Re: Contrabass sax quartet!!
Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 7:16 am
I've got some experience in the world of low woodwinds. Baritone and bass saxes are my main instruments.
If you look at the normal low range they're pretty similar like this:
Eb baritone sax - F tuba with 3 valves
BBb bass sax - Eb tuba with 3 valves
EEb contrabass sax - C or Bb tuba with 4 valves
BBBb sub-contrabass sax - pedal tones on C or Bb tuba
My main tuba is a big Cerveny Kaiser BBb and it requires about the same amount of air as my BBb bass sax. I've tried an EEb contrabass sax in the narrow "Tubax" bore, that one was quite easy to play with slightly less air than my BBb bass sax. I've yet to play a full size EEb contrabass sax but my guess is that it takes LOTS of air to get the low register playing fair. I've only heard a couple of examples of good EEb contrabass sax playing. Often the tone is very weak and unstable in the low register and the attack almost sounds like gun shots. All that is because of lack of air.
If you look at the normal low range they're pretty similar like this:
Eb baritone sax - F tuba with 3 valves
BBb bass sax - Eb tuba with 3 valves
EEb contrabass sax - C or Bb tuba with 4 valves
BBBb sub-contrabass sax - pedal tones on C or Bb tuba
My main tuba is a big Cerveny Kaiser BBb and it requires about the same amount of air as my BBb bass sax. I've tried an EEb contrabass sax in the narrow "Tubax" bore, that one was quite easy to play with slightly less air than my BBb bass sax. I've yet to play a full size EEb contrabass sax but my guess is that it takes LOTS of air to get the low register playing fair. I've only heard a couple of examples of good EEb contrabass sax playing. Often the tone is very weak and unstable in the low register and the attack almost sounds like gun shots. All that is because of lack of air.