 

[sycc]

And yes the brass manufacturers due tout that bell size and material have sonic dividends!!!Don't know if it's true as I do not play brass instruments!!!!

 

[Dave Dolson]

Well, the problem is there is no one bore-size with a conical instrument. I suppose it has to do with the angle of the increasing bore diameter, etc., etc.

AND, I suppose there may be a slight difference if one section of the interior of the bore is .001" bigger (or smaller). But I also suspect that any differences are in the same league as the presence or absence of lacquer or plating, the use of plastic vs. metal resos, the shape of the horn, and all the rest of that stuff.

So my saxophone has a bore that may be .001" bigger than yours. Can you hear or feel the difference? Does lacquer really matter?

I see this claim all the time . . ."My big-bore horn does this and that . . ." but I strongly suspect that the person making that claim is merely parroting what someone else told him/her.

I repeat - I once asked a famous repair tech about this (when discussing clarinets) and his comment was that we were only talking about thousandths of an inch - like, it is no big deal.

Is he right or is he wrong? I don't know, but I'm still waiting for objective inside measurements comparing many different saxophones. DAVE

 

[Little Sax]

[...]I may be more inclined to believe if someone measured the inside of their MANY 'ninos and submitted comparsions. But who can do that?[...]

I believe Paul Coats mentioned, in a different thread, that he owns 17 'ninos...

 

[sycc]

The R&C does play up a storm. My daughters' sax teacher,a Berklee grad that plays far better than me but mostly alto no soprano work,played it and sounded very very nice indeed. He liked the warm lower register. Both of us cannot get the sax to speak above high B. High C and the palms are not "home". They will answer the door w/ practice!!!

 

[Dave Dolson]

Little Sax: Certainly having access to all of those 'ninos is a start. However, I see another problem in conducting the measurements . . . inside diameters at three or more similar locations would be difficult - maybe someone has a tool to do that.

I'd accept outside diameters if someone took the time to locate spots that are free of keywork and ribs. Like I've posted before, I've done that on three sops and altos and found little difference among the three of each size. Sure not scientific, and I should probably have kept a chart at the time I did it. My main purpose was to prove to myself (or disprove as it may be) that my assumptions were correct - and that those who posted about big-bores were not.

sycc, as to difficulty in playing the high end of a 'nino, I had it, too. I was using an S-80 E 'nino mouthpiece and soft reeds. I had to really squeeze my throat and jaw closed to do it - and I'm sure it wasn't pleasant for anyone near by. I had to put my dog outside. DAVE

 

[Fidrat]

Sopranon vs Nino

What is the difference between the two or are they the same?

Fidrat