I think you're overlooking a great place for this instrument - accompanying pop / rock bands playing songs written by guitarists. For instance, the band you're in covers Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone. That's a great progression to solo over and you want your turn. The most common rock / pop keys are E, Em, A, Am, G, C and D. Bring your alto to the gig and you're playing in C#, F#, E, A and B. To my fingers these are some challenging keys! The C melody lets me use the simpler fingerings and easier keys.
I had both a C Melody (Tenor) and a C Soprano for a while many years ago, but sold them after a while because there was no real use for them. But now I’m inspired to get a hold of one (in working condition) and start playing it again. Kinda like an Alto Clarinet , which I stilll own and play & enjoy!
I love the C-melody! It is my favorite to play, love the sweet range it has. I have a colllection of vintage c-tenors, 5 conn straight necks and 4 buescher true tones. I love all of the horns for different reasons. For ergonomics, I would choose the later model conn new wonder II "chu-berry" model. I find the keywork conn made, to be quite comfortable for a 1920's era horn, the straight neck helps the playing position. The palm keys on the series II models are nice and high compared to the series I which to me makes a huge difference. Now for the timbre, both brands sound nice, but I have to go with Buescher on this one. Buescher C-mels have a really dark and rich, tenor like sound where the conns sound a little thinner but with a very spread sound . Early Bueschers are a little iffy with intonation, but the late ones which are quite hard to find are excellect playing saxes. The Bueschers made from about 1927 and later have a redesigned body tube which has great intonation and is very free blowing across the whple range of the horn. The laters ones also have the most advanced keywork the Buescher made, however still not as comfortable as the conn instruments. There are a lot of myths about c-melody saxes being poorly made, and sounding like a duck. These horns are made of equal quality to their alto and tenor counterparts for the same brand of saxophone. They also can sound really nice with a good modern c-melody mouthpiece. So that is my opinion based one my experience with the 9 horns in my c-mel collection.
My personal Alto Saxophone is a Buescher from 1929 and it's a wonderful instrument. I think that most of the "hatred" towards the C Melodies comes from mouthpieces. Jazzers couldn't use their wide open pieces and were often playing on the wrong size piece for the horn.
Another great presentation. I hope you produce as many of these instrument features as possible. Not only very informative but more importantly they spark the imagination. I've two Buescher C tenors. Must bump them up on my overhaul list.
I've owned an old Elkhart C tenor for several years and just had it rebuilt. It was pricy but then again, it's over 100 years old. Well, this morning, while at church, I plan to take her along to join in our music group. Think this is the best way to honor this old girl.
I own one from the 1920s by J.W. York and Sons. It's my favourite to busk with. And oh, yes, I got it overhauled. When I buy an instrument, I fully intend to PLAY the thing! Worth every penny.
Greetings from Ukraine! Wow, I've just realized that such invention as C-melody sax exists ! What a revelation after alto clarinet for me, hehe... And I see that they are quite affordable, unlikely the antique Adolph Sax versions of altos and tenors, where the prices start at 2 grand...
I have a CG Conn C Melody Sax. Fully refurbished and plays beautifully.It has the straight neck and the original mouthpiece. I enjoyed your above video and found it very informative. Thank you.
Thank you for your presentation! I, today in fact, just bought a Conn C Melody/Tenor sax. I am just beginning to try to educate myself about this instrument because my Grandfather played in a band in the 20’s and this was his instrument of choice. I actually prefer the alto sax but I intend to try to learn both. Aaaah, retirement! :)
Great show! I got a new Chinese c-tenor similar to yours a few years ago for about $800. It came with a alto m p with a 1.5 mm tip. I’m doing some upgrades on it now and then, ergonomically and tuning wise. It’s becoming a nice sax.
Recently acquired a Conn C Melody (straight neck/New Wonder I), and I am using the Caravan mouthpiece. Very nice sounds! I am using it in a Moravian church band, on the c soprano part (flutes/oboes) which as written does not go very far above or below the stave (good range for a sax). The c melody blends very nicely into the band's ensemble.
