Saxophone Forum


by tenor562
(297 posts)
19 years ago

school band

lately the high school sax forum has been really dragging. The most exciting thing we've been talking about is sax mutes. So, let's see some more action around here. I assume that marching season is nearly over. How did everyone's bands do? What's new? Anybody get a new sax accessory, try a new reed brand? new neck strap? while you're here, what's the best ligature in your opinion? Optimum? What reeds is everybody on right now? I guess I'm just getting tired of the sax mute talks..... -tenor562

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  1. by saxgrobie
    (86 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: school band

    haha, you got that right! Well marching season has been OK this year, I guess. My director just really makes me mad sometimes. Our show was titled "Sounds of Storytime" and we played Chuck Mangione's "Land of Make Believe", "Chattanooga Choo Choo" (for the story about the little engine that could), Brahm's "Lullaby" (for Goodnight Moon), and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (For the Tawny scrawny Lion). Its cute, but for some reason we are just now getting props done. State competition is in two weeks. I hope we do well. I'm playing on Vandoren 4's right now and they suit me just fine, but I have been chipping them a whole lot lately. Actually, I'll currently looking for a new ligature. Mine got stepped on, lol. If you have a favorite, let me know. Kelsey

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    1. by barimachine
      (323 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: school band

      marching season doesnt end for me until the sugar bowl where ill be playing WATCH

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  2. by FutureBandTeacher
    (45 posts)

    19 years ago

    Alto, Female, Freshman

    I play alto sax at my high school. My name is Erin, and I plan to take over my director's job. Our band is small (Class A) and we competed in Fountain City Invitational and A Bradley Classic. Our band got 3's and 2's both times. We have no private instructors, just our band teacher, and we live ina small town, so that creates some challenges. I play on a 3.5 reed and am on my second ligature (I wore out the first one). This is my third year in band. While somebody's reading this, where can I get (free and legally) the theme song from "Roseanne" for alto sax? And can anyone think of any way I can spice up my case?

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    1. by tenor562
      (297 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

      hey I'm an eighth grade tenor player, female. I play on V16 2.5 right now and a YTS62II, and I"m in the search for a new mouthpiece. i've been playing tenor for a year, and I played clarinet for two years. I've only used one ligature, (My robert vinson equa tone) because I've never heard of wearing out a lig, but that sounds interesting. It's not really easy to get sheet music for free and legally if it's copyrighted, but I usually find some good classical stuff at www.music-scores.com, their Pachalbel Canon thing is pretty good for concert key of D work. what model number of yamaha do you have? I really like Yamaha Saxes. Welcome, and feel free to post in the School Band discussion more.

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      1. by FutureBandTeacher
        (45 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

        Wearing out a lig is pretty much just the effects of heavy use--denting or bending, or stripping screws. I did all of these in my first year of band--I was clumsy then. I don't know my model #, but I find it surprising that you can succeed on a 2.5 reed, because I had to upgrade to 3.5 hardness on account of the softness, low tone quality, and delicateness of a 3.0 reed. Thanks for the advice on free songs! I love key of D.

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        1. by tenor562
          (297 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

          yea, 2.5's are pretty delicate, but I have this V16 I've been playing for around two months now, and it's one of the best reeds I've played. I"m also working on breaking in another V16, so that one will probably sing as much once I'm done. I use a rubber lig, so it's pretty hard to do that kinda stuff with it. Does play a whole lot better than regular ligs. I kinda like all the response I get on my 2.5, but I'm going to order a box of 3's once I wear out my Vandoren V16 box of five. I bought that thing in the summer, played hours a day, and it's still working. I'm thinking about getting a Alexander Superial or Classique 3. Is that going way too hard?

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        2. by FutureBandTeacher
          (45 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

          A rubber lig?! I've heard of leather ligs with metal screws, but a RUBBER lig?! OMG, where'd you buy that? I don't know much about different brands of reeds (They ALL taste like Popsicle sticks) but IMHO a 3 is kind of weak. Just upgrade gradually-- a 3 is perfect for you now, if a 2.5 is too brittle and giving you trouble. Later, a 3.5 will be ideal as your chin strengthens and your embochure refines. Sorry I'm really vague on brand names--I buy all my stuff through our director. He orders it in from Rush's Music of Knoxville and sells it for the same price he bought it for, so I haven't really had to experiment.

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        3. by tenor562
          (297 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

          yea, I don't know if it's rubber or some synthetic material. It's a Robert Vinson Equa Tone with one screw and it's inverted. There's a huge difference in reed brands. You should probably explore them yourself. Try Alexanders from saxquest or wwbw. Then you'll know. I"m thinking of first shaving down a 3 if it's too hard, and gradually moving up. Wow, you really need to experiment gear, that's one of the funnest parts of the sax. Reeds just have to be my favorite. I've tried V16s, ricos, rico royals, blue box vandorens, grand concert, alexander superials, and am still looking for the perfect reeds. Those Alexander Superials really were nice though. V16s are pretty good too, but ricos stink except for the royals. they were ok. As for ligs, leather isn't as good as the really good metal ones. I'm not a big fan of Rovners. I'm thinking about getting a Brancher Leggerio or a Optimum, any opinions?

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        4. by FutureBandTeacher
          (45 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

          Inverted? I typed a memo to my band teacher, and he's going to give me advice on reeds--metal and synthetic; ligs--leather, plastic, wooden, leather, cloth; sax harnesses--two-shoulder and one-shoulder. I've recently, as in during the past few weeks, begun experiencing pain in the back of my neck. Could my neck strap be the culprit?

