Tip Book

[Dave Tucker]

This week I purchased a book from Amazon. It is titled – 101 Saxophone Tips That All The Pros Know and Use. It has some very interesting information and some that is still over my head.
One of the tips that I have tried is – The Pop test that determines if your reed is sealing. I tested 4 reeds 2Rico and 2Vandoren. I had one reed fail this test. It was a Vandoren reed. It had a terrible leak. This was the reed that I mentioned to Johnny that I could not get to work on either mouthpiece a week or so ago. The 2nd Vandoren was the best of the remaining three. It kept a seal longer than both of the Rico reeds. Also with the reed that failed I noticed with back light that it lacked the upside down U. It was more straight across.
I just thought I would share that with everyone. The forum has been pretty quiet lately.

Dave

[john]

Thanks for sharing Dave, one out of 4 ain't bad!
At least you know your mouthpiece is sealing.
Let us know if you get any more interesting tips from that book, I remember seeing it on Amazon once as well so am a little curious if has some good stuff or not.

Johnny

[Troy]

Quote:

Quote from tuck59 on December 16, 2011, 21:01
– The Pop test that determines if your reed is sealing. I had one reed fail this test. It had a terrible leak. It kept a seal longer. Also with the reed that failed I noticed with back light that it lacked the upside down U. It was more straight across.

Dave

I cut most of the post for space, but as a beginner, I have no clue what you're talking about, and I have a feeling that my current obstacle is the mouthpiece/reed set up, so this caught my attention. Could you please explain a little more about what you mean and maybe what happens when your reed seals and doesn't seal, and what to do about it?

Thanks,
Troy

[Dave Tucker]

Troy,
I just noticed your post regarding the pop test. I am a beginner myself so it is kind of hard to properly explain.
-First soak your reed for awhile
-Next put your reed on your mouthpiece
-Now stand your mouthpiece in the palm of your hand ( I use the fatty part below the thumb)
-Now put your mouth over the reed end and suck all the air out to create a vacuum. It should hold for a few seconds and then pop. If it does this you have a good seal with the mouthpiece.
If it is a bad reed it will not seal. It will leak as soon as you try to suck on it. Throw it in the garbage.
I hope this helps with your question. If not, what I can try and do is scan the page and post it. I will be watching for your reply.

Dave T

[Troy]

Thanks for your reply Dave,

I'll give this a shot when I get home tomorrow and let you know. You don't need to scan the page, your explanation was crystal clear. I'll make sure the reed and mouthpiece are thoroughly cleaned so I don't shoot myself in the foot from the word go. :0)

Have you found this tip book worthwhile? If so I'll keep an eye out for it. The reviews sounded like it would be well worth the ~$15 investment.

[Troy]

Dave,

I did the 'pop' test. The reed that I thought was one of my better failed the worst, staying sealed barely a 1/4 second. The best reed I had would hold a seal for about 2 1/2 to 3 seconds consistantly. Of course I have not idea if that is a good seal hold time or not…did the tip book give any criteria?

Troy

[Dave Tucker]

Troy,
Happy New Year to you and everyone that reads this. I'm sorry it has taken so long to get back to you regarding the Tip Book. As I stated in an earlier post I'm having low back problems. Tonight I have my 2nd MRI in the last week and a half. Tonight I get dye injected and then the MRI is done. My first MRI reads like a train wreck.Fun WOW

Ok, I find the Tip Book to be worth the $11.00. It comes with a CD that has 35 different tracks on it. It covers topics such as the reed sealing (Pop Test), fixing warped reeds, building vibrato(CD track4) growling (CD track 13),metal vs rubber, Horn Hygiene and much more. I did not realize that you could flush the neck with warm water to help with cleaning. It has some information that is over my head for now but will probably make sense when I start with a teacher. This information is transposing music for your own instrument. I have found some info online but still not completely sure.

Now regarding your reed testing that you have done. The book does not give an exact time as to how long the seal should be. It just says a few seconds. Like you my reeds stayed sealed for about 2-3 secs. So I think you have it figured out. I hope this has been helpful.

Dave T

[Troy]

Dave,

I'm really sorry to hear about your back issues. The only good news there is that they are injecting the dye instead of making you drink it. I used to work in the ER and most people that had to drink the dye said that was worse than the back pain. My dad and some of my friends have lower back pain, and I frequently have pain in my neck/shoulder, so you have my sympathy and prayers for a quick and full recovery.

I'll order the book soon from Amazon. I went to the local music store and they didn't have a copy, they didn't have the Selmer S80 C* moutpiece or the Yamaha 4C, so I lost all the way around that night. I also noticed a small flaw with the software used to run this site – it doesn't seem to like posting numbers all the time. You listed the price of the book but all that showed up was .00. I did the same the other day and after editing the post at least 7 times, I finally gave up and typed out the price.

Your post have been very helpful! I really do appreciate the response. Since finding this site I've really gotten back into playing my sax. I sit here typing this, about to go spend some time with the wife and daughter, and I feel bad that I'm looking forward to Jocelyn going to bed so I can practice some more…I'm such a bad father LOL. Oh, here is the little darling now…and I think she needs a new diaper. See you all later!

[Dave Tucker]

Hey Troy,
Sound's like a good idea for a song "Stinky Pant's". I am going to be a Grandpa in a about 3 weeks. I'm looking forward to that.
I had my first lesson yesterday. The teacher was very impressed with how far along I was. I told her about this great online site "How to Play Saxophone" set up by Johnny Ferreira.
I have to admit I was kind of nervous because now I'm in front of a stranger. She asked me if I could play something out of the lesson book. She pick something out and asked me to start. Wouldn't ya know it, note note squeak squeak note squeak. I stopped and broke into such a panic sweat. I say I don't know what's going on and that I don't squeak that much at home. She starts laughing because she's notices me sweating like I was sitting in a sauna. We took the reed off and it had a rip in the middle of it. Fortunately I paid attention to Johnny and had a couple of Rico's ready to go. I put in the new reed and everything was A.O.K. Next week she want's me to bring in a CD with three song's that I would like to learn. My choices so far are:
1. Time Passages – Al Stewart
2. Take Five – Paul Desmond
3. Baker Street – Gerry Rafferty
4. Johnny if you are reading this and have any suggestions jazz or rock I would appreciate it.
Anyhow, I just thought that I would share my first lesson experience with you for a laugh. I'm off to start my afternoon practice. Until next time.

Dave T

[john]

Hi Dave, that's a funny story…
Yes, I made a backing track for Take 5 for when I was playing in a lounge last year.
The A section is pretty easy and straight forward but the B section is a challenge. This tune is much more advanced than the others you mentioned because they only have a small sax riff in them… Take 5 is something to really dig your teeth into.
Let me know if you're up for that at this stage.

[Author]

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