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From: PaulC135@aol.com
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 19:40:57 EST
Subject: Re: [Contra digest]
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comIn a message dated 11/27/99 11:45:14 PM, contrabass-owner@contrabass.com
writes:<< I've always been interested in instruments and orchestration, and when I
was a kid I saw an illustration in some book or other of an Eb contrabass
sax with a stuffy-looking man playing it. There was and is no doubt in my
mind that I was looking at a real, playable instrument.Now, is that the instrument we're discussing, or is the question about an
even larger BBb subcontrabass instrument?
>>What you were seeing in the book was a real live Eb contrabass, 25 of which
were made by the Evette-Schaeffer company in the early part of this century.
A few more were made by Kohlert and a few other European countries. (None by
American companies). Orsi made them, and now LA Sax, through Orsi, makes
them. About 17 or so remain are still known to exist (minus the latest ones
from Orsi/LA Sax) including the one I own (Evette-Schaeffer). I recorded the
Cowell "Hymn and Fuguing Tune #18" for soprano and contrabass saxes with this
instrument a few years ago on my Vintage Saxophones Revisited CD.
The instrument discussed recently was the alleged sub contrabass
saxophone, a size lower than the contrabass.
Paul Cohen
---------------------------------------------------------From: "J. Daniel Ashton" <jdashton@bellsouth.net>
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 21:14:23 -0500
Subject: Win32 Screen shaking
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comFor any of you with Win32 systems, I've found something to make my
screen more than shake when I practice contra-bass clarinet. Seehttp://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~geiss/geiss.html
Enjoy!
--
J. Daniel Ashton ICQ# 9445142 mailto:jdashton@southern.edu
http://www.southern.edu/~jdashton mailto:jdashton@us.ibm.com
PGP key available send NeXTmail --> mailto:jdashton@bellsouth.net
---------------------------------------------------------From: "Gregg Bailey" <greggbailey@hotmail.com>
Subject: Subcontrabass Sax!
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 01:18:03 CST
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI seem to have missed the beginning of the discussion of the "alleged"
subcontrabass sax. I don't know if Matt Hansen is still on the list, but he
once had a website which had a link to a picture of the subcontrabass sax.
I saw it; it must've been 16' tall, with an 8' leadpipe and an 8' bell--32'
total. However, it evidently was not intended to be played as a real
instrument, because the picture showed about 3 men on platforms holding down
the pads, while another man stood at the mouthpiece and blew air. If I
recall, it was an experiment in some factory in New York, and its current
whereabouts are unknown.
Surely somebody knows more than I about this.? Anyone have Matt's email
address??
-Gregg______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------From: "Gregg Bailey" <greggbailey@hotmail.com>
Subject: Subcontra sax
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 01:33:44 CST
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI did a search on the web for subcontrabass sax and found the picture I
mentioned at:
http://www.contrabass.com/pages/subsax.gif
It's one of Grant's own pages. What's the debate about? The picture is
obviously real.
-Gregg______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 08:05:54 -0400
From: "Robert S. Howe" <arehow@vgernet.net>
Subject: Re: KBass saxes
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI have played 2 Eb contrabass Saxophones, an octave below the Eb
baritone. Both are very fine instruments, one is an Evette-Schaeffer of
Paul Cohen's, and the other an Orsi at International WW and Brass in
NYC. What struck me about both, besides the low pitch, was the ease and
facility of playing. The enormous keys were so perfectly balanced that
the mechanism was easier to move than on most altos.Wish I had one, but as they sell new in the $30,000 range I will have to pass.
Robert Howe
---------------------------------------------------------From: lawrencejohns@webtv.net (lawrence johns)
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 08:52:24 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Subcontra sax
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comNow has anyone ever heard the sound of a subcontrabass sax-sound clip
please?
Larriman
P.S. In the book "Celebrating the Saxophone" there was no mentioning of
the subcontrabass sax-just the contrabass sax in Eb.-Lawrence "Larry" E. Johns-
---------------------------------------------------------
From: "Chip Owen" <cowen@whitleynet.org>
Subject: Re: [Contra digest]
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 10:56:35 -0500
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comAdam,
A plastic contrabassoon would be considerably more expensive than a wood
contrabassoon. Plastic as a material is considerably more expensive than
maple--on the order of ten times more expensive! Plastic goods are produced
cheaply by investing a lot of money into tooling that allows an expensive
material to be used to eliminate a lot of far more expensive labor. The
economics of this require a lot of units to be produced through the tooling.