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        5. by tenor562
          (297 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

          Inverted basically means that the screw is not near the reed. I wouldn't try metal reeds, but I'd like to see where you found them, because a lot of people have asked about them in Sax Quest. They would cut your mouth, and wouldn't be very nice. I'd get a Brancher Leggerio or Vandoren Optimum Ligature, if not, maybe a Rovner might work with you, like an Eddie Daniels. Neck Pain? Do you play alto or tenor or bari? usually alto's ok for me. But I need a neotech to play a tenor, and a harness is usually best for bari. yea, or if you have a really heavy sax, which yamahas aren't. They don't have as much brass as other saxes. Gosh, my student Yamaha I use at school is falling apart. student yamahas sure aren't as good as the intermediate or pro ones.

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        6. by FutureBandTeacher
          (45 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

          Metal reeds, I've just recently heard about in SaxQuest. Yes, they would cut your tongue open, and if you ding them once, they'd be done for. I play alto, and I was taught to play alto with a neck strap. I use to have a purely nylon one, but now I have a foam-cushioned NeoTech. It hasn't relieved the pain though. I suppose I have a weak neck or something=). One- or two- shoulder harnesses are supposed to be more helpful at spreading out the boon of the saxophone. I think I have a professional Yami (short for Yamaha) alto because it is much easier to play; I got it from this guy who used it 3 times in a big gig; and I've only needed one repair--minor--in the 2 1/2 years I've had it.

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        7. by tenor562
          (297 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

          check the serial number, it's usually on all y amaha saxes, about a 6-12 inches under the thumbhook, it will tell the model number. For intance, my sax says YTS62, and the serial number is under it. yea, I have a foam cushioned NeoTech for my tenor. It works quite well, I used to just have a purely nylon one, but then I got a better one for band camp. I know someone who has a harness, (for bari) but they don't use it, they even march with the foam neotech in large parades and football games. They just use the foam neotech, and it does them good. Yea, Yamahas are really nice, I happen to play two on a regular basis. talk to you later

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        8. by connsaxman_jim
          (2336 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: Alto, Female, Freshman

          Erin, you might want to try a fibercell reed. I'm not a big fan of them, but a lot of people like them. I use a Rovner neoprene rubber lig, and they're awesome! They're around $23 but well worth it! If your back is bothering you, get a Neotech strap!

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      2. by BestBandGeek
        (2 posts)

        19 years ago

        Re: school band

        Yeah, only a couple more weeks of marching season. I play tenor (Mark VII) in my high school's band. We're the only miltary marching band in Arkansas.

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        1. by tenor562
          (297 posts)

          19 years ago

          Re: school band

          that's cool. My school doesn't really march, because most of the kids in our band don't care about band that much. We do cedar point, some winter parade, and our memorial parade, and that's it. lol, most of the other kids in our band say "I would be good, if I practiced" Then there's the low brass and woodwinds who keep the band going, we have really good players. Bass clarinet, bari sax, and trombone are the best players in our band.

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          1. by barimachine
            (323 posts)

            19 years ago

            Re: school band

            yea we have a marine teacher so its required of any musician in conerct or symphonic ( concert is the freshman and crappy group) to be in marching band were about 160-170 size i think its exactly 168 people

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            1. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              yea, our highschool's marching band is top of the line, much better than our middle school's. Sugar Bowl? That's awesome. Do you know if like a local youth orchestra has saxes? There's this local youth orchestra near me, and I don't know anything about it, I'm doubting that they have any saxes. Not that many pro orchestras have them. Just looking for a way to play. the school music isn't cutting it anymore. any ideas?

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            2. by CustomZplayer
              (15 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              Our marching band still has plenty to do, that is having a 9-0 football team. there are many play off games ahead. Our band has reseved a boost in the past 2 years, the new director is fresh out of college and has totally changed the way our town looks at the marching band!

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            3. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              no saxes!? thats crazy alot of sympohies and orchestras have alto players at least. but yea the sugar bowl is gonna be awesome

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            4. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              we still have like 5 games left, and our marching band is definately coming along. before this year, the band was mandantory (itz optional this year), and we have a new director this year, and he brought a totally new style of marching to us. so we basically had to throw away a lot of our old skills and develop new ones. we have this awesome pirates of the carribbean half time show though. and about a month ago we went to UMass band day, which was a lot of fun too (we did a shrek half time show with over 50 other high school bands for the UMass Minutemen). so how are the jazz bands this year for everyone? cya!

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            5. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              wow, our city's high school marching band is over this weekend. I'm getting pretty bored with playing. We play this really easy concert stuff, and I don't have jazz band this year, and there's only so much fun you can have playing by yourself in your room. Sonny Rollin's St. Thomas gets boring after you've played it ten times. I do love that song though, it's my favorite sax song ever. cross country is over, so now I have more time to play. What did you guys do to play when you were in eighth grade?

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            6. by sax_maniac
              (984 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              You switched from corps style to high-step or vice versa?

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            7. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              sry, I meant tenor, but I can probably switch to alto if I have a good chance for playing.

