Proper way to pick up a bari sax
Scott Bassett
son plays alto and is now doubling on bari. Recently his bari, an
inexpensive Taiwan-made instrument which (according to him) played very well
when new, has developed a key alignment problem. It is under warranty, so
it has been taken in for repair. However, the store music store manager
mentioned as an aside that my son might have contributed to the problem by
picking the bari up out of its case incorrectly and slightly bending the
rods (I don't even know if that is what they are properly called) that
connect the keys. He said a sax (at least something as heavy as a bari)
should be lifted from the bell and then held that way until the strap is
attached. Does this make sense?
--
Scott Bassett
Bass Player
Bare Assets Jazz Quartet
ba...@lawyersplayjazz.com
www.lawyersplayjazz.com
Geoff Roach
the horn - not soldered or welded. Picking a bari up by the bell puts the
weight of the whole horn on a piece that is barely there. I grab mine by the
straight part of the body and don't put any pressure on the keys. Seems to
work - I never have the keys out of alignment.
Geoff
"Scott Bassett" <sc...@scottbassett.com> wrote in message
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Stephen Howard
<ge...@cosmoSPAMbrands.com> wrote:
>I think the music store owner is nuts. The bell on most baris is barely on
>the horn - not soldered or welded. Picking a bari up by the bell puts the
>weight of the whole horn on a piece that is barely there. I grab mine by the
>straight part of the body and don't put any pressure on the keys. Seems to
>work - I never have the keys out of alignment.
>
It's a bit of both really - most modern baris have good bracing on the
bell, so the body can stand the weight.
It's still wise to use two hands to pick the thing up - using either
the top bow and bell, or wrapping a hand round the back of the body
near the mid section.
In other words, spread the load.
It's good practice to avoid the keywork - either by pulling on it
directly or compressing it with a grip.
Regards,
--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk
Robert
coiled loop just past the removable neck, sometimes from the side and
sometimes from the bottom near the water key. When needing to position
it carefully, I put a finger underneath the thumb hook to guide it, with
most of the weight on the neck from my other hand. I've done this for
about 40 years, and no problem so far.
A few years back I lifted a friend's bari this way and she nearly had a
heart attack! She didn't want me around her bari after that. So, has
any person seen a bari with the loop separated from lifting it?
Stephen Howard
wrote:
>This is a question that I wonder about. I lift my bari by grabbing the
>coiled loop just past the removable neck, sometimes from the side and
>sometimes from the bottom near the water key. When needing to position
>it carefully, I put a finger underneath the thumb hook to guide it, with
>most of the weight on the neck from my other hand. I've done this for
>about 40 years, and no problem so far.
>
>A few years back I lifted a friend's bari this way and she nearly had a
>heart attack! She didn't want me around her bari after that. So, has
>any person seen a bari with the loop separated from lifting it?
>
Yeah, I have...but it's pretty rare.
Usually only happens to the old soldered on ones - newer baris are far
more comprehensively braced, the actual tubing would most likely
buckle before the joints gave way.
In any event, if the joint comes loose it was going to come loose
anyway - and that would be due to poor or crystallized solder as
opposed to stress related causes.
The key point is, pick it up with support in two places and you won't
go far wrong.
And anyway..think about this - the horn is held in use by the sling
ring...and the contact surface area of the ring plate is nowhere near
as large as either the bell brace plates or the upper bow joints.
Point that out to your friend, and see the look on her face!
Neal
wrote:
> And anyway..think about this - the horn is held in use by the sling
> ring...and the contact surface area of the ring plate is nowhere near
> as large as either the bell brace plates or the upper bow joints.
>
Then again, I'd rather have to have the ring reconnected than tubing. And
if the ring comes off, I can still finish the gig.
Donn Cave
If that ring comes off, you won't believe how fast that thing falls
to the floor! Might be playable after that, but I bet more expensive
to fix than the loose joint. It doesn't happen often, if ever, which
of course was the point. But once some years back the sling came loose
on my bass sax, and it just dropped. You think `no way man, I'd grab
it!', but you don't normally have that kind of grip on it.
Anyway, as for baris, I wonder if it kind of depends on the horn.
I have kind of a distorted perspective on it, since the bari seems
like such a little sax compared to the bass I've been playing all
these years, but my '50s King Zephyr sure feels solid to me. It
better be, seeing how the case only supports it at the ends.
