Interesting comparison. Even with the sound compressed, there is definitely a difference and you seem more at home on the curved version. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for posting this.... great playing! The curved has had a bad rap in the past....maybe just sopranos in general. I've always preferred the curved sound. Have a modern straight and curved and a restored 1922 curved Beuscher (silver plated) that has a very dark tone comparitively. Intonation is a bit trickier on the curved horns but I also play oboe and clarinet so don't have a problem dialing it in. Play bari most of the time and appreciate that when I have to double on the alto or soprano...they feel almost the same under my fingers. Thanks again for posting these great videos!
Thanks for the comment! Yea I don’t know why the curved has had a bad rap in the past(and even now). Maybe the look throws people off. They think it looks too toyish and they look the other way. If that’s the case , then what a shame! I just hope to turn more people toward the curved…it really deserves a more prominent spot in the saxophone world
I've been playing saxophone for a bit over a year. I chose to go with the soprano as my sax of choice. I've been able to acquire two, a straight student version and a curved intermediate one. I learned (am learning) how to play the straight one. The curved one taught (is teaching) me how to play it. I've noticed with the curved one that I can play a much softer note than the straight one before it stalls out and get a greater volume in decibels with it, too. This might be more to do with the manufacture than the type of soprano. I think it may be a little of both. I actually think the straight one is a bit more comfortable to play. It's definitely easier to clean. On the straight one, the neck is integrated into the body of the sax.
You're probably getting a greater volume on the curved because you get more feedback due to the bell curved and facing up towards your face, where the straight is aimed directly at the floor. It's interesting that you feel the straight is more comfortable. For me, the curved is more comfortable but I guess everybody is different! It might have to do with the size of your hands and fingers too.
I play a Yamaha Custom YSS-875. I use the curved neck. I had surgery on my right thumb joint a year ago. Now I'm back to being able to play it but with a neck strap and being angled down quite a bit. I am probably going to get a curved soprano. I do prefer the slightly darker and sweeter sound of the curved soprano so I'm excited about getting one. One other thing to mention; when I gig with my combo, I play tenor, alto, and soprano but soprano the least. So with just one mic/mic stand, it is set up for the alto and tenor. So it is always awkward to get the straight soprano up to the mic without making a bunch of mic adjustments on stage. This is another thing I think the curved soprano will be great for.
Sorry to hear about your right thumb surgery. I hope you are doing better now and can still play! Yea I would absolutely recommend getting a curved mainly due to the darker, warmer sound, but it is also much easier to mic for sure!
@@dustinhellen I suspect you would make a sack of spuds sound good. I like both but under that mike setup the curvy sounds more harmonically full. Few sopranists would not improve under this guys tutelage ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Hj_dv9mR6PY.html
Thanks a lot for your video :-) I play alto and I´m thinking about soprano... I know, that curved soprano looks a little bit funny, but I love it more than straight 🙂
Yea actually I thought it looked funny at first too, but it was intriguing to me, and let me tell you, when I first played it, I was hooked forever. So worth it! What do you love about it?
Listening to this comparison, I definitely preferred the curved. I think the curved sounded like eating a chocolate bar while the straight sounded like eating chocolate chips. One issue I have with curved though is pain from the the left wrist being so bent (in the direction of the pinky finger), while the straight seems to have a more natural left wrist angle. Have you experienced/solved this for playing curved?
Interesting choice of words! With the curved I do notice the left wrist being a little more bent, but it is a lot less uncomfortable than the right thumb when playing straight.
If you play straight soprano and are finding it hard work on your right thumb, you can get an Ergobrass support that clips onto the sling ring and rests either on your leg, chair seat or the floor (with the extension) which takes all the weight off your right thumb and arm while still maintaining good posture. I find with curved soprano, the sound is easier for the player to hear as it seems to be reflected back, whereas I won't be parted with my Yamaha YSS-62 soprano which is a lightweight straight soprano like a MkVI, compared to most sopranos on the market that are much heavier.
Interesting….I’ll consider that if i start playing more straight soprano. I do agree that the YSS62 is a lighter horn…I’ve played one several times before and it’s a great horn.
Thanks for your video. Have you tried the neck on the curved soprano, on the straight body? I've seen someone do it (on both of their Yanis), and thought it would be an interesting experiment!
I tend to prefer a darker/warmer tone, and preferred the curved. It did sound like the lower notes were a bit more difficult on the curved? I am in the market for a soprano and struggling to decide what brand, along with what shape. Based only on your video, I would select a curved. I did see another video that suggested intonation is more difficult with the curved. Any thoughts? I appreciated the info on the thumb pain.