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            8. by saxgrobie
              (86 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              Hey, if you are looking around for a chance to play, why don't you get a band together with some friends? I would love to try that. My band is pretty small. We only have about 80 people, and yet we have to compete in AAAAA because our school is so big. (We just have a bunch of losers in our school, most of which do not have the discipline to be in band.) It sucks so much. So one can afford to slack, or it looks and sounds terrible. Practice is getting hard lately. State is Nov. 6 and all we do is strait run throughs of the show over and over and over again. Yuck. Kelsey

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            9. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              hey tenor! havent talked to you in a while! let's see...in 7th and 8th grade jazz we did pretty easy songs, cuz my teachers main goal was to just get us used to being in a jazz band. we've won gold a IAJE for like 5 years straight though, so i guess my teacher's pretty good lol. anyway, in 7th we did St. Thomas, Topaz Sky (has an awesome trumpet solo), Maximum Velocity...i can't remember the rest... in 8th grade we did Blues for Cat (really easy), Manteca, On Broadway, Killer Joe, El noche del burrito picante....a bunch of easy songs. it was a lot of fun though! this year we've just been site reading some stuff so far so my director gets a feel on where we are...we've site read Harlem Nocturne (i got that solo..it was awesome!), yardbird suite, four, groove merchant, get it on....etc... some song that had a clarinet part on the first alto part.. what stuff are you doing? cya, Kara

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            10. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              haha, that's way better than what I did in seventh grade. I did Preacher, Blue Beamer, Peter Gunn, I Got Rhythm, Lullaby of Broadway, some swing stuff. I would do anything to do St. Thomas. As you probably know, that's my favorite song, and I listen to it like five times a day, lol. Plus, I'd get the tenor solo. I miss playing jazz. This year I can't do jazz band because it's before school, and I go to the high school for most of my morning. So it really stinks. I probably can't do it next year too, because it's after school, and I do sports after school. Maybe second semester though. I'm thinking about joining a local youth orchestra, but I don't know if i'm good enough. I don't practice jazz with my instructor because he has this idea that i'm interested in legit and handel. All we do is Rubank and handel. I really like Handel too, almost as much as rollins, so it's all good, I guess. So, I'm kinda a self taught jazz person, lol. We don't go to any competitions or anything, thats' cool how you guys do. That's why I need to start playing outside of school. Any ideas? talk to you later,' -tenor562

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            11. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              haha who else did cross country this year? anyway my jazz band is playing the ellington charts right now... u no the LCJO competition stuff anyone else in that i finished my all state audition today it was a large fiasco i have county jazz music to work on now and gordon goodwin charts sax quartet music jazz combo at school out of school group symphonic music marching band ahh its alot of playing

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            12. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              wow, that's a lot of playing, it would be a ton of fun to do that. Right now, I'll I have is band class, which is pretty boring. o well.... Someone's challenging me tomorrow, so I better practice. talk to you later, -tenor562

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            13. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              whoa..that is a lot of playing! let's see...i do marching band, jazz ensemble, concert band, a summer band (obviously not right now though), and weekly lessons. i also do music theory. i love all of them, so itz awesome! except i forgot to audition for the advanced concert band so i'm stuck with the sucky band this year. it's made up with the kids whos parents made them play and stuff. it suxxx..

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            14. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              o yea, i have lessons too. But I'll I play there is Rubank and Handel. So, I have no jazz life. And every sax player needs some kind of jazz life. you forgot to audition? how smart is that, lol. I have to do that this year. I'm hoping on making it into the second band, but i don't think I will. so I'll be stuck with last band. they only let one tenor into wind ensemble, and there's this really good sophomore, and then the seniors get the second band. I know my scales and stuff, so it will be worth a try, but I need to start on my sight reading. and I need a jazz life. lol. I hope I don't forget to audition.... -tenor562

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            15. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              lol, well i didnt really forget....no one ever told me exactly when to go to the HS for my audition last year, so i never made time to do it. it sux cuz Shenendoah is like my favorite band piece (i played it last summer in a band), and the higher band is just happening to play it THIS year...the year i forgot to auditon. lol, what luck.... itll be like embarassing for me to go to a concert in my band cuz we really really suck. the flute players didnt know the difference between a half note and a dotted half note!!! these ppl have been playing for at least 5 years.... yeah, so my lessons are pretty good on sax. we do the lennie nehause books, then rubanks, then voxman. but right now we're working on the district pieces only because i'm only a freshman so i need extra practice to at least get an okay score. alto sax is reallly competitive..... so is trumpet, so im sunk either way lol. well i g2g get ready for the fb game tonight....itz sooo cold outside!! i think ill wear like 5 layers.... cyazz, Kara

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            16. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              haha yea i forgot im in jazz ensemble and AP theory as well as weekly lessons but that strictly jazz i dont really do that much in classical etudes with my teacher i do those my self when i play with him its all jazz which is good cuz thats how we formed a group and hes now starting up another group for a few shows to show off his new organization hes starting so i have to learn that too by the way like what kind of gigs do you guys play and how many? im an arts school so you know

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            17. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              are u talking to me? lol im only 13, how do i get gigs? lets see though...all i've done is played at a couple funerals and church a couple times. school concerts...thats it. my teacher makes me work on everything from classical to jazz...he's an amazing jazz musician though who's like played with frankie valli and the four tops and stuff like that. he smokes though, which is pretty weird for a wind player ('specially a professional)

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            18. by nannerla
              (9 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              I did cc i suck thoughmy fastest time was 13:04 on a 1.5 course

