Saxophone Pads
Saxophone Pads
What is Smooth Jazz
Smooth jazz may have many derivatives but in general it gets its name due to its down tempo. This along with a layering lead that includes a melody-playing instrument, which typically consists of saxophones or guitars, over a backdrop such as programmed rhythms and various pads and/or samples. While this simply sounds like elevator music, smooth jazz also contains formats that have vocals and tracks from the work of artists like Simply Red or Luther Vandross, who are normally considered "soul" or "R&B".
What differentiates smooth jazz from soul is that the music must be mellow and soft. Professionals state that there should be no disturbances on the surface, no undercurrents, nothing challenging or obtrusive in the sound. Smooth jazz stemmed out of a decision to use music to create an instrumental based format that would take the place of music of the 70s and early 80s, which had provided background music for office and business environments.
Smooth jazz was brought to the forefront of the music industry by soprano saxophone players like Grover Washington, Jr., Wayne Shorter and Nathan Davis. Wes Montgomery and Grant Green influenced the industry as well with a mellow flavor of electric guitar. Jazz-fusion ensembles such as Spyro Gyra and Bob James' Fourplay were important in the development of the genre as well.
Most can recognize groups identified as smooth jazz within a few measures as there is a melodic tempo to its sound. Popular smooth jazz artists of today include saxophonists Kenny G, David Sanborn and Art Porter, Jr.; guitarists George Benson, Marc Antoine, and Peter White; and pianists Joe Sample, David Benoit, and Bradley Joseph. As for groups, these include; Fourplay, Pieces of a Dream, Acoustic Alchemy, and The Rippingtons. On the female performers side there is Keiko Matsui, Joyce Cooling, Mindi Abair, Candy Dulfer, Sade, Brenda Russell, Pamela Williams, Regina Belle, and Anita Baker.
Smooth jazz remained successful until 2007 when it began to show signs of waning. Music industry insiders felt smooth jazz was dying out and began pulling out of the genre. However, those in the industry say that smooth jazz concerts and record sales continue to show strong fan support.
Despite the commercial decline in the popularity of smooth jazz, many prominent stations around the United States are still playing it. Why has the popularity of smooth jazz faded? Many say it is due to a handful of factors that include a lack of compelling new music, over-reliance on instrumental cover versions of pop songs similar to the old fashioned 'elevator music' style, lack of revenue and the genre not being viable during the current economic crisis. Many purists of the format also feel that the smooth jazz interpretation has strayed too far from its roots in contemporary jazz and new age music by over-relying on soft urban vocals
Will smooth jazz have a place in the future? It could all depend on how creative the artists become and basically, where people's tastes lie as time goes by.
About the Author
Jeff Bachmeier is owner of 977music.com, an online music and online radio station network providing live streaming Internet Radio channels with music from the 50’s thru Today. Users can also choose to create their own customized on demand playlist through their own social media profile. For more information please visit http:///www.977music.com.
Why is my b flat alto saxophone squeaking??!?
I have chair placements soon and I really need help, no loose pads because when I slur it'sfine. HELP!
I literally JUST changed the reed.
If the reed is good, then it's one of two things, The horn or you.
It could very well be the horn, it's easier to blow through a leak slurring that articulating. And just because the pads are not "loose" does not mean they are seating properly. A good repair tech can drop a leak light down and tell you in about 5 seconds if the horn is leaking.
It could be you. Many younger players use too much muscle motion when articulating. Without seeing you play, I have no way to tell what you are doing that may or may not be causing it, but it is possible.
Try moving the ligature a fingernail's thickness or so closer to the tip of the mouthpiece. Ligature placement can also give you the squeaks.
Ask you instructor. If I could see what you are doing, I'd be able to help more. Unfortunately that's not the case.
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What Kind of Instrument is the Piano?
As many who read my articles may already know about I am what could be called a true opera fan, as not only do I attend performances on a regular basis but have even written a book about the subject called “New York’s Opera Society”. A lot of my knowledge however about the subject started when I was a student at New York’s Hunter College, it was there were I learned many things about music such as the four kinds of instruments, with the first being the human voice. In other words singing which all those who hear me know I have absolutely no talent for but yet it was this which came to be man’s and woman’s first instrument.
It was after the voice was discovered for the purpose of making sounds of harmonies beauty that other instrumented followed suit to imitate it, such as those that contain strings which came in form of guitars, violins but basically any which we stroke the strings with either our fingers or a vow; as the case is with the violin. I mention strings second, when in reality it might have been the kind of instrument known as percussion which followed directly after the human voice.
Percussion being those that can be just about anything and everything from a table which we tap to a beat we hear to a set of drums as the kind that is played in most rock bands. As an added factor we could say that percussion instruments for the most part do not have notes to go along with the instrument as they limit themselves to setting the rhythm and tempo.
The last and fourth kind of instrument man or better put humanity came up with was winds, meaning those instruments that require us to blow in to, such as the saxophone, (an instrument which I once saw Bill Clinton play on a late night show), trumpet, clarinet and others. It is now after having explained so much that I will ask in to which category would one place the piano?
I once put this question to a tenor, I met in Poland who told me that the piano was what could be considered as a percussion instrument, though many a piano player detest the idea of being referred to as a percussionist even if that is what they are. This due to the fact that one does not actually stroke the strings on the piano but tap them through a key which one strikes which makes a pad do like wise to the strings. Actually, one has to corner a piano player specially classical trained ones, to admit to being those who play an instrument of percussion as I did once to a pianist lady friend of mine. This by saying, in the piano; there is no singing, no blowing but strings which are being hit.
About the Author
My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled “New York’s Opera Society” which is now available on Amazon.
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