Year: 2017

Seems Yamaha has a new instrument out. Looks rather…..interesting?

This is a FANTASTIC VIDEO showing how one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) saxophonists ever evolved as an artist and soloist. A must watch.

Yet another entry into the Electronic Wind Instrument category, the Aodyo Sylphyo. Seems to be completely wireless (that is a plus), and has interesting things like gyroscopes in it so you can do gestures with it, like tweak it to the side, and it can trigger another sound or effect.

Most musicians are using some sort of tablet to store music. And why wouldn’t you? A tablet is small, allows you to store tens of thousands of pieces of music, and you can organize your music for whatever you need. Set lists, practice lists, etc. And you can “write on it” using your finger or a stylist. Heck, I’m STILL using my original iPad as my primary music reading device for gigs and practice.

However, then something like this comes along…

Ebook readers use e-paper displays for two reasons. First is the innate nature of such screens, which are easy on the eyes and batteries. Second is the cheaper costs of such components, which translate to a more affordable retail price. If you thought the latter would be true of the Gvido music sheet “tablet” and its two 13-inch e-ink screens, you’d be shocked to find out the truth. Because when the Gvido launches later this year, it will cost just as much as two 12.9-inch iPad Pros.

Ridiculous. If this product was like $400. Maybe……MAYBE. But $1,600? I could get 4 iPads for that. FOUR. FOUR. Or I could get a 12.9″ iPad Pro (maxed out), with an Apple Pencil, a stand mount and a bluetooth foot controller and still have money left over.

Insane. Though I LOVE my iPad for music. I really hope an iPad Pro with pencil is in my future…..

A lot of saxophone players are using pedals to change their sounds and stuff. I found the video below where they guy is going through equipment setup of Dennis Chambers and Victor Wooten for an upcoming gig of Victor Wooten’s Trio (which is most excellent by the way). Anyhow, they focus for a few seconds on Bob Franceschini’s (the saxophone player in the trio) pedals. From what I see, he is using the following:

• Eventide H9
• Line 6 DL4
• TC Electronic Ditto Looper Pedal
• MXR M82 Bass Envelope Filter
• Morley ABY Switcher
• Xotic EP Booster Pedal
• Dunlop DVP4 volume pedal
• Digitech CR7 HardWire Stereo Chorus

The first part of the video there is a Line 6 M9 (like what Jeff Coffin uses) shown, but it appears not to be set up. I think there is also a Dual DI box under the Booster pedal(?), but there is one pedal, left of the Eventide I’m clueless on. Anyhow, check out the video, and see.

Let’s face it, trumpets and trombones have some great practice items. All kinds of practice mutes, and then you have the pretty cool Yamaha Silent Brass system. But what is there for saxophone?

You can get these “mutes“. But honestly, they aren’t going to do much if anything. Maybe the low Bb will be damped, but if you are practicing palm keys stuff……forget about it. There is the E-Sax practice thing, but that seems to be for Alto sax? No tenor sax? And there seems to be this bag, the Oval Saxophone mute. But it doesn’t seem unavailable to purchase? Not sure how much damping it does.

The most promising muting device is the Saxmute ONE for alto and tenor saxophones. At almost the price of the E-Sax mute, it doesn’t have the bells and whistles the E-Sax mute has like a built in mac, line in, or reverb. Though I’m not sure how good those things are on the E-Sax Mute. The Saxmute ONE seems bigger, and has a TON of padding in it (check out the Facebook page). And one reviewer did mod his Saxmute ONE out with a microphone setup.

So…..I guess there are three choices?……:-/

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet got, what looks like a Selmer sax, for his birthday…..IN SPACE.

At least it wasn’t a soprano sax….

Pedals and Effects has a good article and videos about how saxophonist Adrián Terrazas-González uses pedals and effects. Check it out.