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            19. by nannerla
              (9 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              someone said something about what the best ligature was i got a ligature stuck in my alto sax around where the b key is i dont know how though

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            20. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              whoa, how did that happen? a ligature in your sax? in an alto? I don't think one could get stuck in my tenor, and I'm not trying, I love my sax. I've heard of tuba moutpieces dropped in a tuba, but ligatures in saxes? wow. We've heard a lot of weird stuff this week, from maggots in mouthpieces to ligs stuck in saxes, wow. how does it play? they're's probably a lot of rattling. my d pad on my school horn screwed up last year, and kinda rattles. hmmm...... maybe it's me. had a lesson today. worked on handel and rubank, and talked about mouthpieces. He said the Selmer C* 80 is good. He says it depends on the playeer you are, so I should probably have wwbw send out 3. I'm thinking about the S90, the S80, and the V5. Kinda want something else too.., like a overpowered jazz mouthpiece. wait, I don't even play jazz. o well, just dreaming. So hows everyone's band lives doing?

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            21. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              lol can u guess how our band is doing? ahh, we play the easiest songs but we still manage to screw them all up. lets see...we're doing bandology, preludio, prelude and fugue, and festivo. it's pretty funny though to watch the flute players try their hardest to play a stinkin Bb concert scale lol. or watch the alto sax players try to play a high note without squeaking. sorry, i guess i'm being kinda mean....but it's true. sadly.... there are soo many alto sax players this year..i'm so glad im doin trumpet in the band.

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            22. by CustomZplayer
              (15 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              I know what you meen. We have 15 alto players, 8 actually know what they r doing. As an inside joke we always tell the director there needs to be marching band try-outs. i think over half of the clarinets(we have 40) just take the class as an easy grade. That is why i love jazz band... everyone is committed. Well gonna go watch a scary movie l8r

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            23. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              where playing lots of gigs in all my bands because our director is always got some crazy gig planned ALWAYS so i think we have 100 jazz band charts 24 for sax quartet 53 for school combo *which im now leading and kicked out my rhythm section* ALOT for out of school group im working on 2 compositions for theory 13 for all county and i have i think like 4 or 5 gigs next week also they have a 1.5 mile in cross country ? i only know of 5k for official competition but my time was 19:12

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            24. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              whoa, bandology? Our seventh grade band is doing that. And our band program kinda stinks. In our league, the 1.5 mile is for sixth graders, 2 mile for 7th and 8th graders, and 5K for highschool. wow, that's cool how you have so many gigs. I've never had one, and probably never will. Our band is doing pretty good, all we're playing is christmas songs. We do a lot of stuff for christmas. talk to you later, -tenor562

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            25. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              yeah i know..kinda sad for a highschool band to be playing bandology. and our school system is known statewide to have an awesome music program. aw, we can't do christmas music. i wish we could, but it isnt fair to the jewish and muslim and what not kids.... do you go a to a christian school or something? i do a lot of music for my church which is really fun cuz i know they wont hate me if i mess up lol cya, Kara

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            26. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              nope, it's normal public school. our teacher lets it be a choice if you do the christmas music, if not, you can sit out. We do jewish songs and everythiing sometimes, but not as much. we have tomorrow off, which is a good thing, I get to practice more. solo and ensemble is on December 4th, and i'm only halfway through my piece. and I have to start my duet that i have to do with the other kid who plays tenor. if any of you have adagio and allegro on rubanks contest and collection book, and you want to send me a recording of it, that would be cool. It's by handel. [email protected] anyone else doing solo and ensemble this year? what are your pieces? i'm still looking for a mouthpiece. IT's either V5, S80, S90 or Soloist. I dont' know what facing, because I use a 2.5 on a 4C mouthpiece, so if i get like an 6*, then I'd have to use like 1s. what mouthpiece does everyone use? talk to you later, -tenor562

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            27. by Deacon Blues
              (12 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              wow! lots of great bands out there! you guys seem to get loads of gigs! Its NOV1 and I haven't had a gig yet :( The only set dates yet are Christams Concert and a charity performance in APRIL! I'm getting impatient! My band is working on 3 pieces since Sept! How many have you guys covered. Things seem slow! And boy would I love to march!!! Imagine my dissapointment when I found my new school doesn't march in ANY parade/festivity! But its considered to have a strong program in performance! We don't have a jazz band though( :( ). The stage band plays a variety of music(we're doing Round Midnight, I Get A Kick, and Mambo Jumbo, now). Then we have a mandatory program for anyone taking stage band called concert band which takes place after school for 1hr and 40mins! This is new to me, is that how your programs are run? interested to know how everybody else is doing.

