[zxcvbnm]

I need to send a recording of this piece in for an audition in about a month. It's actually pretty easy, but I have not been working on it much since I have been working on another piece that's harder and requires more attention. The piece is "Canzonetta and Giga" by Leroy Ostransky. I just wanted to see what you guys thought of it, and it would be nice if you guys could give me some tips (since most SOTW'ers are much more accomplished sax players than I am ).
My equipment:
YAS-275 (with lots of intonation quirks)
Caravan large chamber piece
Vandoren blue box #4 reed
Rovner dark lig
Zoom H-2 recording thingy

Here are the links (I recorded it twice):
http://www.mediafire.com/?8xcndvelmxm
http://www.mediafire.com/?3xxhsxmjtoc
(btw I don't know how to get it so you just click on a link and it plays)

Thanks for your help.

 

[hakukani]

Thanks for letting us listen...I know how hard it can be to do this. You have excellent tonal conception, nice vibrato, good control. Frankly, I wouldn't be worried about your setup, (caravan vs. rascher mpc thread).

Canzonetta- Basically quite nice. I would like to hear longer phrases. I hear nices ideas, but a bit 'breathless'. Look at where you take your breaths--don't ..break the.phrase..quite so ......irregularly. Look for natural muscial 'sentences'. Think long arches in phrasing. Cathedrals, not apartments.

Giga- Worked out nicely. Now for more (Okay, careful to have even articulations)---a giga (or jig, or gigue) needs to have even threes, and a strong downbeat. Careful not to rush through--must have room for dancers to complete their steps.

To get what I've described, you might listen to Bach unaccompanied cello sonata II in b minor. The first mvt will show your the 'arches', the gigue the 'bounciness' needed for that dance style.

The best interpretation would be Annar Bylsma's Bach. If you can't find that recording, try YoYo Ma's recording.

Keep at it, you sound great--almost there...

 

[Sand3853]

Hey man, it's sounding nice. You have a good concept of sound, its really nice and warm. I like your control on the vibrato too. You have the concept of the piece down, and are doing some nice things with it. I think you could have a little more fun with it, let it sing... you have the sound.. there were just a few times where things sounded a little too mechanical. You are heading in the right direction though. A little disection of the peice, and really digging into the phrases will take this piece to the next level. Great sound tho, man... I really liked what I heard.

 

[qwerty]

Basically good.

I'd like to hear a more lyrical style in the Canzonetta. Sometimes I hear too much of the tongue. Let it flow and think "loo" as your articulation syllable. I agree hith Hakukani, it needs a bit longer phrases. Your ideas in direction of musical line , are nice...bring them out more and extend them...

I know a lot of guys make the Caravan mouthpiece work and you are one of them. I sound horrible on one, so i won't comment other than saying your tone is rather sweet, pleasing and one of the nicest elements of your playing.

The Giga:

Take your metronome set it at 72 and play the gigue with every eighth note slurred, very mechanically and robotically. AND STAY with the metronome. I dare you. If you can do this at 72, do it at 76 still slurring. By slurring, you are making the performance about the evenness of your fingers, you can't blame your tongue for messing you up. Keep bumping up the metronome until you reach your target tempo. If you get ANY technical slop in your playing back the metronome off and do it more slowly again until it is absolutely pure and free of any technical flaws or tempo anomalies. Then go back to 72 and add the articulation. Go a notch at a time with the metronome until you hit target tempo. If you get slop or tempo flaws, back it off. Do this daily for a week, maybe more and I bet the technique will come together better.

Lean on one for a more dance like feel. Lighten articulation up in general for a more sparkling bouyant bouncy feel.

You are on the right track!

Stop goofing around here! Go hit the shed.

Steve

 

[mkemp]

I agree with everyone on your sound. It may even have convinced me to get a Caravan mouthpiece - I love the dark tone! It's nice hearing a Middle C# that doesn't sound all weak...that note really stuck out for me as sounding really good. I have a TT in the shop right now so I'll be experiencing the Buescher sound soon too! I wish it was a New Aristocrat though...lucky....

 

[zxcvbnm]

Thanks everyone
hakukani: How do you think I should break up my phrases? There's not a lot of places I can breathe in the first part, so I am often struggling for air. The piece really seems like one big phrase to me.

Sand: what parts do you think were "mechanical"?

qwerty: I tried the metronome thing today, and got up to 116. It's really helping. (btw should I use vibrato while doing this?) Also, how exactly should I get a more dance like feel (never realized it was a dance lol).

mkemp: Yeah, the Caravan is working great for me, much better than the french style piece I used to play. The middle C# is pretty good, but still slightly weak as it is on all saxes. Imo, the TT is as good as the NA, the TT just being undervalued.

Again, thanks for the comments guys.

 

[asaxman]

When going from middle D, to C#, just lift the first two fingers on your left hand.

 

[hakukani]

It's not where you breathe, it's the timing.

Go toward the beats like in the beginning you play (exagerrated for effect)

TA-da-da-da-ta, TA-da-da, TA-da-da-da-ta.

I hear in my head:

ta-da-da-da-TA, ta-da-da-ta-da-da-TA-da-da-da

Hope you get the idea here. Hard to explain this way. That's why I recommended the Bach.