The low notes are actually easier with the curved in my opinion. The difference in sound in the lower notes might have been that the straight had a bit more edge to it on the bottom end, with more projection, and with the curved you heard a softer, warmer sound, kind of muffled, which sounded like it was difficult to produce a sound on the bottom end, but it was actually the sound color. I would agree that intonation is more difficult on curved, but that's where Yanagisawa excels. Yanagisawa is well-known for making some of the best sopranos, whether curved or straight, and they are as in-tune as you can get a soprano to be. In terms of brand, I would say definitely go for Yanagisawa, but if not, Yamaha would be a very good 2nd choice for a soprano. These are the top two brands that get the soprano right, in my opinion, with Yanagisawa being a bit better.
I've got a straight soprano which is a real joy to play, and I'm very much a fan of Kenny G, but having listened to a demo of a curved one, I like that sound a lot more!! I would like to have a curved one as well as a straight!! But am I being too greedy here? I also play piano, church organ flute, clarinet, alto sax and oboe. Excellent video, so thank you very much!!🤩
Nahhh you can never be too greedy with instruments! I will say that you definitely won’t regret it if you get a curved. I love the sound, much more than the straight but the attention it commands from people is also nice!😊
Interesting comparison. I find the difference in sound is almost negligable except in the lower register of the instruments. I suppose that makes sense, as that is where the curve is. I'd love to hear a soprano that sounds like the one used in the classic Glenn Miller Moonlight Serenade recording. Beautiful sound, very alto-like, except it's obviously too high.
the nec strap is useful on te strait sop , when you re not playing , to rest your thumb, the curved sop as a grater moment of inertia , when you re playing te sax in les prown tu rotate ( due to fingers movements) and mes with your embouchure: the strait sop is a less stable object the curved sop in throwing is sound toward you .directly in your face , easier to ear what you re playing in a loud environnement ,the strait one sends is sound away from you and sometimes you ll have to rely on the floor or on your music stand to bounce the sound toward you.
great tutorial, I really like the curved, much better, it sounds a little darker, it's much more comfortable, you can even play while lying on the couch at home while watching a movie, and it doesn't sound so loud that the neighbor could be bothered, although they can. put a volume reducer
Glad to hear you love the curved! Yanagisawa (which I prefer), Cannonball, Rampone and Cezzani, and P. Mauriat all make curved sopranos. You can also get into the vintage curved sopranos, but I would go modern if I was you; there are less intonation problems.
In your video the curved sop sounded more constricted to my ears versus the straight. Could be the difference in configuration of the horns & how the mic was subsequently picking this up. I have a straight sop myself, but have been interested in the curved version of the horn; thought it might be more comfortable against the right hand's support thumb . . . Thanks for sharing!
Could what you call "constricted" be a warmer sound with less volume perhaps? It definitely is warmer and has a bit more resistance, but not much more. You should definitely check out a curved one if you get the chance!
love your performance and comparison, would you prefer tones of Brass Curved Soprano Saxophone or the Bronze Curved SS? I am at the crossroad to decide one, while I play more contemporary music, and church music and a bit of classical, usually with tip opening #5/6 mouthpiece, with #2.5 reed
Good question, and thank you for the compliments! I prefer the bronze curved soprano over the brass curved soprano. I have tried them both side by side, and the bronze has a warmer sound with a touch more resistance, which I love in a soprano. The brass is more "in your face"...it kinda "shouts" when you play it. Are you thinking of getting one? :)
thanks for your sharing, if nickel silver is the horn body material with the same workmanship, compared to Bronze and brass, what might likely be the difference? yes, i am at the final stage to decide to get one, i am more for curved than straight, (currently i play alto.n tenor sax, and clarinet, i know i need to find a relief for my right thumb and wrist, which curved ss seems to be the solution.
please allow me to ask you for indepth review (i am at crossroad to decide which of these three materials), warmer tones = more ease to consistently produce sweeter tones, and more resistance = ease to get smoother glissando and more alto Saxophone like experience, rather than clarinet like playing experience? (some suggested that different material don't make major difference, while (i play same harmonica model, but with different comb and reed materials, i do believe different material makes difference... but i hope to ask a Saxophone expert like for you for more thoughts)
Yes I think the curved is excellent for relief of any pain you might have with the right thumb. Nickel silver isn't actually silver at all. It's more of an "offset" to brass. Nickel silver has a very punchy sound, excellent for funk and rock, and it is incredibly bright. Now if you're asking for my opinion in a soprano, I would never choose a material that gives the soprano a brighter sound, simply because I really don't like a bright soprano sound. I like the warm, dark , lush sound on soprano. If you like a bright sound though, nickel silver will definitely get you there. So, nickel silver is bright and punchy, brass is well-rounded and will provide a sound that seems to "shout", and bronze will provide a warm, lush tone with a little bit more resistance.@@hoiyau5377
Great comparison! I’m definitely thinking about getting one. Would you recommend cannonball as a good brand for sopranos? I know they are not Yamahas or Yanagisawas, but they’ll still hold up right?
