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The Gig-at-Hand

Written for Saxophone Journal

November/December 2008

by

Dr. Dave Camwell

Saxophonists often spend years developing their personal sound in several genres.

In addition to developing technical elements such as tone, vibrato and tongue and throatposition, many of us are constantly trying new mouthpiece and reed combinations until

we find our perfect setup. This spirit of experimentation also exists in the actual horns

themselves, with many of my colleagues quixotically chasing the next great saxophone.

In my experience, this is a very valuable aspect of the saxophonists psyche,showing that as a whole we are interested in constantly trying new things to improve our

performance. I had tried various horns, reeds, and mouthpieces for years until I finally

settled on my current setup. The ultimate setup is one that enables us to perform in any

setting within a genre. Though many manufacturers claim this ability for theirmouthpieces, the reality is that you may have to try ten Vandoren Optimums, Selmer

C*s, etc. before finding one that really works for you.This process of continually searching often keeps saxophonists aware of other

mouthpieces that are slightly better in certain characteristics. Perhaps it is just a case of

the greener grass on the other side, but saxophonists are usually very particular about

seemingly tiny changes in timbre and response. For me, the most useful part of thisexperimentation is the realization that certain reed and mouthpiece combinations, while

not ideal for our everyday playing, can be very useful for the rare performances that may

call for something different.I recently performed two works for soprano saxophone at the beginning of my

faculty recital in Iowa. The first wasEssenz for soprano saxophone and CD by Marc

Apfelstadt, and the second was PaganinisMoto Perpetuo for piano, oboe, clarinet (I

played this part, slightly modified for range in places on soprano saxophone) and flute,arranged by Whitney Tustin. The beginning of the first rehearsal of the Paganini was very

stressful, as my Vandoren S15 (which had worked very well forEssenz) was clearly not

appropriate. The balance between the three instruments made me feel like the proverbial

bull in a china shop. I tried to play as quietly as possible, but the result was a poorlyresponsive instrument and a tone that sounded more like Dexter Gordon playing a ballad

than a clean member of a chamber group with traditional classical instruments.

My solution for the Paganini was a Caravan soprano mouthpiece that had a largechamber and a very small tip opening. These mouthpieces are based on the old Rascher

models and have a very pretty (though somewhat confined and small) sound. While this

would not work in a saxophone quartet or other standard works such as FitkinsHard

Fairy or the Villa-Lobos Fantasia, the Caravan was the perfect solution for this chamber

work that featured linear musical lines handed off rapidly between oboe, flute and

myself.

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Another recent experiment occurred in a symphonic setting. I performed

BernsteinsOn the Town with the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra and needed to

make a setup choice for the jazzy style called for in the third movement. My choices

included my Beechler M6S (my regular jazz mouthpiece), a Meyer 6, a Selmer C*, or my

Vandoren Optimum AL3 (my regular classical mouthpiece). After experimenting with

each mouthpiece, I chose my AL3 as I felt it provided a good core classical sound, whileallowing me the flexibility to bend and manipulate notes as I wanted. While developing

our personal sound on a favorite mouthpiece is very important for the majority of our

playing, saxophonists need to also be aware of other types of mouthpiece and reedcombinations that may work even better for a variety of situations.

Jazz saxophonists are notorious for their regularly evolving setups. A somewhat

unrealistic ideal is to find a mouthpiece that will allow you to play in any style. Finding

one mouthpiece that can be used successfully at cocktail parties, rhythm and blues,fusion, pop, and straight ahead bop gigs is almost impossible. Knowing what setup will

suit the room seems as obvious as not playing all your hippest Coltrane licks at a wedding

gigthat certainly could be one unforgettable version ofNat King Coles

Unforgettable...This leads to an often touchy issue with musicians ego. While we all like to

think we are the next Brecker just about to be discovered, playing the room and gig in away that is appropriate to the event and its music is paramount. If that means you need to

play a small chamber Meyer for a background gig instead of your Guardala fusion model,

then do it!

Other instrumentalists are often just as guilty. I once knew a trumpeter who wasconvinced that the people at the corporate parties he played were impressed (even deeply

moved) by the sheer volume and amount of high Cs he could play. Having been at one of

these parties, I can tell you this was not the case. Saxophonists can also be guilty of theallure of the high register at inappropriate momentssave your altissimo chops for a real

club date, not the Tennessee Waltz.

Another example is a saxophone colleague who was deeply offended during a

recording session when asked to slightly darken his tone. This player had worked foryears to develop a great fusion tone and sounded terrific in those situations. However,

this recording session was for a commercial that was going for the smoky sub-tone tenor

vibe. While it is important to stay true to our musical ideals, there is a very fine line

between our principles and the reality of losing present and future work as a result ofrefusing to modify our concept for a specific goal.

While it is important to find a mouthpiece and reed combination that really works

for the majority of our playing, saxophonists should experiment (before the gig!) withvarious setups that will produce different timbres for individual situations. I can always

book my own gigs where I perform the music I want, played the way I want. However, if

someone is willing to pay me to play, then it shows my versatility to be able to perform inan appropriate style. Be flexible, be adaptable, and get hired again!