L3F1 MUSIC

Alto Sax

Wes Montgomery - Jazz Guitar Music Legend - Part 3

From the beginning, Wes Montgomery seemed to hear things differently on the guitar! Instead of pursuing the traditional "plectrum" or "pickstyle" approach, he opted for a thicker, warmer tone produced by picking the strings with the meat of his right hand thumb. He created a uniquely personal sound in his single note playing with this unorthodox, seemingly impossible physical playing approach. His tone and technique confounded and charmed the guitarists and audiences of his day. One glance at any video performance of Wes Montgomery is more than telling and continues to astonish guitarists today.

Wes Montgomery rested his plucking hand with the fingers spread on the face of the guitar and the pickguard edge just behind the neck pickup. The thumb picked the strings with a relaxed stroke originating from the second joint. The thumb tip was cocked at the first joint at a backward angle, which has led many to believe that he was double jointed. Wes used downstrokes predominantly but could play long intricate lines with alternating down-up strokes when desired.

Wes Montgomery's melodic conception has been described as "horn like" - little wonder as he drew great inspiration from musicians like Charlie Parker who played alto sax, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins who played Tenor Sax and Miles Davis who played trumpet in addition to conventional guitar influences such as Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt. The fingering of his single note phrases from simple melodious statements to earthy blues lines and blazing bebop passages has always been a source of consternation among jazz guitar purists!

Like many blues and rock guitarists, Wes rarely used his "pinky" or fourth finger of his left hand for single note phrases, irrespective of their complexity or physical demands. Furthermore, his technique was extremely linear. He frequently connected several positions laterally up and down the guitar fretboard in one phrase and often shifted on a single string. As a result, he seemed to avoid the normal position confines of guitaristic "box playing". Instead, most of his lines overlapped and dovetailed each other in the manner of chord inversions arranged horizontally on the guitar fingerboard.

Wes Montgomery was a true guitar innovator and a jazz pioneer! In his quest for sonic expansion, he developed a signature parallel octave approach, which is arguably his most identifiable musical trait - particularly to the general public. An octave in this case is an interval 8 steps apart, fingered as a dyad and articulated like a two note chord. His technical facility with octaves on the guitar remains unsurpassed to this day, as even a superficial listen to almost any of his recordings will reveal.

The articulation for octaves was a variation of Montgomery's above mentioned "thumb attack". When playing octaves he did not rest his fingers on the face of his guitar, but lightly touched the pick guard and the body. The stroke was a mixture of thumb and wrist motion, much like a downstroke for strumming chords. Wes was famous for his improvised octave solos in tunes like "West Coast Blues", "Four On Six", "Besame Mucho" and "Fried Pies".

About the Author

Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron helps people succeed at becoming better guitar players. His company ChordMelody.com features an enormous, unique selection of
jazz guitar tab
as well as guitar books and instructional DVDs by
Wes Montgomery
himself.

What is the best kind of case for an Alto Sax?

I own a Yamaha Alto Sax and have a brown, rectangular case. It is on the verge of breaking, so I am in need of a new one.
What is the best style?
Another hard rectangular one?
A hard sax-shaped one?
Or a softer sax shaped one?

I find the hard sax-shaped one awkward to carry, but I was just wondering what is the strongest and most durable case?

I LOVE ALTO SAXES!! 'nuff said =D
I've played Alto since the 5th grade, and I'm now a college freshman. I marched my alto for a year in high school marching band (the other 3 years were flute). but my case took a crap ton of abuse during marching season. I need to get a new one. This case was the one that came with my sax when I first got it over 7 years ago.
Go to Woodwind Brasswind's website. it's http://www.wwbw.com
Do NOT settle for a $20 case. The good ones can range up to $200. Yes... and even $400. If you find the sax shaped one awkward, find one that is rectangular but durable. wwbw.com has cases that are the same as any in the music stores, but lots cheaper! I got my new mouthpiece for $20 less on the site than at my local store. I know there is a warehouse in South Bend, IN I don't know of any others.

The one I'm thinking of getting is a back-packable one (because I'm in college and I need to carry it around from practice to the dorms). It should have a hard outer shell. But there are ones now that have cloth coverings over the hard cover, I know kids in my band class that complain because the cloth rips and then they need a new case.

Alto Sax
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Baritone Sax - Making Waves in Jazz and Ska

The baritone sax or bari sax, as it is most often called, is the lowest pitched saxophone that is most commonly seen in modern ensembles. In terms of design, it is set apart from all its other smaller counterparts by the extra loop, which is situated near its mouthpiece that helps to keep the instrument at a height that is practical.

Despite the fact that some musicians believe it to be too heavy, big, and cumbersome to use, because of its great tone on lower register notes, its use has gained prominence in popular music genres such as jazz and ska. The following paragraphs will feature some of the best bari sax musicians from the two genres, whom you should hear to truly appreciate.

Gerry Mulligan. Gerry Mulligan is first and foremost known as a master of the baritone sax due to his ability to play the heavy instrument in a light and airy tone in the style of cool jazz. He performed with numerous bands and collaborated with many artists, namely Miles Davis, Kai Winding, and Chubby Jackson. Aside from this, however, he also gained fame and accolades through the ingenious solo improvisations that he played.

John Surman. The expansion of the international horizons of jazz were fueled in part by this expert of the bari sax, John Surman. Beginning his career at an early age, Surman's performances span numerous decades and countries, working with musical greats from all across Europe and the United States. What makes him unique and a very special baritone saxophonist is his ability to fuse acoustic tunes, electronic music, orchestral textures, and intense sax improvisation to create a smoothly blended rhythm.

Lee Jay Thompson. Lee Jay Thompson is a name synonymous to the ska revival in Britain. He is also well known for playing the baritone sax in numerous records of his band, Madness.

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Despite being a musical group from Asia, the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra or TSPO has been very influential on the international music scene as a whole through their unique sound that blends traditional ska, jazz, and rock. The baritone sax plays a very significant role in the creation of their distinct sound and when discussing how the instrument has shaped ska music, this group of artists is definitely worthy of mention.

The bari sax may not be as common as its alto or tenor counterpart and it may be challenging to play because of its size and weight. But it has made waves in the music genres of ska and jazz. Its haunting, low pitch affords the music it makes a rich overall tone. Something that should not be taken lightly by aspiring saxophonists making the choice of which sax to play.

 

About the Author

You may want to learn more about the saxophone through a sax video or get some tips on its handling, learn more about its history, or even improve your own playing. Visit http://saxvideo.org for all this useful information.

 

Raffy Chan is a writer and internet enthusiast, based in California. He enjoys doing research, writing, and website/s creation. He is the originator of the QuidErgo Group: a community of professionals, authors, artists and computer enthusiasts who come together with the common aim of communicating with the online world.

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Alto Sax