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Sax on the Web and the Saxophone Duscussion Forum

© Chris Mindel

This is not completely the article I intended to write. I was going to write a piece about saxophonists' preferences with curled and straight saxophones. Most people (that is to say, the music listening public) recognize and think that soprano saxes are straight, and all the rest as curled (with the exception of sopranino, which few non-saxophonists know exists). This is far from the truth. Sopranos come in straight, bent neck, and curled. There are also straight altos, tenors, and (I've heard it rumored) a few custom-made straight baritones. I was going to write about which sound players enjoyed more, and what the advantages/disadvantages of each shape were. But where would I find a large group of saxophonists to ask this question of in a convenient (and state-of-the-art) manner?

Where indeed! So, I searched this illustrious Internet, and found a remarkable website. It is called Sax on the Web, founded and beautifully maintained by Harri Rautiainen, and it includes the Saxophone Discussion Forum. A multi-layer message board, the Saxophone Discussion Forum lets masters and neophytes (and anyone else interested, for that matter) post questions and find answers to any form of question regarding any aspect of the saxophone. There are sections dedicated to brand names, music, mouthpieces, certain players, etc.; each section is comprised of many message boards. It seems a question begins a thread that will include opinions, answers, and sometimes dialog between questioner and kind (or, at least, vocal) saxophonists all over the world.

I looked through many of the sections and strings. One person was asking which ligature was preferred. Another asked the same question about mouthpieces; another about reeds. As I expected the answers to these questions differed per player. Many agreed on certain brand names, etc., but the combination of these pieces was very varied. Sometimes arguments were started. One person would make a controversial comment, and the rest of the responses jump all over them. Very interesting to see saxophonists loyalties to companies and brand names put to the test.

Now, back to my question. Which type of saxophone is preferred: straight or curved? Here are the actual words I posted on April 18th:

I am just curious about players' preferences. Do you like playing straight saxes or curled, and why? Are there any benefits or hindrances to either type? This includes straight and curled in all sizes. I'm researching for an article, so please let me know if I can quote you. Thanks for your help. Let the good tunes blow!

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