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            28. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              we have our combos and sax quartets meet after school and during lunch but we have practice for jazz and symphonic/marching during school in class we have this block day thing so we have like 3 classes a day at this time so when u have band back to back to back you spend about 5 hours in school then an hour at lucnh and 1.5 hours after school ...its tiring

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            29. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              hey deacon blues! whats up? lol our band is nowhere near good..and i dunt have any gigs yet either. we had jazz band last night and my conductor is working on teaching me to improv....cuz "most lead alto saxophones do" he sayz sarcastically lol. my band has done 5 pieces and marching band has tons and tons of stand tunes. were also doing a pirates of the caribbean half time show. deacon where's ur new school? that stinks you dont have a marching band! let's see..my school is huge in music...we have concert band, wind ensemble (audition only), 2 jazz bands, jazz combo, sax quartets, a bunch of chorus stuff, music theory (1, 2, AP), music workshop, piano lab, orchestra stuffs.....etc etc etc it's soo hard to choose what to do cuz we only have a certain number of credits. so i went into Berklee College of Music yesterday with my trumpet teacher (who went there) and a friend because they had this woodwind and brass workshop day. it was awesome! they had all these performances and clinics to help with solos, breathing, range, etc. did anyone else go to that? cya, Kara

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            30. by Deacon Blues
              (12 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              boy, where are you guys from? the states? I'm from Canada! ;) I have band(stage band, the only school time course for a sax student) three times a week, and the after school mandatory concert band twice a week. Thats it! No dedicated jazz band, or march band. Whe're not even a show band. We just....play. and yea, we have music theory, chorus stuff and guitar courses, but thats it. I only take stage/concert band cause I play sax! we don't have workshops. my school is the largest in the area, 1700 people.

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            31. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              wow, that stinks! i live in Massachusetts....it's pretty kewl here. i just got dumped by my bf so ive been putting all of my focus into my sax so i dont break down. it really sux though... i love jazz band...you should definately try to start one out on your own. they're lots of fun.

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            32. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              so how long have you been playing sax? let's see...im a freshman and i've been playing for about 2 years. trumpet is my main instrument - i've been playing that for 5 yrs. i also play piano, though... so i auditioned for the HS jazz band last year as an 8th grader going into the HS, and at my audition my conductor asked me to improvise, and i was like "no way..i cant..." and i still got lead! lol, shows just how good all the other saxophone players are. so now i need to learn how to improv. any ideas? cya, Kara

              Reply To Post


            33. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              hey, yea, I'm in with learning to improv, I"m thinking about Aebersolds, but where to start? I'm thinking about trying out for jazz band next year, and if I get lead tenor, going for it, but if not, staying with cross country. i haven't practiced yet, because i've been studying math all day. it's soo stupid. and i'm looking for a new setup. Kara, what do you use?

              Reply To Post


            34. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              yeah, you should definately try out! even if you're sure you won't get in, small school auditions are great practice for state bands and stuff. let's see...i've always been really really nervous for auditions, and in 7th grade i had braces (a trumpet players worst nightmare), and i sucked at trumpet, but i still tryed out for jazz, and even though i didnt make it, i wasnt nervous at all when i tryed out in 8th grade (and i made 2nd trumpet). oh jeez, my setup sux. i have a beginner alpine alto sax, a rovner ligature (which i love), and a Selmer C* mouthpiece. i'm getting a new sax soon (Keilwerth i think), and a jazz faced mouthpiece (Meyer 5 i like). i also have an antigua soprano sax, and, if you care, a yamaha intermediate trumpet. what about you? ttyl, Kara

              Reply To Post


            35. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              hey tenor, you said your favorite song is St. Thomas right? 2 years ago we made a CD with the concert band and the jazz band on it, and St. Thomas was one of the ones we recorded. maybe i could email it to ya or something. you can tell me how bad we stunk, lol. um....for the band, we recorded Kentucky 1800, Silver Eagle, Star Spangled Banner, Portraits of a Clown and for jazz we did Maximum velocity, st. thomas, topaz sky, sum sound wave song....darn i cant remmeber the rest. .....

              Reply To Post


            36. by Deacon Blues
              (12 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              I've played the sax for 3 yrs now. I have played/doubled on the bari, tenor but have settled for the alto. Because our band is actually short on istruments, I'm doubling on 2nd tenor for stage band now. As for improv? Well, funny enough, improv was something that came rather easily for me. Strange because when I was introduced to improv in my old jazz band, I just strarted the sax and was extremely shy and nervous. The JBand had just met for the first time, and I was a newcomer. The teacher ran us through some scales and then just said improvise as he struck up a tune on the piano. Imagine my horror when he pointed first to me. I took a deep breath and blew a couple of random notes on the scale. I surprised everyone by playing a pretty good solo. The rest, as they say is history! I fell in love with improv and solo performance. From then on, I took nearly all the solos for my band. as for how to learn it? Just fiddle with the scales and the notes that sound right. Take the song and play the notes with a new beat, style, and variate. That way you get the feel, and then just fit it to the music. I'm not the greatest, but it works for me. Also, listen to and try transcribe solos you hear to find their pattern. you sound pretty commited!! good luck!

              Reply To Post


            37. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              ive been playin sax for 8 years i live in maryland *near DC* kinda... i dont have a girlfriend right now which is kinda good kinda bad... altho im kinda gettin together with this freshmeat... i love freshmeat haha ive played st thomas so many times and i dont like that song the thing at berklee o that sounds cool i think i mite do summer session there this year or i mite do eastman kara u should do the eastman thing but i dont know how old u have to be

              Reply To Post


            38. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              what's eastman? i really wanna do the summer berklee programs, but i dunno if i'll do the brass one or the saxophone one. hey bari, if your gonna go maybe we could meet up. thatd be cool lol freshmeat... well u prolly wont believe me, but right now im so scared to ever date again. gosh, this guy told me he never cared bout me after a year and a half!! that sux...he was one of my bestfriends..... but anyway, now im more devoted to my saxophone, which is good cya, Kara