Absolutely! Cannonball horns are very free-blowing in my opinion. I've tried their sopranos and they are very good, especially if you're on a budget. Yes they're not Yanagisawa or Yamaha, but they are a great option B if you can't go that route. Thanks for the comment! Let me know what you decide!
@@dustinhellen from what I’ve heard, that’s an issue with their student/intermediate horns. I don’t think that applies to the professional models so much. Correct me if I’m wrong tho
Yea I think you're right about the student and intermediate horns going out of adjustment quickly. Haven't heard it happening much on the pro horns from Cannonball though@@Kevin-ek1su
if my eyes were closed I would think that was a clarinet or oboe maybe its the style of music you played but ill always prefer the straight all day but that was a well detailed explanation
I own both. From my own testing, and listening to another player with my instruments, from out in the audience I could not hear a difference. Sitting in my sax quartet, the other players say they can hear me on the curved soprano better. When I play the curved it sounds brighter to me because the bell is aimed u at my face, but nobody else hears it except up close. The curved is better for playing into a mic on a stand, just like alto or tenor. The straight is harder to mic in a live performance. You really need the double mic setup. I've played soprano sax for about 50 years.
Thanks for this very interesting comparison. I used to have a Yanagisawa curved soprano. I'm holding it in my picture to the left. I loved the look of it, but found the sound too bright for my liking, despite trying several mouthpieces. I eventually switched to a Yamaha straight (dual-neck) soprano YSS-875EXHG. The sound of the Yamaha is much warmer and more enjoyable to me, and also easier to play. I use the curved neck and a neck strap, and find it comfortable to play. I've never regretting switching to the Yamaha. By the way, you play beautifully.
Thank you! Sorry to hear the Yanagisawa wasn't your cup of tea. Was it the brass or the bronze? The bronze, like the one I have, is not bright at all and i've tried them both side by side. Glad you found what you're looking for in the Yamaha though!
@@dustinhellen I had a brass SC991 Yanagisawa curved soprano, never had a chance to try the bronze. At the time I had a matching Yanagisawa alto that I liked a lot, kind of wish I still had it. I think my Yanagisawa soprano was like the one played by Nanna Carling on her videos. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OouwbrRimMk.html
That's a sound deception. You should have done a bell to bell recording of the sound and then listen.. You will find out that the curved one is the mellower and rounder of the two.
@@dustinhellen I had a brass, not bronze, Yanigasawa 991 curved soprano. I think I recognize its bright sound in the RU-vid videos of Nanna Carling. Anyway, I far prefer the Yamaha I have now, for sound and ergonomics.
@@tboy5443 I used my curved Yanigasawa 991 soprano for years. Yes, it was too bright sounding. A friend I played music with confirmed this fact, and also confirmed that my Yamaha 875EX sounds much better.
Let’s not be insulting! Neither one of them sound like a clarinet! I own a straight with the two necks but, I very much like the sound of the curved soprano.
I have had both straight (Yanagisawa S4, Yamaha S-62) and now a curved (Yanagisawa SC-800) and I do prefer the "rounder" sound of the curved. And besides, you get to hear yourself a lot better with the curved (and the audience gets a bit curious - a conversation piece).
Yes I agree! I have the mic aimed at the middle of the straight soprano instead of the bell, but if it were aimed at the bell, it would be a LOT brighter....more "Kenny G"
I always assumed that the bending of soprano (or actually any type of saxophone) does not affect the sound. When it comes to alto, tenor and so on, my thinking has been that it just makes it easy/possible to hold it, but not that it affects the sound. I never had a bent soprano so I never tested my assumption. Edit: I just now made a search on the net. What I found in this quick and limited search kind of confirms both my view and what is said in the video. There is a sound difference in the sense that the sound of a curved soprano is projected more like with an alto or tenor, upwards. A straight is obviously projected more downwards. That of course will affect the sound you hear, and kind of confirms what is said in this video.
