Muczynski Saxophone Concerto with Orchestra

[TheBSCR]

Parabéns pelo concerto. O músico toca muito bem.

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[zachindie]

The fingers, as everyone else said. The open chamber sound is pretty nice, but I would work on your vibrato. Use more of it and try to make it a rounder wah-wah-wah rather than vah-vah-vah, it sounds a bit choppy at some places.

[rosski47]

Aww John looked so young back then!

[orangeparade]

may i know your set up?

your tone, it's one of the most amazing i've ever heard.

it's now my new goal, to achieve such amazing tone.

[voxkey]

You rock! Super job, I enjoyed listening very much.

[TheIzzoGuy]

Besides the fact that you look like me and play alto as well, your playing is very good. My one complaint like everybody else is your fingers. They have to stay as close to the sax as possible. Keep your fingers curved. That will help relax your fingers even more. Straight fingers are not as relaxed as curved. Practice the piece at like q-note = 20 and keep the fingers on the sax. Also, don't puff your cheeks!

[nyrboko]

Instead of looking at the fingers and the cheeks listen to the music, great interpretation indeed!!

[TheIzzoGuy]

No, I know. That's why i added this video to my favorites. I'm only trying to help him out, to make him better at the saxophone. If he plays harder pieces, the finger problem would be a problem. Even though emotion is the most important thing in music, if you don't have good technique, you can't play anything.

[dancingwithfire]

i agree with what someone else said - sometimes your fingers just fly all over.

otherwise, very nicely done! Especially for high school senior... Your tone is gorgeus, and your sense of musicality really shines in this piece.

very nicely done.

[saxoblog]

You know, I really prefer the Sonata.

[unprotectedsax]

oh its so bright!:) no really

[shnimmuc]

I like the work. I`d like to hear the soloist play the Cummings Concerto. There is a video on Youtube of part of the first movement.

[admsaund]

Beautiful, Beautiful playing! Very challenging piece to play together, especially that third movement! I really like your sound concept too. It good to hear that the classical sax is being well-represented. Keep it up!

[t0astyt0es]

seriously, can you be anymore of a jerk?

[steehumlous]

Bravo !

[Jazzguitar00]

It sounds good. I can't say much about the technical aspects of the playing, but it sounds fine, and I've always been partial Muczynski's music. bg8 is incapable of typing and appreciating good music.

[werdman89]

man, watch your technique, your fingers are kind of flying everywhere at points.

[jeffamarie]

does 'bg8' in bg8400 stand for bigot? the music is ultra-expressive and a very typical but beautiful example of music from that period that has been kept in the repertoire.

[tornadonow]

John man! VERY nice job! Alot of people cannot appreciate how difficult it is to put the Muczynski Concerto together, ESPCIALLY with orchestra. The orchestra sounds nice, and you play with very nice expression and vibrato! Are you studying music in college now? I am in my first year as a band director in northern Illinois. I posted a video response of a piece David R. Gillingham (popular band composer) wrote for my senior recital. I hope you enjoy! KEEP UP THE TERRIFIC WORK DUDE!

[SkyonLoop]

good work! congratulations! keep working ;)

[maddpianist]

Great work! I don't know much about Muczynski, but I'm playing his Time Pieces for clarinet right now, and they're wonderful. This piece I like, too. Do try to get things memorized, but I know how it's especially difficult with somewhat atonal music as this.

[Uberfish4700]

Great job! You sound like a really expensive french horn and clarinet put together!

[skotoseme]

bg8400 will not stand the test of time. i'm a pianist/singer but i can appreciate what you did with this. i've always loved muczynski, too, i was lucky enough to have a piano teacher that gave me his six preludes as my first introduction to serious music a decade ago.

[bg8400]

it's a concero-- play from memory!! Jut because a piece is "pulitzer prize nominated" doesn't make it a good piece!! This piece, and muczynski's music in general, will not likely last the test of time.

[pthleigh]

Actually, the bulk of Muczynski's output was composed between 30 and 50 years ago and is turning up on programmes with more and more frequency as time goes by - ie. it IS standing the test of time. Thanks, saxophone143 for promoting so wonderfully the music of this fantastic composer.

[MercifulMe]

I have 2 words in response to what you have posted.

shut up.

[killertr]

excellent tone. i'll be performing a senior solo thing on sax too (tenor) later this year. any advice?

[1234Jesus1234]

Practice!

[dnomsedzteug]

j'apprécie le jeu du saxophone: beau son, bonne sensibilité, bon travail d'ensemble! dommage de mettre tout cela au service d'une musique si plate et sans intérêt il y a tellement d'autres musiques ou le saxophone peut pleinement s'exprimer et d'une manière beaucoup moins coincée (ce n'est que mon humble avis)

Bravo tout de même et bonne continuation!

[LelandMiliokas]

Good job. More dynamic contrast would have made the piece a little more involving. Good technicality, although the piece is not extremely technical. Not quite sure why all the showering of compliments, but good job just the same, keep practicing!

[mandyloohoo]

have you ever considered a Cannonball Big Bell stone series saxophone?

