my newest sax

[john]

Ya soul serenade was one of my faves to perform back when I had a soprano.
I had a selmer mark 6 but sold it cause I wasn’t taking it to many gigs anymore.
of course I wish I had it now.

[Michael]

HI Johnny,

In searching for a good Soprano to get this spring, it was pretty amazing to see how Selmer produces very good Sopranos at very reasonable prices and that really surprised me! If I could get a Selmer Mark 6 Tenor, Alto, etc., I would do it in a heart beat 🙂 But the price tag that comes with a Mark 6 is enough for someone who has a family to raise like me to go broke LOL Speaking of the Selmer Mark 6, I was going to post a question about those lines of Saxophones in the General Questions part of the forum…very cool that Jake has all 4 Saxophones now 🙂
Speaking of Soul Serendade, what key is King Curtis playing in/chord progressions?

[jake]

sxpoe, no my new (old) tenor isnt any easier to play if anything it seemed a little harder as i was so used to playing my Hawk tenor sax. It was brand new and played so easy. i’m having to make some adjustments with this vintage yamaha but it shoul be for the better. i’m hoping the intonation is better and will be more even throughout. we will see, i had no issues with the hawk, just wanted to upgrade to a professional tenor. a lot more to come for sure. once i can really get into it i can update more on what i find in comparing the two.
One thing I did notice was the altissimo G was a little easier on the yamaha. thats a plus to start.

[Michael]

Jake–you just made a fantastic point. You got skilled at playing on your Hawk and decided it was time to upgrade to a pro model Sax 🙂 As Johnny has always told us, having a pro model Sax isn’t instantly a guarantee that we’re going to sound good…nothing but nothing can beat our own playing abilities, the right MP/reed set up, etc.. Someone who really knows how to play the Saxophone can show up at an audition and if he really knows how to play, he’s going to nail the audition; regardless of what Sax he’s on. He’ll put his MP/reed combination on any Saxophone and turn heads with it 🙂 But you’re playing had developed really well…your video on Unchained Melody was fantastic, awesome tone 🙂 So now, a pro model Sax like you just got will enhance your playing and you will be just that much better. So it’s not like you were depending/relying on having that pro model to sound good, thinking that it was “the key” to unlocking your playing success, or thinking if you didn’t have a pro model Sax then you’re not going to sound great…you sounded great on your Hawk as it is. But if someone’s playing as developed to the point that a pro model Sax is justified and you know you’re going to stick with the Sax, THEN a pro model Sax like you just got is one of those things that will enhance you’re playing even more. Keep us posted Jake on your progress…I’m jealous because you have all 4 Saxophones now LOL Very happy for you!

[Anonymous]

Jake thanks for taking time out with the feed back. When i do upgrade my Alto to a Pro Alto, i’m in two minds, whether to buy vintage or get the latest model, but i guess that may be determined by how they sound when i try them in my local music shop.

I guess the newest model would be finger wise easier to play than the vintage model & cheaper to upkeep in terms of servicing etc..

Some people on youtube, make claims that were being held back until they upgraded to a pro model, i guess they must be talking about the eveness of the pitches being more in tune across the whole sax, giving them less work struggling to play evenly, or the sound of the pro sax just blew away their student sax? I guess i won’t know until get my hands on one.

[wayne wojnarowski]

Hi mike Happy new year I have one question for you. if you get a soprano won’t that be a big change in your embouchure? Buy the way I have the web cam set up but something happened , I don’t like the sound quality of the mike in the camera how do I get a better sound it’s a Logitech the mike sucks.

[jake]

Hey Wayne, yea all the saxes require a little different change in my embrochure. I really didn’t notice huge changes rite off. I’ve only played it for a day or 2 now tho. I am finding that with the soprano, it takes a little more finesse. Being that it is so small, it doesn’t require huge amounts of air as say my tenor or bari. I feel that I really need to tweek and focus on my embrochure to stay in tune. I definitely setup a tuner when i am playing. It doesn’t take much to really change a note, thats for sure. I recorded a quick song I threw on my facebook page. I did a rendition of “My heart will go on”. Overall not too bad for my first go at a soprano and a crappy mouthpiece. I just ordered up a new mouthpiece, lig, and some reeds for it.
There are a few spots I know I need to focus on, for example staying in tune and to make the tune flow subtley with note changes. Its a work in progress but was generally happy with my 1st take. I never thought of owning a soprano sax but the opportunity presented itself and I said what the heck. So glad I did. Each sax has a uniqueness to themselves. After playing a few hours on the soprano, I jumped on my alto and believe it or not it seemed a little easier.
definitely more to come!!

[James]

Hi Jake,
I have two YTS-61s and a YTS-875 Custom. I play the 61s way more than the 875. IMO, the 61 has a great sound and feels good under my fingers.

[jake]

Wow, been awhile since I’ve seen this post. I do love my YTS-61. Way cheaper than a YTS-62 as well. Can’t compare the two as I haven’t played a 62. I still have my Hawk tenor and tried it out recently. WOW, no comparison. Love my Yamaha and the way it feels. But of course I have been playing in it for awhile now so I am very used to it.
Not sure if this is true or not but I did read somewhere that the YTS-61 was made to compete with the Mark VI back in the day. Never played a Mark VI either but found that interesting.

[Mike Potter]

very cool tat Jake!

[Author]

Posts