[YveJ222]

Hi guys. I'd like some advice about potentially trading in my alto for a soprano. Heres the history.

I bought an Elkhart Alto about 10 years ago. Picked it ap a few times but life got in the way and it has remained untouched for about 9 years 11 months! A couple of weeks ago I dusted it off to start again as I now have the time to commit to learning. My issue is that I broke both wrists just before Christmas. While they are both "healed" they are in no way what they were. I'm finding the Alto painful to play. It could just be bad technique or something I'm stuck with. I've bought a new neck strap but the weight on my right thumb causes so much pain. I'm also having issues stretching to the keys as my hands are tiny for an old bird.

I'm still very much a beginner and don't want to quit so I'm considering down sizing to a soprano. I'm hoping that the weight difference will be enough to ease the pain. I understand that its much harder to learn but figured im not so far down the alto path that it may not be so bad. If I did go for a soprano, would it be better to opt for a straight or curved model. Is the hand stretch required less than an alto? I've also seen an alphasax. Is this any good? In an ideal world I'd hop on a train and go shopping to try some out but its still not really an option. I've seen a few rental options but I'm just so confused. I'm uk based.

Any thoughts/advice appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Zephyrwolf]

As far as the weight goes you could just play with the horn sitting between your legs on a chair. That is how I most often play alto. I'm usually sitting in front of a computer with a backing track and using an office chair.

 

[1saxman]

A soprano with curved neck (most sopranos today have the removable neck, with a curved neck and straight neck) might be the thing for you because the curve in the neck allows the use of a strap with the soprano. One thing to note; many years ago, Selmer pioneered the key arrangements on their saxes so they felt amazingly similar from sax to sax - this was one of their selling points, particularly with the 'Balanced Action' and later models. Now, all sax makers have copied that, even the low-priced Chinese horns, so you should know that while a soprano is obviously smaller than an alto in many ways, it might not feel much different to your hands. Definitely get your hands on one before buying. I bought my latest soprano from Eastern Music on ebay. These Chinese horns are usually copies of the Yanagisawa models but they are still making the 'tipped-bell' or 'semi-curved' type which in addition to the removable neck, also has the bell section 'tipped' forward at about 40 degrees. This design was originated by Buescher in the 1930s and was called the 'Tipped Bell'. These are commonly and mistakenly called 'saxello-style' by many.

 

[Keith Ridenhour]

When I have back or hand issues I put the alto right on a knee and there is no weight to hold. Good luck and dont quit. K

 

[Aquarian]

I am lucky to be in good health, but had similar issues with my right thumb on starting up again this year. Let's be honest - the ergonomics of the sax are pretty bad, especially the right hand. The natural position for the thumb is where the F# trill key is. The solution I found was to get a WAW thumbrest:

https://www.shapeways.com/product/F8JVGKSNS/the-deluxe-waw-modified-thumb-rest-for-saxophone

It allows you to place your thumb over the F#. I also tend to rest my sax on my body whether sitting or standing (the Eb guard rests on my waist when standing). It's not textbook, but after having enough pain to have to stop playing for a week I don't really care. It also had the bonus of giving me a position where the right hand palm keys are easier to use. The ideal ergonomics would probably require a redesign of the instrument, as the right hand is more pushing than holding up and ideally this would be done with the palm (the neck strap carries most of the weight and serves as a fulcrum). Unfortunately, we're stuck with what we got.

Another option is to get a stand and play it on the stand. Some stands are better than others but I've seen people use these in performance due to health issues.

Beyond that, if you're having problems with your left hand too, that may be due to the palm keys? You can get pads for palm keys that bring them closer to your hand. Ideally the movements for the palm keys should be small, your hands should be close to them already. When I started taking lessons again, the first thing my teacher did was advise me to bring my left hand down so that it was closer to the palm keys.

Good luck! I hope some of this is helpful.

 

[flomaster]

Before you make the leap to soprano, check out the neck straps by protec and xinlink. They are more 'shoulder straps' than neck straps, and may help with the support of the horn while you're playing.

I broke my left hand a couple of years ago while moving into my new house. Fell down a flight of stairs while moving a gun safe, which dropped right onto my hand. I've since recovered and have full use of the hand, but my left pinky still has a permanent 'kink' in it right at the last knuckle. This made playing anything on the table virtually impossible for a while. Tenor was out of the question in the beginning, so I practiced on Alto. Once I got proficient there, I found that using the tenor was a bit easier than before. Continued practice has restored about 99% of my finger's ability.

It was pretty frustrating in the beginning for me, but if you keep at it you'll find that you'll adapt to playing much faster than you think. Try the shoulder type strap and try and work through the pain in very small increments. You might find that after a few weeks the pain might be completely gone.

 

[lesacks]

Something to consider, possibly with the help is a teacher or musical physiotherapist...
Seems that a lot of folks start out with a lot of tension all the way from their backs, shoulders through to tight grip with the fingers. Also without straight wrists. None of which is good even for fit, strong young folk. It could be, with super good, relaxed posture & maybe a better strap, even the alto will be ok?

 

[YveJ222]

Thanks for the advice. I didn't realise you could play with it resting on something. This has really helped with the weight issue. I just need to work out a way to stretch my hands out now to reach all the keys!