[mandyloohoo]

hey i was wondering what you're set up is, who are you studying privately with and where are you attending school now? thanks

[PhantomxjL97]

Not so good to me, but i tell in a different point of view so don't get mad at me like evry1 else did

[AxelMario]

I like this piece but also how you play it. Bravo! Greets from Germany

[JPSaxMan]

I dunno what's up with the video response above the text responses; as if it's a nudge to say, "Do it more like this" or "Hey look at me, I'm better than this guy"...either way it's not warranted. Your performance of this saxophone piece was executed very well. Your tone/sound/style for classical was top notch. 5 stars!

[arauxos]

Hey, Amazing!!! I want to play like you ; )

Great sound, great tempo, good job!!!

[LazrRyd]

Clear Vibrado

 Eb Alto or Bb Tenor

[suntzu2005]

Great job! I saw someone mentions Tom Walsh....I played in all-state band with him years ago. Have fun at IU!!

[ntrimm]

Gave you five stars. You make it sound great. I gave up sax fifty-five years ago after listening to a ten year old play flight of the bumblebee on it.

[Corybant007]

I commissioned this Concerto in 1980, and premiered it in 1981. I really enjoyed your performance - very musical and very mature. Bravo! Keep up the great work.

[chopsticks2284]

mule has i think worked wtih dubois and so on....and mule's buddy rascher introduced classical sax to the US and Rousseau established a shit load...lol Delange is good and murphy...is...young? lol check out kenneth tse man...hes the sickest performer... his recording of morosco's "Blue Caprice" is effing nasty

[chopsticks2284]

wait a sec....E rousseau's musical choices? you know that hes worked with basically all of the composers that have ever lived....from creston to the heidens hes basically covered them all and also his primary teacher

[Galans]

Very well played. I like your sound, musicality and your self-confidence in your fingers. Which mouthpiece and sax have u?? It sound powerfull. Best wishes from Spain!

[XxSaxCannon921xX]

Why were you puffing your cheeks?

[saxophonicmusician]

very well done keep up the good work i like the tone

[eyeheartchrist]

Even I forgot how much, like peanut butter & jelly, is classical and the saxophone(s).

[insanebeetle]

Hey, I am a classical saxophonist in high school. You have pretty good tone and consistency in pitch, vibrato, and rhythm. It sounds good! Who is your favorite classical player? You sound like a Eugene Rousseau-ite.

[ArcJackal]

Very very nice. Makes me want to pull out my alto and do something that's not jazz. Not that there's anything wrong with jazz, of course. Good job, I really enjoyed it.

[saxophone143]

Thanks ArcJackal. Yeah, jazz is great but people tend to forget how great the saxophone can sound as a classical instrument.

[CooolJazzz]

Very nice job, young man. I had almost given hope on some of the high school band programs. It's nice to see that such strong legit skills still do exist at the high school level.

I'm curious...most of the musicians in the orchestra also appear to be relatively young. Was this a college level orchestra, or was it a community orchestra of some sort...perhaps even a professional orchestra?

Whatever the case...the performance is first rate...both soloist and orchestra.

[saxophone143]

Thanks, CooolJazzz. It was a community orchestra though mostly made up of students from a local college. There were a few adults from the area and a few high schoolers as well.

[meanerstrongbad]

ur not being micd are you. I hope not. you dont do that to a Concerto. gj

[saxophone143]

No, I'm not. They did have stuff set up because there was another piece on the program with a speaker who was amplified.

[orangeparade]

oh gawsh! you are pitch perfect and have such beautiful tone! i like your sound! i mean, i want your sound!

[saxophone143]

Thanks orangeparade! That really is great to hear; I've been working on my sound with long tones every day since a judge at solo and ensemble said my tone was inconsistant.

[saxophone143]

Thanks for the commments everyone!

[RonTheSaxMan]

that good, have you ever played the Paul creston sonata for alto?

[saxophone143]

I've never performed the Creston Sonata in public, but I have been playing it for fun a little over the summer along with a bunch of other stuff.

[nvwc2006]

i did one of the movements of Creston's Sonata for local contests, it is a really fun piece. on ur playing: ur vibrato rocks, some people do too much but you've got it down. the part at 2:48 just sounds like it'd be a lot of fun to try. you circular breathing through those long riffs? it's a little hard to tell if you are or not. nice work, very well done!

[saxophone143]

Thanks nvwc2006! I'm not circular breathing, I actually can't even do it on saxophone. I get asked that a lot though, guess it's something I do with my cheeks while I play. At an honor band my junior year, the entire low brass section was convinced that I was circular breathing during a solo.

[nvwc2006]

yeah, while you're playing, the way your cheeks puff out and you continue to play gives that appearance. i can't do it well yet, my air flow isn't constant and i can't go very long. something for us both to work toward ^^

[TenorSaxx]

Nice job there buddy.

[darnbni99a06]

dam nice...how long did it take u to learn that? lol

[saxophone143]

I worked it up over the summer and then used it for all concerto competitions and college auditions that year. It's an amazing piece, probably my favorite alto sax solo.