Re: [Harp-L] Sax and Harmonica

[Greg Heumann <greg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The C Melody sax is not the mother - it was developed later in the game and there is almost no music written for them. This "system" however works across ALL woodwind instruments. I do't know who decided it should be so, but I am sure glad it is. When I see a "G" on the staff, I put the 3 fingers of my left hand down. This is true for any sax, flue, oboe, english horn, clarinet, recorder, bassoon.... That allows players to switch instruments easily. If the instrument is in C, then the note "sounds" a concert C. If it is not, it sounds something different. But because written music is transposed, all I have to know to produce the note the composer wanted, is that  if I see a "G" all I have to do is put those 3 fingers down. With that said, every instrument has some fingerings that aren't the same as other instruments. C's, F's and Bb's in particular - but B, A, G, E, Eb and D are more or less universal.

As a blues or improv player not reading from a score, one only needs to know what key to play in to be in the same key as everyone else. When a tune is called in G, I have to play my tenor sax (Bb instrument) in A. But I have to play my Baritone (an Eb instrument) in E.


/Greg

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> From: Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: March 8, 2012 8:37:41 PM PST
> To: "Robert Hale" <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Seth Galitzer" <sethgali@xxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: harp-L list <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Sax and Harmonica
> 
> 
> ..but when a C melody sax plays the fingering for 'C', it IS C. Seems like the C melody is the 'mother' instrument of the family, in 
> terms of the nomenclature for naming of fingering 'positions' and yet it is the least heard instrument in the sax family .
> RD