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Forum » Welcome to Saxophone.org! » 1 Barisaxy Lady by Barisaxy (2 posts) 19 years ago 1 Barisaxy Lady Hello. My name is Nancy J and have been a barisax player since 6th grade which is about 20 years. Wow, I didn't realize it was so long! I majored on Bari Sax at West Chester University in PA and graduated with a BS in Music Ed. I am the bari sax player with the Macungie Commnity Band in Macungie, PA and the Municipal Band of Allentown. I even marched Drum Corps as a contra bass player but we won't go there! I have played since 1990 a Conn Bari Sax with a Low A. Last August I even got a Tattoo of my bari on my left calf. Unfortunately, as of lateI have been playing extremely sharp. It probably is from lack of practice or the fact that I play so many other instruments at school. I use a Selmer C* mouthpiece. I even have to pull out the neck, I am so sharp (terrible I know but otherwise I don't come even near to in tune.) Any suggestions on other mouthpieces or tips would be greatly appreciated. I would love to hear from any other die-hard bari players just to chat on how wonderful the bari is or other bari related issues. Reply To Post [Report Abuse] Report Abuse Web Address * Your Name Your Email Address Comment
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by saxismyaxe (575 posts) 19 years ago Re: 1 Barisaxy Lady Hi Nancy J., Welcome to the forum. Your vast experience in Music and Saxophone studies will be very much appreciated here. There are a lot of neophytes and youngsters posting here who need someone to help them along and answer questions. Although you have a few questions of your own, you will doubtless provide answers to many others. Cheers. Reply To Post by Sax Mom (964 posts) 19 years ago Re: 1 Barisaxy Lady Did you change anything in your setup just before you started playing so sharp (like start using a different mouthpiece)? Or, maybe everyone else is playing flat? :-) I am sorry that I don't know anything about the various mouth pieces but someone else may help with that. However, my Conn Tenor also plays more sharp when I use any mouthpiece other than the one that came with the horn. You could try to find a mouthpiece that has a more open chamber (thereby in effect making the horn longer). I find, however, that pulling the neck out about 1/8 inch and tightening it there works just fine for me! Reply To Post by Barisaxy (2 posts) 19 years ago Re: 1 Barisaxy Lady Thanks for the reply. I have been using the exact same mouthpiece for about 15 years. I do pull the neck out but even with that I have to pull my mouthpiece out almost to the end. I did switch reeds a few years ago and am using Vandoren now. It wasn't a sudden change in intonation, just very gradual. I am told that the C* has a pretty open chamber and is used for mostly classical playing. The mouthpiece it came with was a very cheep plastic, 'straight' style mouthpiece where mine is 'thicker' Thanks for the suggestions, every little bit helps. Reply To Post by connsaxman_jim (2336 posts) 19 years ago Re: 1 Barisaxy Lady Hi Nancy, It sounds like you might have a couple of things working against you here. For one, you haven't been playing in a while, and most likely your embrochure needs some work. Hey, it happens to us all. I took a break for a couple months and when I started playing again, I couldn't believe how sloppy I was. The other factor is that you play a Conn bari sax, and although they are a great sax with a great tone, they do not work well with Selmer C* mouthpieces. You may have had an easier time keeping the horn in tune when your embrochure was in better shape, but the Selmer mouthpiece has a smaller chamber design, and they don't usually work too well with the Conn saxes. You need a mouthpiece with a large, open chamber and a fairly long shank. For a cheap mouthpiece, the Rico Royal Graftonite pieces are pretty good, or a Meyer, Otto Link, or Jody Jazz would be a good choice. Just keep practicing and building up you embrochure again and you'll get there. Jim Reply To Post Yahoo!