Donn
Neal
> If that ring comes off, you won't believe how fast that thing falls
> to the floor! Might be playable after that, but I bet more expensive
> to fix than the loose joint. It doesn't happen often, if ever, which
> of course was the point. But once some years back the sling came loose
> on my bass sax, and it just dropped. You think `no way man, I'd grab
> it!', but you don't normally have that kind of grip on it.
I had a strap hook fail, was no problem, I held the damn thing up with my
right thumb, got to a long rest, and finished the tune with the bottom bow
on the floor!
Mine's a little lighter than other baris though.
SJT
on the bell. But my horn has strong bracing on both the pigtail and
bell, so it transfers the weight evenly to the middle. I prefer this
because there's enough "free space" to get a good grip. Definitely do
not grasp the keywork or rails. Been doing this for years and it's
still in perfect shape. But I also always use a instrument stand on
every rehearsal and gig - that seems to be the #1 factor in wear 'n
tear on baris, in my experience.
If you had an older horn without as much bracing it's a bit trickier,
as you would want to grab the both the bell and main tube at the same
time.
I don't think that gently picking up a horn by the tail/bell would
hurt it. Roughly handling does it, and that's probably the cause.
Your son might be walking around just by just holding the bell (each
step would stress the twists), or leaning on the body when it on his
lap, knocking it into something, etc.
BIG DADDY
answer this question without any thought! Well, I actually had to go over
to my Bari and pick the darn thing up...go figure.
I play R & B ( always standing) and big band (always sitting) and I have
never been comfortable playing my horn off of a stand.
In both cases I pick the horn right in the middle....
right hand thumb just under the neck hook and then I wrap my hand over top
of the posts and grab the horn firmly..... I know that alot of you don't
like picking your horn up near the key work:however, right at that jucnture
of the horn, there are two posts on my Bari ( a 60's Mark VI) and it suits
me well. On occassion I have grabed it by the neck loop, but I do not feel
comfortable doing that.
Playing R & B I switch back between tenor and Bari so you have to be fast,
as well in big band I play flute & bass clarinet with not too many bars in
between for reaching over to grab it by the bell.
I will say this, I keep all of my horns in Walter Johnson cases & my Bari
( which ( have owned since new) has never been totally over hauled.
The stack is straight & it plays like a dream.
Maybe this is a thread for some of you repairs guys to examine & comment
on....
I also pick up my tenor the same way...a Silver Sonic Super 20 and again no
problems...1 - 2 over hauls on it and the stack is straight..
One more thing I have noticed...player that pick their horns up by the bell
always seem to have the laquer worn off at the bell, I do not experience
this problem..
BD
http://www.bigdaddyenterprises.com
"Scott Bassett" <sc...@scottbassett.com> wrote in message
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Stephen Howard
wrote:
>As a Bari player most of my life, you would think that I would be able to
>answer this question without any thought! Well, I actually had to go over
>to my Bari and pick the darn thing up...go figure.
It's a bit like that trick question you can ask someone who wears a
beard...do you sleep with you beard under or over the sheet? ;)
Keeps 'em awake all night!
Mark Bushaw
described. The support post is in just the right spot and the whole horn
balances nicely. Yamaha baris are not quite as easy as the long-rod support
post is not at the center of gravity; I pick up Yamahas by the bell until I
get a strap on it. The way the Yamaha rods flex just scared the heck out of
me the first time I tried picking one up like a MkVI!
Mark Bushaw
"BIG DADDY" <j.c...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
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MojoBari
hooked on it. Sitting I typically grab the bell with my left hand and
the RH thumb hook with my right hand, set it on my lap and attach the
strap. Sometimes I lean into it (bari on stand) and hook the strap on
it first. I also grab it by the loop to move it with the stand across
the floor. The only way I do not grab it is in the middle across the
rods.
John Ricketts
good gig!
"Scott Bassett" <sc...@scottbassett.com> wrote in message
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Neal
<Jo...@UNSPAMsynectixltd.com> wrote:
> Talk to them nicely, compliment them on their solo then ask them out
> after a
> good gig!
>
>
Proper way to pick up a bari sax player:
"I've got food and beer in my car, want some?"