              Reply To Post


            39. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              so next year our band is goin to DC. my director really wanted to go to Europe, but we were like "yeah, like thatll happen" oh jeez, were not THAT rich. so we've been raising money for the trip next year. so anywayzz.... still looking for a new sax. I really like the Keilwerth as my 2nd choice after the Selmer Reference...so i'm thinking of going with that. wuddya all think bout yanigasawas?? are there any good music places in Connecticut? i think we're moving there next year, so maybe i could just get one there *sigh* dont wanna move.... so my conductor was trying to get me to improv, so he gave me 8 bars, the 3 notes in the Gmaj chord, and put on this Cd, and told me to go for it. lol it was so pathetic...a solo with only 3 notes.... but hey, it sounded kinda good considering i suck at improvising so is anyone a sax teacher or really good soloist in the MA area? if you are, i need you! ttyl

              Reply To Post


            40. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              yea, I'm pretty sure I'd make it, we don't have very many tenors at our school. We have 8 marching tenors, but not all of them play jazz or concert band. I love St. Thomas, lol. It was my first jazz tenor song i listened to because I found this CD when I started sax for like 4 dollars. It's track one, and it's really awesome. Sonny Rollins is one good player. Yea, it would be cool if you emailed me the song. [email protected] if you want to. You're probably way way better than my band. I think I'm going to California or Florida next year for band. Every two years there's a huge trip. Yes, I'd go for the Keilwerth, the Shadow or the SX90? Or I might go for the Yanis, but more so Keilwerth. The Yanis have all this advanced technology though, you should check their website, it makes them look very "advanced" compared to other brands. I do like Yamahas, though, lol. The unlacquered Z is pretty cool, Phil Woods plays one. But Keilwerths are awesome too. I tried a vintage keilwerth once, it was pretty nice, i just don't like the vintage ergonomics. i have a playing test tomorrow, on scales, wow so hard. You have to know your f scale, your d scale and c scale and your g scale. wow. he put off it by like three days because people didn't understand it. how hard does it get? lol, o well. ttyl

              Reply To Post


            41. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              yeah, im liking the keilwerth better -- i'm not sure which model to buy yet though. yeah, we do trips every other year too ...i'm also going to france cuz our foreign language dpt. lets you go to either france or spain (depending on the language you take) when you're in the 3rd level. So next year i'll be in French III. it kinda sux though cuz my dad is fluent so i already know how to speak french. but anyway..sry that was off topic. lol. yeah, i like St. Thomas but i'm a little sick of it too. i'll try and send the track to you. just keep in mind, we were only 7th graders lol.

              Reply To Post


            42. by CustomZplayer
              (15 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              I highly recommend a Yamaha Custom Z. I got mine today and it blew me away.(or should i say i blew it away) Response was awsome. I just have to get a good setup.

              Reply To Post AIM


            43. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              yea, I'm a big fan of Yamaha's too, I own a 62II. Too bad I couldn't get a Z. 62II is pretty close though. The unlacquered version sounds awesome, that's what Phil Woods uses.

              Reply To Post


            44. by CustomZplayer
              (15 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              One oh my best friends has a Yamaha 62. I was thinking about unlacquered but my mom(who is clueless to saxes) said if she spent that much money she wanted it to show. so i agreed

              Reply To Post AIM


            45. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              hm...not a huge fan of yamaha, but ok. i really only liked the unlaquered Z. my dad wants the money to show too lol, but my mom doznt care. she's really good when it comes to music and stuff cuz she majored in it. omg, itz supposed to snow tomorrow and we have a fb game!!!! soo cold....

              Reply To Post


            46. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              kara sorry about ur boyfriend forget that guy im available ;) haha anyway ur going to DC thats awesome yea i think you can do the eastman thing berklee the one i mite do u have to be 16 with a theory background... cuz it actually college credit but Eastman is the second best conservatory round here... julliard then eastman...(least in my opinion) but heres the site www.rochester.edu/Eastman its the summer jazz studies thing applications are in yet they announce auditions and u make a tape

              Reply To Post


            47. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              yup, DC here i come=) so if ya ever go to one of the berklee summer programs, let me know. we should meet up. you can always email me at [email protected] if you decide ur gonna go. hm...ive never heard of eastman. ill go to the site. yeah, bf problems. it sux. now im scared that all the guys i date wont really care bout me or anything...sorry i dont mean to dump my probs on you ... new topic... lol so this weekend i'm going saxophone shopping -- my mom and i have connections with people who will hopefully give us a decent price on a really good horn... with DC and france and all that stuff my parents are gonna go broke lol. hey , would yall tell me ur names? itd make my life so much easier=) cya, Kara

              Reply To Post


            48. by CustomZplayer
              (15 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              Darren

              Reply To Post AIM


            49. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              Leslie

              Reply To Post


            50. by sax_maniac
              (984 posts)

              19 years ago

              Netspeak

              duznt it tak yu guyz mor efurt to mispell evry wurd thn 2 jus typ it rite? GG

              Reply To Post


            51. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: Netspeak

              Yes, probably. It most likely that most of us are used to typing only "netspeak," and not proper english. We'll try to work on that. I'm still searching for the right mouthpiece. I'm thinking about the S80, the S90, and the Vandoren V5 and something else, maybe a LT. I've heard that Selmer mouthpieces don't work well on Yamahas, anyone with experience on it? I have a 62II.

