A Scientific Whistle Study

LimuHead · Post by **LimuHead** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 10:07 am

Yup. I played Alto and Bari in high school and college. I was also in the US Army band for four years playing alto.

I have been saxless since the late 80's, but have recently started playing a plastic Xaphoon. I would love to get my hands on a C melody. (Anyone have one for sale? Please email me!)

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 11:36 am

Hey Limuhead, Man that's some great music! I just listened to your Ka Ehu Kai cut "Ahulili". That is awesome. Me and my wife, Ku'u helehelina la ili'i me ka minoaka nui love Hawiian music. Especially that sweet traditional sound with all that harmony.

Did you ever get a chance to meet Israel Kamakawiwo'ole? Bruddah Iz is one of our favorites. Unfortunately we didn't stumble on to Hawiian music until after he passed so we never got to go to a concert.

I hope that everyone on C&F gives Limuhead's MP3s a listen. It's really good stuff.

All the best
-Paul

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 12:33 pm

Oh,I forgot to mention in my earlier post,Good point Bretton! I seem to recall that I could play a lot longer,and with more breathe control on the Sax. than I can on Whistle.I think it may have something to do with back pressure,rather than my advance in years!

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 12:40 pm

kevin m. wrote:I seem to recall that I could play a lot longer,and with more breathe control on the Sax. than I can on Whistle.I think it may have something to do with back pressure,rather than my advance in years!

That's the whistle's weak point, its lack of backpressure. It shares this with the transverse flute. Even among fipple flutes, the rec***er and the flageolet both have more backpressure than a typical whistle.

michael_coleman · Post by **michael_coleman** » Sun Mar 16, 2003 1:05 pm

Yep, sax for 10 years and still playing it although my brother took my alto about a year ago because one of his students didn't have one, hes very good about taking things and not giving them back in a timely fashion, but at least its being put to use. At times, I still have an urge to play some nice blue jazz on my sax late at night.

JohnPalmer · Post by **JohnPalmer** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 12:05 am

A good friend of mine in high school was a sax player, named Brandon Fields. (He played a Selmer Mark 6, and he has a couple of CD's out.) I played the trumpet. Together we would improvise all our songs at the football games. He ended up as the sax player on the Joan Rivers show; I ended up on some whistle board.

Actually, I don't see why anybody in their right mind would want to play such an instrument, clarinet, too.

What's the range of a saxophone? About 30 yards, if you have a good arm.

What's the difference between a lawn mower and a sax? Vibrato.

What's the difference between cutting up onions and cutting up a sax? Nobody cries when you cut up a sax.

Now, what was this poll asking?

JP

eran · Post by **eran** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 3:26 am

Sorry Sax dudes another trumpet here ...

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 3:48 am

Walden wrote:Well, I started on clarinet (clarionette to those in the know), which is ancestor of the Sax.

Ditto, but I voted no.

Isilwen · Post by **Isilwen** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 8:55 am

JohnPalmer wrote:What's the range of a saxophone? About 30 yards, if you have a good arm.

What's the difference between a lawn mower and a sax? Vibrato.

What's the difference between cutting up onions and cutting up a sax? Nobody cries when you cut up a sax.

Here's a better one!

There's this guy who was sailing in a boat on the ocean. He got shipwrecked on a tropical Island, and he kept hearing these tribal/native drums. So he decided to walk around and see if he could find the natives, because it was better than sitting around and waiting for someone to come and fix his boat. After walking for a ways, he met up with some of the natives, and they took him to see their chief; the entire time these primal drums kept beating.

Well, he got to see the chief, and the chief said, "You can stay with us for one night while we fix boat. Then you go." And the man was grateful and thanked the chief. But the drums were getting to him. "Why do you have these drums going all the time?" he asked the chief. The chief sat up very straight and proud and said "Drums must NEVER stop. You go."

So the man was escorted to his little hut for the night, and he tried to get some sleep, but the drums kept going! By the next morning, his boat had been fixed, and he'd resolved to find the reason why the drums 'must never stop.' He got up and went to see the chief. "Chief, I see you have fixed my boat for me, and I thank you and your people." The chief bowed his head. "But, before I go, will you tell me why the drums must never stop?"
"Drums must never stop."
"Yes, but why must they never stop?"
"Ok. I tell you. Drums must never stop. When drums stop, Sax solo begin."

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 9:16 am

kevin m. · Post by **kevin m.** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 1:27 pm

My AWFUL Sax joke goes as follows- Years ago, an American Jazzfan was on holiday in London,and one night he went to the famous Jazz Club which was run by Tenor saxist Ronnie Scott. Well he has an absolute WHALE of a time

,and drinks far to much than is perhaps wise

. Somehow,he finds his way back to his hotel,and crashes out until noon next day. When he finally surfaces,he has vague recollections of the FANTASTIC time he had the previous night,so he decides to go back to the club,and tell the staff what a great jazzclub it is. He gets to the club,and shambles up to the doorman."Man,what a GREAT club this is-We ain't got nothing like it back in the States! You Brits certainly do things in style-man, check out the mens' room with those GOLD PLATED URINALS!" The Doorman shouts out the back "HEY RONNIE, HERE'S THE GUY WHO P*SSED IN YOUR SAX LAST NIGHT!!"

markv · Post by **markv** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 2:48 pm

I played Alto, and a bit of tenor for twelve or so years and still play periodically for variety for dances. Still got my cranky Yamaha but sold the Kielworth a while back, I really miss that one. Started out on a 1930's Martin that I dearly loved until it met with an unfortunate marching band incident. Still got that one too.

Anyone else forced to be in marching band and concert band in order to be in jazz band during school? I hated marching band with a passion and slept through most of concert band but endured it all so I could play that jazz. Cruel system it was.

Why whistle? Great deal more portable than a sax, no reeds, no semi permanent "lip dent", much quieter. I would say cheaper but when you add up the price of all the whistles I have versus the price of saxes...it's leaning towards whistles.

Mark V.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 3:51 pm

markv wrote:
Anyone else forced to be in marching band and concert band in order to be in jazz band during school? I hated marching band with a passion and slept through most of concert band but endured it all so I could play that jazz.
Mark V.

I was in the university marching band for a while. We were not very good. We were really underpracticed for the first game. At halftime, a bunch of us marched to the wrong place on the field and one letter we were supposed to form was screwed up. Some of us got sidelined for remedial marching practice. That was good. The student newspaper had an editorial about both the team and the band beind miserably humiliated. The team was humiliated again and again during the season and I usually slept during the game and had to be wakened up at halftime to go march. I was also in the ROTC band. Once were marching across a football field during practice. The band leader gave a command to turn or right face or whatever. I turned the wrong way and didn't notice that the rest of the band and I weren't together until I was practically at one goal post and the band was at the other. I am not making this up.

Steve

paulsdad · Post by **paulsdad** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 8:30 pm

I started on clarinet, switched to alto, then tenor sax. I played in high school band, then did not play anything for 25 years. I bought my first whistle about a year before buying a used tenor sax. The sax doesn't get played much, and only poorly when it does.

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Mon Mar 17, 2003 8:41 pm

Well, so far it looks like about 1/3 of all responses are yes....that's a pretty high percentage, if you ask me.

I forgot to mention above, H. Couf altos are my babies. Sadly unused and sitting in a closet, but they are really wonderful instruments. I hope one of my kids can use them. It's too bad this make of sax is not better known, they really rank with the best, in my opinion, right up there with Selmer Mark VI.

Robin

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