This is very interesting! I certainly believe that the curved soprano sounds very different. Have you ever listened to somebody play a straight alto? It is WAY different than the standard curved alto, and perhaps it is because of the direction of the sound out of the bell, but I definitely hear a big difference there,....same goes for soprano in my opionion.
@@dustinhellen I don't think I even knew that there was a straight alto, so I probably never heard one. Do you know of any RU-vid video with a straight alto that I could listen to?
@@dustinhellen Thanks, very cool. In the sound I can clearly hear the same special aspect which is characteristic for a (staight) soprano. If it is only due to the projection I can't say. That special aspect of the sound is what I am enchanted by in the straight soprano (and now also the straight alto!). It is a sound that is a bit similar to the oboe.
@@BigParadox Yes, I get that too. Except in the case of the straight alto, it sounds more like an English Horn than an oboe,...regardless it's different for sure!
I started on the straight but always wanted to try a curved, but when I got one I couldn't stand the sound of the curved. The bell is too close to my ears. I started on a Yanagisawa S6, then got a SC901 and sold the S6, but nearly stopped playing soprano. Huge lucky shot, some guy had an S901 and wanted a curved, so we just swapped them. Lucky because the 901s are the best series imo, that's why I got the SC901. metal thumb rests on both and no detachable neck on the straight. One thing you haven't mentioned is curved are more mic friendly, as they only need one mic. While straight preferably need 2 mics, one in the center area and one at the bell.
Yea you're right, the mic situation is a lot easier with the curved, only requiring one mic. You probably didn't like the extra feedback the curved provided, and probably preferred that the sound was out a little further, like with the straight. Regardless of which soprano, Yanagisawa makes the best sopranos!
This may be nitpicky, but perhaps the curved soprano is more spread than the straight, which can attribute to a sense of darker overall tone in some respects. Could the difference in bore size, and possibly bell shape contribute to this as well? I do notice the intonation in the curved’s left hand (octave above natural) has better intonation and evenness when comparing to the fundamentals. I don’t think it’s because of the difference of the straight being slightly sharper-tuned than the curved, and I listened back a couple of times to ensure it’s not confirmation bias due to intonation. Great video!
Thanks for the view and the comment! I think you're on to something with the difference in bell shape. I believe Yanagisawa makes the same bore shape for all of their sopranos in this line.
I couldn't agree more! What is the brand/model of your curved soprano? I wish more saxophone players would realize how much greater it sounds. Maybe they can't get over how it looks, right? haha
I hear a similar difference between curved and straight soprano that I hear between straight and curved alto. In the low end the straight soprano loses the oboe-like sound and instead sounds like a higher curved alto.
Your throat looks more constricted on the straight, and the mouthpiece angle is further down. I think you would get a better sound by altering the angle of the instrument and/or your head position. But if you can't do that comfortably, it explains why you prefer the curved. Me, I'm quite comfortable with straight.
It’s not about “not being able to put the instrument in a different position” or that it’s uncomfortable. It isn’t uncomfortable, i just prefer the angle i have now. It’s about the darker, warmer sound the curved provides and thats the main reason i prefer it over the straight.
@@dustinhellen it’s the angle on the mouthpiece that produces the darker sound, very different from clarinet. I have worked hard to achieve that angle on a straight, but I get that it’s easier on a curved.
@@dustinhellen yes a modern straight one and also a very old curved one that has an amazing tone, but intonation issues outside of the middle range. Thanks
That's cool. I'm thinking of getting a straight SWO20 as well to go along with my curved since I enjoy soprano so much....but haven't pulled the trigger on that yet :)@@jimm4905
Yes indeed the player notices the biggest difference in sound, that is for sure. This video is to determine if the listener hears a difference. I have been in an auditorium and had the pleasure of listening to both curved and straight in different genres, and it was indeed different to my ears. Some people may hear them as the same, but in my opinion they do sound different. Thanks for the comment.
@@dustinhellen I feel like the sound on a straight soprano saxophone has a more open sound and curved one sounds a bit more closed in a way. Either way they both sound great but I would prefer the straight one
If you're playing straight soprano, it is common to mic the soprano at the keys to get a warmer sound. This was done in this video to get as close as possible to the "warm sound" of the curved. If I had miced the straight at the bell, there would be a huge difference. The straight would sound extremely bright compared to the curved. Some people use 2 mics on straight, but many use one on the keys. Some use one only on the bell, which makes an extremely bright sound, like Kenny G. There is indeed validity to micing a straight at the keys, but thanks for the comment and the view.
