Today's JAZZ playlist

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THE RESOLUTION OF ROMANCE
Standard Time Vol. 3
Wynton Marsalis
Ellis Marsalis

Columbia
 
BillyBatts said:
More work today with the Xaphoon (the pocket Sax). I'm repeatedly amazed at how easy it is to play and how big the sound is for such a little instrument.

I ordered a synthetic reed from Amazon and it's amazing. The Xaphoon takes a TENOR Sax Reed and I like the 1.5 stiffness. Back when I dabbled in Alto Sax, there were no synthetic reeds. It's nice having a reed that needs no soaking, withstands a lot of abuse, won't split, chip, splinter or tear, and lasts an extremely long time. It's so nice just being able to grab the instrument and immediately PLAY without having to fuss with the reed.

Early synthetic reeds were just plastic, but the new ones are aerospace composite compounds and perform at very high levels without fail. Unlike cane (wood) reeds, they have no bell curve of sweet play. They sound great from the moment you start blowing to the time when they finally need to be replaced. No issues with changes in humidity and/or barometric pressure. To clean them you just rinse them under hot water, and they are good as new. You can't do that with cane. Technology can be a wonderful thing. Yes, they cost 10 times as much as cane reeds, but they last 10 times as long with no hiccups or other issues like break in and bell curve sweetness. Plus you have no "duds". Goofing with cane reeds was the biggest bugaboo I had with playing Sax.
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If you don't mind my asking, what did you have to pay for a synthetic tenor reed? Last time I saw a price for those online, they were over $30 each, as I recall.
 
johnebravo said:
Thanks. Prices have clearly come down on synthetic reeds since I last looked into them. I guess I'm going to have to try some next time I order reeds.
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Let me know what you think. I am really impressed with the Legere Synth Reeds. But with all things musical, YMMV. Although I can't imagine you won't like them. Right out of the package they just perform. Just put one in the ligature and start playing.

After playing the Xaphoon for a few months and getting proficient at it, I now want to get back into Saxophone. I can't do Trumpet. Never could. I'm not a lip buzzer. Reeds I can handle. I played Alto Sax for about 2 years in my 20s. I'm going to get back into it. I've always been proficient at Guitar and Keyboards. The Xaphoon has me really itching to become more proficient on the Sax.

BTW, did you notice (if you followed that link) that the stiffer synth reeds (2.5 and up) are priced even lower at just over $21? If you like a stiffer reed, you can save even more. I play a 2.5 on the Sax. The Xaphoon is easier with a 1.5. And because a softer 1.5 is easier for beginners (usually) to get a good tone, it's priced up a bit over the stiffer reeds.
 
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BillyBatts said:
Let me know what you think. I am really impressed with the Legere Synth Reeds. But with all things musical, YMMV. Although I can't imagine you won't like them. Right out of the package they just perform. Just put one in the ligature and start playing.

After playing the Xaphoon for a few months and getting proficient at it, I now want to get back into Saxophone. I can't do Trumpet. Never could. I'm not a lip buzzer. Reeds I can handle. I played Alto Sax for about 2 years in my 20s. I'm going to get back into it. I've always been proficient at Guitar and Keyboards. The Xaphoon has me really itching to become more proficient on the Sax.

BTW, did you notice (if you followed that link) that the stiffer synth reeds (2.5 and up) are priced even lower at just over $21? If you like a stiffer reed, you can save even more. I play a 2.5 on the Sax. The Xaphoon is easier with a 1.5. And because a softer 1.5 is easier for beginners (usually) to get a good tone, it's priced up a bit over the stiffer reeds.
Click to expand...

I did notice that the prices varied for the different reed strengths, and not just so that it's slightly more for greater strength. I can't say I've seen that before. I've always purchased reeds online from WWBW.com and sometimes very thick reeds are a little more, but that's about it. What makes more difference is which horn it's for; alto reeds are noticeably less than tenor (and baritone reeds are quite pricey). Last time I bought some I just got an assortment of different kinds of Vandoren and Rico reeds. I'll have to throw in a couple of synthetic reeds next time.

