Harlem Nocturn on Alto sax

[Kevin]

Not used to the particulars on the new site, and mistakenly did a post on Michaels Topic. Sorry for that Michael. So here is a re-post-

Well, guess I’m the first Alto to make a go at Harlem Nocturn. Got a half dozen practices during this last month so embrochure can just about last thru a song (though I did lose control on some of the final notes). Just about forgot how to do the whole record, convert, upload thing since it had been several months. But got it finally done. I do always seem to make the mistake of having one of my gain setting just high enough that I get a little “clipping” somewhere throughout the recording.
Hoping that I can make the commitment throughout the rest of this year to get back to routine practice, and get started on Johnny’s Altissimo, and Improv lessons.

[Kevin]

Michael, to answer your question on the other post- the Mic I use is a Behringer C-1 model. It is not as good a mic as Johnny recommends in his home recording blogs, but it and my Zoom portable digital recorder give me the results that I currently upload. They are not so good to the discerning ear, but perhaps at least passable, and accomplish my main purpose of routinely recording my rehearsing and listening for those things that I want or hope to correct in my playing. I do want to have a more professional laptop based studio system someday, but will still likely use the current one for my routine practicing (granted that I can get back into a routine of practicing!)

[Michael Bishop]

Hey Kevin–you’re more than welcome to post a video where I put mine last week…..I would rather watch you play than watch myself any day 🙂 Thanks for posting this video; Members doing uploads got a little bit interrupted with Johnny upgrading his site/making changes–he did such a great job with it for sure. I’ve always loved watching everyone upload and learn from what everyone is doing/improving for sure. I’ve always been inspired about your tone and use of Vibrato; it’s a very “warm” tone. This is great to see you playing this song in particular on the Alto Sax; everyone is so big on the Tenor. I was told not too long ago by a local that I “wasted” my $ on a Pro Model Trevor James Alto because, quote, “altos are not as good as Tenor Saxophones” and I just don’t agree with that because it’s all about having fun; and that means different things to us all. Yes, I got a new Pro Model Tenor too and I’ll be uploading with that in a week or so, but my first choice was the Alto. I like to alternate between Saxophones when doing uploads; one time Alto and next time Tenor, etc.. I can’t say which one I like better; they’re both fun to play.

Thanks for the tip on the Mic, I’ll be checking that out soon for sure; the next few uploads I do will be a trial-and-error type of thing until we get to know with our software what works and what doesn’t. Do you or anyone know what Mic Johnny uses in his home recording studio? I’ll be sending you the sheet music/backing track for the duet I talked to you about sometime ago ASAP, watch for it in your inbox. Keep up the great work Kevin!

[john]

Your timing is excellent Kevin, which on this tune can be a little trick especially in those drum-less bars (lots of foot tapping and concentration go a long way there).
Also am loving your vibrato, you’re getting a nice feel for not only when to use it but how much, because we can actually vary that quite a bit as you are demonstrating.
Looks like you got a new recording studio! You can experiment with mic placement because of your room size. Putting the mic right in front of the bell may not capture some of the natural qualities of the room, such as reverb. Something to think about and experiment with.
When I recorded one of my cd’s I did most of the tracking in a pro studio but often I would record some of my sax parts at home. when I took my tracks into the studio the engineer would say what a great sound i was getting from my room. It was just the way I had the mic off the wall and somehow it created a sound that was unique…. so you never know till you try. This will also allow you to blow it out a little more, as when you go for that 2nd octave, a little more air would sweeten that up a bit.

[Anonymous]

Sounds great Kevin! sounds like
you’ve mastered the art of vibrato!

[jake]

Very nice Kevin. As others have stated, excellent use and demonstration of the vibrato!! I need to get working on that. There’s just so much to learn and so little time. LOL. I could so see you playing this song live in a nice dark, smoky setting!!

[Michael Bishop]

I think it’s really cool how each Member has a particular quality/trait that really stands out in their playing; kind of like everyone’s own little personality I guess you could say. Kevin’s use of Vibrato has always inspired me, it’s very expressive. Anyone who has practiced on improving Vibrato and worked on trying to use it in their playing, like Kevin does so well, know how hard that is to do.
KEVIN: Was Vibrato one of those things that seemed to just come to you vs really focusing and working on it? The way you use it, it looks like you just naturally do it. What kinds of exercises can you share with the rest of us to help us improve on our use of Vibrato?

[Anonymous]

@Michael – Johnny’s book ‘how to play the saxophone’ shows you
how to play vibrato! Have a quick ‘pond hop’ in & out of it!

To be fair i haven’t taken the time to master it , like trills, glissandos etc.. i haven’t got round to them yet! If a piece of
sheet music calls for it – i tend to have a go at them!

To be honest someone on youtube put me off using vibrato, they
passed some remark about after a while they couldn’t stop playing
anything without putting vibrato in it. Whether thats true or not
i wouldn’t know

🎷

[Michael Bishop]

JB–I have Johnny’s ebook that you’re talking about and practice it, but Kevin has nailed Vibrato to the tee. There’s always good insights to gain from others members who may be able to say/show us something in the way of tips/insights that can help us out.
You made a great point about being put off about using Vibrato from someone on youtube; the problem is that many folks just don’t do it correctly and it sounds fake/phony. That’s not the case with Kevin though, he uses it very well. If you look at a song like “Moonlight Serenade” by the Glenn Miller Band, you would really need Vibrato to make that song sound “alive” because it’s on the original recording. I think that song in particular Kevin would do a very good job with…..I have the backing track/sheet music if he’s interested in it.

[john]

Vibrato is always an interesting topic…
if you listen to that older stuff like from Glen Miller’s era and earlier you’ll notice they used a faster more exaggerated vibrato. It was just the style back then, if we do that now it sounds kinda hokey and not very cool.

[Author]

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