Ben Webster's sound

Lewis Pelham

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Feb 22, 2002, 12:36:21 PM2/22/02

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Citizens, you have probably asked this many times, & I apologise if I am
going over old ground, but just how did Ben Webster generate that glorious
sound? Does anyone out there know what equipment he played; ie. horn, mpc,
reed. I strongly suspect that he could get that sound with anything however.
Just HOW can I get that sound? Lewis Pelham.

Ken Durling

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Feb 22, 2002, 1:21:00 PM2/22/02

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Lewis,

I don't know the specifics of Ben's setup, but I can relate a story
told me years ago by my teacher, Hal Stein. Hal is a wonderful,
old-school tenor player, and has been a working musician all his life,
so he does not lack for chops or insight. He was playing on the same
date as Webster once, and struck up a conversation with him and
obtained permission to try his horn/setup. Hal reported to me that he
could not get a *sound* out of Ben's setup, so open was the lay and
stiff the reed! So that, at least in part, is how he got that unique
sound. Makes sense to me now, whenever I listen to Ben.

Ken Durling
IPMS/USS Hornet, Pres.
RC9
PPSEL
Just Plane Crazy

Geoff Smith

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Feb 23, 2002, 10:58:27 AM2/23/02

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> Just HOW can I get that sound? Lewis Pelham.

Metal Otto Link, Rico 3 1/2 Reeds

(from http://www.saxlessons.com/playerssetups.htm)

MrWitworth

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Feb 23, 2002, 4:52:23 PM2/23/02

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If it were that easy, everyone would be able to mimick the sound of their
favorite artist by simply duplicating their equipment choice. Truth is, it
doesn't work that way.

RC

michel mackiewicz

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Feb 23, 2002, 7:11:29 PM2/23/02

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I use three differents ebonite mouthpieces : Selmer, Meyer, Otto Link. I can
tel you that with the same reed and the same player (me) they sound very
different. So the equipment DO modify your sound a lot.

Of course using the same equipment than Ben Webster will not make you sound
like Ben Webster, but it will help you a lot. If you use a Selmer mouthpiece
with a vandoren Java 2 reed you will never never sound like Ben Webster.

The way you control the embouchure and the air flow is also very important.
With the same equipment the sound you have now will be different than the
sound you will have next year. The more you are a beginner the more your sound
can change the next year with the same equipment.

Not only the mechanical parts of the equipment (mouthpiece, reed, sax ..) are
involved in the sound, also the shape of your jaws, mouth, teeth, lungs. So
one can tell that nobody will sound exactly like Ben Webster himself.

An other problem is that the equipment used by the great sax players is seldom
standard. Often the baffles, chambers of the standard mouthpiece are
customized.

A Ingram

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Feb 23, 2002, 10:15:28 PM2/23/02

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Ben Webster's sound is a technique frequently called "subtone." It is
achieved by dropping your lower jaw, to the floor, =) and playing on the
very tip of the reed. Not as easy as it sounds, it requires a good amount of
support and a strong set of chops.
--
Alastair Ingram
www.saxlessons.com

"Lewis Pelham" <lewis...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
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Lewis Pelham

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Feb 25, 2002, 12:07:37 PM2/25/02

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Citizens, more than grateful for all your excellent & much appreciated
replies; Lewis Pelham

"Lewis Pelham" <lewis...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
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MrWitworth

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Feb 25, 2002, 11:04:53 PM2/25/02

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I think we're saying the same thing.