RE: Addition to the Sonic Palette

[BARISAXJIM2@xxxxxxx]

I am a tenor sax player who added the harp to my gig bag. I love the alto and 
you are right, it has a wonderful tradition. However, if harp is the only 
instrument you play and you are thinking off taking up a different instrument I 
would suggest tenor sax over the alto, for three reasons. 1. It is pitched in 
Bb which is only one whole step away from the piano player and keyboard player, 
which will make transposition easier in the beginning.  2. The range of a 
tenor sax is very close to the range of the human voice and for a beginning horn 
player you might find it easier to relate to an audience since many of the 
rifts you play on a harp translate well to the tenor sax and vice-versa. 3. A 
tenor sax is easier to control in the beginning than the smaller horns and if you 
then want to add another sax you can add the soprano in Bb which also a 
popular jazz/blues horn. It's just been my experience that the tenor is much more 
forgiving intonation wise than the alto which is why I really prefer the 
Baritone sax, which is the most forgiving of all, and I need all the forgiveness I 
can get.

I know nothing about a pocket trumpet, but I do know that the trumpet 
embouchure is something you really have to work on, not that the sax isn't, it's 
simply that you really have to build up a whole different set of muscles for the 
tiny horn if you are going to play it with any degree of proficiency while 
keeping it in tune. If you're looking for instruments that are easy to carry and 
expressive, I would strongly suggest the flute. It is almost as versatile as 
the sax and as unique as the harp, but there's at least as much difference 
between the trumpet and the pocket trumpet as there is between a flute and a 
piccolo, compared to the surprising similarity in expression that exists between the 
harp and tenor sax.

In my humble opinion
Jimmy