              Reply To Post


            52. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: Netspeak

              stobie ....or andrew if anyone wants my aim is monkeyman0077 and my email is [email protected]

              Reply To Post


            53. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: Netspeak

              lol...monkeyman.... so last night we had a fb game, and it was like 30 degrees..with like negative wind chills... sooo cold. so i was shaking like a leaf and we hadda do one of those group huddles so i wouldnt DIE lol. and our halftime show sucked cuz no one could play (my whole face was numb).. and our marching gloves do absolutely nothing to keep our hands warm. but anyway..... whatz goin on? i have district auditions coming up - 4 days after my bday.=)

              Reply To Post


            54. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: Netspeak

              happy b day but yea we had our last fb game last night too its was cold... got to freezing i think with wind but im like a polar bear somehow seeing as how i have like no body fat

              Reply To Post


            55. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              lol a polar bear? i got so cold my director offered to let me leave for the bus early if i wanted to. but i didnt. we still have 2 more games to go. it sux when you play the trumpet and your mouthpiece is like a block of ice.... thatz what happened to me. i only play the sax in jazz band - trumpet in concert and marching bands. so my mom's friend is coming over today to help me out with science. my teacher this year is a perv and cant teach at all, so my momz friend is gonna help me out. cya

              Reply To Post


            56. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              that sucks about playing trumpet if it helps i play a metal moutpiece but thats funny my physics teacher is a perv too but hes awesome...

              Reply To Post


            57. by FutureBandTeacher
              (45 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              Your trumpet mouthpiece is like a block of ice? My band director and I were, by some incredible coincidence, discussing that on Thursday. If your trumpet mouthpiece is like a "block of ice" at cold ballgames and parades and other outdoor gigs, buy a plastic or "whackedout space stuff" mouthpiece. {Warning: Your trumpet will sound like a lawnmower immediately after you change, though it will return to its normal tone quality if you play on it a lot.}

              Reply To Post


            58. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              omg lol, my science teacher doesnt teach us at all and then hez like "come on guys, this is an honors class..." arggg!! and itz kinda strange that i can get As in every other honors class, and a C in his class. go figure. but anyway, yeah block of ice mouthpice. and on trumpet, you cant play unless your instrument is warmed up. i was gonna play the sax in marching band, but i only have one sax, and i didnt wanna risk hurting it till i get a new sax. the one i have right now is like the cheapest you can get - beginner alpine. but im so attached to it lol. i love my cheapo sax. the bus ride back from the game was my favorite part tho -- i completely spilled to my friend and told him absolutely everything about this crappy break up and how i felt and how mad/sad i was. and how my heart literally hurt and stuff. and now i feel so much better=).

              Reply To Post


            59. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              sorry..i guess i should be talking about saxophones. feel free to email me tho. ttyl

              Reply To Post


            60. by tenor562
              (297 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              hey, lol, when I was at band camp, it was really really cold, and everybodys instruments started falling apart. They're were a couple of days when I was the only one playing in my section. They ran out of loaner instruments, and they had around fifty repairs to make. It was only around 40 too, but it was in the summer, so it was a big temp change. Still looking for a new mouthpiece, what do you guys use? -tenor562

              Reply To Post


            61. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              yeah, my sax is starting to fall apart too. let's see...about 3 of the "pearl" keys have fallen out and that elmers glue doesnt seem to keep them in lol. for some reason, i absolutely love it though. maybe cuz i've had my sax since the first day i started playing or something... like i really want a new pro horn, but im gonna miss my cheapo one too. my trumpet's great though. great condition, and i've had it for about 5 years so far. um...i have a Selmer C*, and i'm looking for a jazz mouthpiece. everyone has been telling me to get a Meyer 5 or 6. ttyl.

              Reply To Post


            62. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              i dont have ur email :(

              Reply To Post


            63. by FutureBandTeacher
              (45 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              Click on the icon that looks like an overflowing mailbox with the flag up. A window will pop up with an email address in the "To:" field. Either type your e-mail in the new window or copy this and paste it into to "To:" field in your e-mail account.

              Reply To Post


            64. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago


            65. by karebear1012
              (395 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              so i just got back from indoor lacrosse sign ups. i'm soo busy this week. arg. let's see - tomorrow im staying after with my director for help on my districts piece, and i have swim team sign ups, and the next day i have basketball signups. i've got a sax lesson and jazz band tonight. i'm really discouraged on the sax cuz of all the guys seeing me as "the little girl" who plays sax. it really sux!! there are 2 girls (including me) in jazz band - the other is 2nd alto, and she's older than me so she hates me cuz i beat her. the trumpet players hate me cuz i got in on sax and not trumpet... wow everyone hates me lol. and woohoo, i got dumped recently too...... but anywayzz. what are your opinions on a jazz mouthpiece for my alto? i've been using a selmer C* in jazz band... any ideas? thank!

              Reply To Post


            66. by deathsquad
              (1 post)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              get a meyer or somethin like that. though everyone needs to stop worryin about mouthpeices cause noone can tell you whats best just work on tryin to sound like the people who dominate. i just graduated from high school dreyfoos school of the arts if any of yall know it we never get lower than superior in festivals and usually our first and second ensembles whether jazz or concert would take first and second place in whatever competition we went to all round the country. im now a jazz major at fsu the program here is seeming to get better cause just this year they got in some real amazin professors whove played with everyone. point is listen to alot of the music you wanna play, dont worry about equipment so much, if you dont have music to play try transcribing what you hear, if you wanna play jazz try your best to understand chords and chord changes, and to improve your tone do long tones. theres alot to work on for everyone and that shit is never done ive played with ed calle, wycliffe gordon, keith javors, and a lot of other random players i learn fast but theres still aloooot i need to do so to all of you dominate.