Wasn't the C Melody originally a "Parlor Instrument" back in the day? Something for piano and sax duets at a family gathering or old time parties. IIRC it can play the melody off of piano sheet music. So wouldn't that mean there's tons of music for it?
I have repaired and overhauled a number C melodies. The best one I have run across was a Martin C-melody. They are hard to find in good condition though. Now days with the software available you can simply transpose the solo part of the alto or tenor part of a sax with piano accompaniment solo.
thanks for "caravan" restoring a Rudolph Wurlitzer C (low-tone) serial number 4554~ two broken springs and no mouthpiece~ want the Non-resonator pads for the classic muted tonality~ thanks, Jayster, also have a Baritone York, Grand Rapids, Michigan~ was from goodwill has a dent at the mount~ needs some help~ neck is missing~ got the high Eb key anyways~ was 99 bucks~
Hi! I'm quite fascinated with this casual lecture about the history of the C Tenor Sax. My grandfather played it in the military band during WWII and at the American Legion every weekend until he died. I didn't meet him, but when I took up the clarinet at age ten, I had a natural talent and passion, so I practiced often. One day my grandmother overheard me playing/practicing (she was on the phone with my mom) and said that I was playing just like my grandfather. What I was doing was 'jazzing up' my scales. LOL....I'm assuming he must've warmed up that way, too. On another note, I have a couple questions for you, if you have the time and desire to answer them. I have a playable and beautiful 1946 Selmer Bb clarinet, all silver keys and solid ebony teak.....it is stamped with a fancy Selmer logo, and it says "Made in France" on every piece.....and all the piece numbers match. I picked it up in a garage sale near between St. Louis and Chicago. The sound is just amazing..... somehow, it just has a sound that 'is' jazz. Unfortunately, I don't really play anymore. But I'm curious.....that clarinet was very expensive at the time, and rare because it was made during WWII in France (it is stamped so, and the history from Selmer says that Henri Selmer moved his two manufacturing plants from Elkhart, IN and NY, NY to Paris because his two American plants were re-appropriated during the war for manufacturing of war goods.).... Have any idea what kind of player might've had this expensive of an instrument of the time? According to the Selmer history archives, there weren't very many instruments made at all that year. Why would the Bb clarinet, especially one so expensive, be made in that factory that year? Of beautiful silver, obviously jeweler-quality, too....even the wooden and leather case was custom made for that instrument, with Selmer on both sides stamped in silver; even the ligature is silver and stamped Selmer - I'm absolutely impressed with the quality of the construction of this horn and so was my repairman in Anchorage. I am only very confused because, from my historical understanding, most things made during the war were pretty economically made - including most instruments. Who, in 1946, would've been likely to commission such an expensive, obviously professional, instrument from Selmer? On another note ;) I have a really cool old record, and I have very scant information on it. Its label says "1908 Jass Band, New York, New York". The only information I've been able to really obtain about this record was from a blues and jazz historian who used to have a show on public radio called "Blues Before Sunrise." One day I called him and we talked for a couple hours, and while he couldn't tell me much about the record itself, he did give me a wonderful history of Jass/Jazz and what was musically popular during that time. He mentioned that he THOUGHT that the record I have might be some of the very first Jazz recordings produced in New York. The label is very scant in information, even without a production company or any person's name. It has the above information, and the names of the songs, and that's it. Would you happen to know, or be able to point me in the right direction of, learning more about this particular record? It is still playable, and it sounds fabulous. In fact, when I close my eyes and listen to it, it reminds me of Tom & Jerry cartoons. Recently, I watched Ken Burn's history of Jazz, and it mentions 'Jass' turning into 'Jazz', but it doesn't mention that jazz records were being made in New York until years later. I've inquired quite a bit about this record, and nobody seems to know much, if anything, about it specifically. Hey, thanks for the informative talk, even if you're not interested in answering my questions. Peace and Blessed Be ~THC
C-tenor could be better called Contra-alto saxophone, because it roughly corresponds to the contra-alto human voice. Beside its obvious advantage of being pitched in the concert key, I personally think it is the IDEAL size saxophone to play; not as difficult and inconsistent intonation-wise as the Bb-tenor can be in the lower register, nor the quirky as the Eb-alto saxophone in the upper register (tuning is often an issue there). It ideally complements alto, mezzo-soprano and soprano voices, male tenor and baritone voices, so it is an ideal support saxophone for the vocalists. Fingering is straightforward, no transpositions, no weird music keys to play even the simple songs (as it is the case with an alto). It is also ideal saxophone for casual players who can play by the ear; there is no transposition shift, nor confusion resulting from it. I mean, really, logically speaking, musically speaking, THIS should be the mainstream saxophone variant!