I only play sax for my own enjoyment and I don't expect to ever be anything even remotely close to "performance quality"; but, for me anyway, it's better than not playing at all, and there's no doubt in my mind that it enriches my enjoyment when I'm listening by a whole lot! I certainly hear much more, and understand a lot more of what I'm hearing, than I used to.

If you have had your appetite whetted with the xaphoon enough that you think you might want to take up the sax again, you should probably give it a shot. I often read a sax-oriented website that's populated mostly by professionals and teachers with a fair share of students sprinkled in, and I've seen mention of the xaphoon before a few times. Some people appreciate it for what it is, but it still requires quite of bit of practice to play one without intonation problems, even for a skilled player, and if you're going to wind up practicing a lot anyway, you could just as well be practicing a sax. If you've played before and you invest time in practicing regularly, you may surprise yourself with how quickly you'll be able to play a little bit!
 
johnebravo said:
I did notice that the prices varied for the different reed strengths, and not just so that it's slightly more for greater strength. I can't say I've seen that before. I've always purchased reeds online from WWBW.com and sometimes very thick reeds are a little more, but that's about it. What makes more difference is which horn it's for; alto reeds are noticeably less than tenor (and baritone reeds are quite pricey). Last time I bought some I just got an assortment of different kinds of Vandoren and Rico reeds. I'll have to throw in a couple of synthetic reeds next time.

I only play sax for my own enjoyment and I don't expect to ever be anything even remotely close to "performance quality"; but, for me anyway, it's better than not playing at all, and there's no doubt in my mind that it enriches my enjoyment when I'm listening by a whole lot! I certainly hear much more, and understand a lot more of what I'm hearing, than I used to.

If you have had your appetite whetted with the xaphoon enough that you think you might want to take up the sax again, you should probably give it a shot. I often read a sax-oriented website that's populated mostly by professionals and teachers with a fair share of students sprinkled in, and I've seen mention of the xaphoon before a few times. Some people appreciate it for what it is, but it still requires quite of bit of practice to play one without intonation problems, even for a skilled player, and if you're going to wind up practicing a lot anyway, you could just as well be practicing a sax. If you've played before and you invest time in practicing regularly, you may surprise yourself with how quickly you'll be able to play a little bit!
Click to expand...

Yes, I played for just over two years in my 20s and was pretty good. Not solo performance quality but I could have played in an amateur band (3rd or 4th chair). I have a bead on a used Yamaha Sax for a very good price that's recently been completely reconditioned. I may invest in that in the near future.

I find the Xaphoon easier than the Sax because it has very few holes compared to keys on a Sax, and it's very similar in fingering to a Soprano Recorder that I played for years as a kid and never forgot. The mouthpiece on a Xaphoon is quite different than a Sax mouthpiece. On a Xaphoon, the mouthpiece is part of the instrument and not removable. It's also LARGER than a Sax mouthpiece. Your lip position (for a correct embouchure) is far more forward than it is with a Sax and you get more lip control on a Xaphoon as a result of this difference. Vibrato and note tonation is much easier to me on a Xaphoon VS a Sax. As I mentioned earlier, there is a vast difference between a 1.5 and a 2.5 reed (that comes standard with the instrument) on a Xaphoon. I can see why beginners have a hard time forming a good tone with a 2.5 reed. If I were Xaphoon, I'd be shipping them with 1.5 reeds instead of the standard 2.5 reeds.

I've also experimented with Alto reeds on the Xaphoon. They work, you just have to make sure you have them perfectly aligned in the ligature as they barely cover the mouthpiece reed opening. They give it a sweeter tone. But you can't get the Xaphoon to "growl" very well with an Alto reed. However, the lower registers are sweeter (if that's your preference), so it's a trade-off. The Xaphoon will growl quite well on a tune like "Yakity Sax" if you push it with the traditional Tenor reed. It's an amazing little instrument. I'm quite pleased and surprised. Almost to the point of being blown away.
 
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