The total annual worldwide production of contrabassoons wouldn't be enough
to justify this.In addition to the economics, the actual making of the contra would present
some new problems. Plastic is not as easy to work as wood and new methods
and tooling would be required just to cut the bore and tone holes. Plastic
is not as stiff as wood and the instrument would require additional bracing
or other design changes just to keep the keywork functioning. The thermal
expansion factor would also cause problems with the long hinges of the
keywork. The thermal problem might also cause tuning problems because of
the temperature variations within the length of the instrument.The body of a contrabassoon is not really that difficult or expensive to
make. The body is just one part of the whole and it is the whole instrument
that you must perform on. It is the desire and care required to make a fine
instrument that produces a complete instrument that is truly worth its
price. If you avoid those factors you can easily make a cheaper instrument
that isn't worth its price.Chip Owen
Columbia City, IN
cowen@whitleynet.org
----- Original Message ----- >
> Date: Sun, 21 Nov 1999 20:27:15 -0800 (PST)
> From: Adam Kent-Isaac <lokibassoon@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Austin Powers
> Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com
>
> Also do any of you know what the lowest-priced
> contrabassoons are? What are the different brands,
> models, etc? Does a contra have to be expensive to be
> good? Does any brand make cheaper resin or plastic
> contras ar are they all wood?
>
> -Adam
---------------------------------------------------------
From: "Aaron Rabushka" <arabushk@cowtown.net>
Subject: Concerts in Bucharest
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 10:12:22 -0600
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI will be leaving this list for a couple of weeks to attend the Living Music
Foundation concerts that I've been co-producing in Bucharest. If any of you
happens to be there on December 6 and/or 7 by all means stop by the Sala
Enescu at 6 p.m.Aaron J. Rabushka
arabushk@cowtown.net
http://www.cowtown.net/users/arabushk/
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 23:32:41 -0500
Subject: Re: Subcontra sax
From: michael c grogg <mgrogg@juno.com>
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comOn Sun, 28 Nov 1999 01:33:44 CST "Gregg Bailey" <greggbailey@hotmail.com>
writes:> I did a search on the web for subcontrabass sax and found the
>picture I mentioned at: http://www.contrabass.com/pages/subsax.gif
> It's one of Grant's own pages. What's the debate about? The
>picture is
>obviously real.
> -Gregg
Doing the photometrics, it appears the length is more like 24-26 feet,
which would put it in the door at EEb, rather than a 36' BBBb, certainly
too big for 18' BBb.. I guess we could call it an OctoContraBass.The picture points out just how impractical the design is also. With an
instrument that length, you really need to wrap it up tighter, more like
a paperclip contra Klarinet or a tuba. The lack of keywork would seem to
indicate it was either a work in progress, or someones advertising stunt.
Anyone know if that music compamy still exists in New York?
Michael
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---------------------------------------------------------From: Heliconman@aol.com
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 13:01:02 EST
Subject: Re: Subcontra sax
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comIn a message dated 11/28/1999 11:32:09 AM Eastern Standard Time,
mgrogg@juno.com writes:<< On Sun, 28 Nov 1999 01:33:44 CST "Gregg Bailey" <greggbailey@hotmail.com>
writes:
> I did a search on the web for subcontrabass sax and found the
>picture I mentioned at: http://www.contrabass.com/pages/subsax.gif
> It's one of Grant's own pages. What's the debate about? The
>picture is
>obviously real.
> -Gregg
Doing the photometrics, it appears the length is more like 24-26 feet,
which would put it in the door at EEb, rather than a 36' BBBb, certainly
too big for 18' BBb.. I guess we could call it an OctoContraBass.
The picture points out just how impractical the design is also. With an
instrument that length, you really need to wrap it up tighter, more like
a paperclip contra Klarinet or a tuba. The lack of keywork would seem to
indicate it was either a work in progress, or someones advertising stunt.
Anyone know if that music compamy still exists in New York?
Michael
>>In the picture, there is a sign that says "Manny's". Is this perhaps Manny's
Music that still does a very large mail order business (as well as retail)?
They may have a lead to the location of the subcontrasax.
Heliconman@aol.com
---------------------------------------------------------
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