I've long thought this as well, at least in classical. David Hernando Vitores has some of the best C melody playing out there. His tone surpasses just about any classical alto or tenor I've heard. I could test this idea if I had one myself.
I'd love to get a C Melody one day as I play the piano and would be good to play piano music without transcribing and I like the sound of C melody saxophones with a C melody mouthpiece as I have seen too many videos of people playing C Melody saxophones with either tenor or alto mouthpieces which doesn't sound quite right to me. What about slide soprano saxophones (Swanee, Reiffel & Husted etc...) weren't they in the key of C? There are also slide alto saxophones. Do you know what slide saxophones were used for?
I got an antique C-Melody saxophone from 1914 a week or so ago. It came with the original mouthpiece and neckstrap. It plays and sounds great! My only complaint is some ergonomic issues.
I play saxophone and would like to return to classical music, which I played as a child in my school orchestra. However, in my current location, there is no individual in any of the amateur orchestras, that arranges music, nor do I myself. Baring using a C Tenor saxophone, what other woodwind instrument should I learn to get into an amateur orchestra? The other alternative is to convince the orchestra to let me play a saxophone as a replacement instrument (such as a baritone saxophone replacing a cello) or to play orchestral pieces that include saxophone, which would place an emphasis on my ability to convince the other musicians…
I have one in working order but haven't played it in over 20 years where can I get a chart or info on finger placement so I can practice playing it again? Please help!
Do you have access to a bass saxophone with which you can do a video? I'm not sure if they're more common in the US as they are incredibly rare here in Canada.
I have a Conn C Melody sax, silver plated. It has an early serial number so it was made somewhere around 1915. It has the tuner device on the neck but the mouthpiece is a threaded screw on mouthpiece. Can you tell me anything about this? Was it a proto type? I can't seem to find anything on it. Thanks, David.
My brother has an odd collection of instruments he got in trade. He had a C Melody that he gave his grandson as a reward for finishing an actual chapter book. I wouldn't mind if you took a look at the concert mellophone. The old circular one they used to play in the jazz bands when Satchmo was just starting out. How does it compare to the French horn, and does that oversize bell hurt the tone?
The easiest place to find Chinese instruments is on EBay. I just looked and found a C melody sax for $795. I've also found Boehm system G clarinets, Baroque tenor chalumeaux and viola da gamba with metal frets and geared tuners. China is making all sorts of odd instruments these days.
This horn I purchased off of AliExpress. It saved about $300 off of the eBay price. That said, unless you can do major repairs yourself, you're better off looking for a vintage Conn as this instrument took hours of work to get it into playing condition (including creating a whole new octave key).
How do you play yours? Even though I play clarinet it is a whole different animal. I have friends and teachers with new saxes. And I am wondering how the fingerings works cause my newly overhauled and shined blucher 1918 has 4 buttons (3 big and one extremely small button). It has a curved neck. So does that change anything? But my sax sounds good somehow. Even though a 5th grader can probably play sax better than me (but I have played clarinet for 4 years already)... One last thing on my list of questions is "Why does my sax sound so high with all fingers on pad buttons. But once I have the top 3 on pads only it turns to a low sound". I have only been able to find alto reeds instead of C Mel reeds. I am just starting on the path. But my friends in sax-land (saxophone parts in our band room/ Bass, Tenor, and Altos) don't really know how to help me. So, If you find this message. Any words of advice will help.
I take it, from your comment, that you don't have a bass. So, I'm curious if you have ever played - or even seen a contrabass? I've seen a couple of videos but have never seen or known anyone who has ever played one.