              Reply To Post


            67. by barimachine
              (323 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              hey congrats on graduating and going... and doing stuff ... i agree with you that there is not a great set its all personal although i am a gearhead so i always look for the best i can find and trying stuff out FSU hmm.. what profs did you guys get? what are you studying teaching performance jazz? we were your guys pep band ... or we played with you at the maryland football game! i dont know how we got to do that seeing as how our teacher...one of them runs the maryland marching band ...lol

              Reply To Post


            68. by HumphreySax
              (8 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              So today i was bored and i accidentally stumbled across a sax in my parents closet. I wanna know everyones opinion (its my christmas gift) Its an alto Jupiter 896 (i think thats the number) idk its silver and gold two tone it looks sweet but how do they play and how do they hold up??

              Reply To Post


            69. by sax_maniac
              (984 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              I'm pretty sure that's Jupiter's "Artist Series". I've not played one, but I've heard a number of reputable people give them good reviews.

              Reply To Post


            70. by saxgrobie
              (86 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              WOW, I haven't been on in ages! Did you all miss me? I bet you did and you just won't admit it . . . :D Well here I am again to protect Jupiter's reputation. I play a Jupiter alto and I love it. I think it has great rich tone and it's very easy to play. Now I'm probably not reputable . . . Just another high schooler! But at least I have first-hand experience. And it's priced really well. Hope you enjoy! Kelsey

              Reply To Post AIM


            71. by FutureBandTeacher
              (45 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: jazz band.

              It was cold at your band camp? My gosh, you're lucky. We were melting in 90- and 100-degree weather when we had band camp.

              Reply To Post


          2. by connsaxman_jim
            (2336 posts)

            19 years ago

            Re: school band

            Hello high school students!!! I've enjoyed reading your posts. I thought I would share a few ideas with you. I'll start with neck straps. I love the Neotech straps. I play an old Conn 10M tenor which is quite heavy, so this padded strap is much more comfortable. You can buy them for around $20. I use a Rovner neoprene rubber ligature, and they're awesome! They have a single large gold plated tightening screw. They're available in a few different variations; dark (warm, solid, open centered tone), light (airy, broad, open tone. somewhat brighter than dark) MkIII ( similar to dark, but a more robust, heftier tone). I have a MkIII, and a Dark and can't really tell that much difference between the 2. Check out their website. www.rovnerproducts.com I've been using Vandoren reeds for the last 5 years. the hardness varies depending on the mouthpiece I use. I like a softer reed with a more open facing. Normally I play a #5 facing with a 2 1/2 to 3 reed. I've used LaVass in the past, and Rico Royal. I use regular Rico bass clarinet reeds on my old C Melody usually, but they're not the greatest. One of the mouthpieces I like best is a Rico Royal B3. They're a cheap mouthpiece too; under $20 usually. I use the Rovner MKIII lig with it, and it really sounds big and bold on my 10M. I have one for my alto too. Otto Link makes a really nice hard rubber piece for around $80-$90. for those of you who are just getting started, the Selmer C* 80 is a great piece. Well....any questions?

            Reply To Post Yahoo!


            1. by FutureBandTeacher
              (45 posts)

              19 years ago

              Re: school band

              First of all, I can't buy much music stuff. The nearest band store is 2 hours away, and only once about every six months do we go to that city, and we never go to Rush's Music. (The nearest "music" store is only 1/2 an hour away, but the only alto reeds they have are Rico Royals 3.) I play 3.5 reeds from Rico anyway, which I buy through my school. Ligs, mouthpieces, and neck straps have to be pre-ordered and you can only hope you get them before next semester, which means they are virtually non-returnable once you open the package. I have very limited access to little goodies.

              Reply To Post


              1. by connsaxman_jim
                (2336 posts)

                19 years ago

                Re: school band

                Erin, Look at www.wwbw.com. They offer a wide variety of band instruments and accessories. Musician's friend also sells a few horn accessories online www.musiciansfriend.com

                Reply To Post Yahoo!


              2. by definition
                (963 posts)

                19 years ago

                Re: school band

                also look at www.starvingstudentsmusic.com great stuff and its really cheap. The only downside is that the site can be difficult to navigate and find things on, it could be organized better

                Reply To Post Yahoo! AIM


              3. by connsaxman_jim
                (2336 posts)

                19 years ago

                Re: school band

                Erin, Try a softer reed; a #2 or 2 1/2 Vanduren or a Med. Soft LaVos. I think you will like them much better. They are easier to play, and you will have a much easier time controlling your embochure and your pitch.

                Reply To Post Yahoo!


                1. by FutureBandTeacher
                  (45 posts)

                  19 years ago

                  Re: school band

                  My director said to go even harder. Before I read this, I bought two 3.5 Vandorens (to get accustomed to the brand) and two 4 Vandorens (for a new reed strength).

                  Reply To Post


              4. by Tenor_Guru
                (25 posts)

                19 years ago

                Re: school band

                Alas... my high school is without a maching band. But as to reed... Im using codera carbon toptones and bari brand reeds. They are great.

                Reply To Post AIM