C Melody Saxophone Forum

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C Melody Saxophone Forum / C-Tenor (C-Melody) Saxophones / How long have you been playing C Melody?

CMelodyMan
User ID: 0164614 Nov 19th 8:20 PM
Me, about 7 months, and I'm 14 yrs old, although my sax is in need of some serious repair right now, so I can't play it

cmelodysax-uk
User ID: 8200143 Nov 20th 9:47 AM
CmelodyMan - are you really only 14 ? I don't mean that as any kind of criticism at all, your posts seem quite mature. Pleasant surprise !

ukebert
User ID: 1446254 Nov 20th 10:35 AM
The more young people playing c melody the better!

CMelodyMan
User ID: 9189423 Nov 20th 11:29 AM
Thank you, and yes, I really am 14. I like to play the saxophone(I play A,T,CM,B), I first got interested in C Melodies about a year ago. I found them to be interesting, and I become convinced that they are probably the most neglected and "misunderstood" I guess you could say, of all the saxophones.When I joined SOTW in Feb., I realized that someone on there could porbably hook me up with an inexpensive C Melody, so I posted an ad for an inexpensive C Melody, and I ended up buying one from a fellow SOTWer, a Martin Inspriation, for $120 including shipping! I thought I made a good buy, and it actually played! But, one day I decided to taske it apart, and when I put it back together, it didn't work. I figured out that some of the springs were broken, so I took them out, and I haven't fixed it since, althouh I hope to have it fixed soon.

CHARLES S
User ID: 3438284 Mar 26th 2:09 PM
I AM 71 & HAVE BEEN PLAYING SINCE 1943 IN MY DAD'S BAND IN NEBRASKA. I HAVE HAD 11 C'S & HAVE CUT DOWN TO JUST 2 NOW. THANKS, CHARLIE

Captain Muggles
User ID: 8945823 Mar 26th 6:53 PM
I started playing saxophone at the age of 14. I started on a Wurlitzer American C Melody (Martin Stencil). I am now 67. So that makes it 53 years! I have almost always had a C melody in my sax stable most of my career.

ag csax
User ID: 1857214 Mar 30th 9:34 PM
ive been reading reading this forum since i got my conn c mel.. ive been playing the c mel for 5 months, and really loved the sound... im 21 yrs old..i started playing the sax when i was about 13. my first sax was an alto selmer and my bought me my c mel.. i don'thave any background about this instrument until i surfed to ebay and eventually landed in this forum. until now i have developed into a true musician by heart and hope to excel more.. im glad to have you guys around i really thank you all... God bless

tenorgirl
User ID: 9816503 Dec 28th 3:03 PM
hello. I've been playing the tenor for 6 years now and would love to learn more about the c mel sax

Alan (UK)
User ID: 8200143 Dec 28th 4:08 PM
www.cmelodysax.co.uk

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Dec 28th 4:59 PM
Also check out www.C-Melody.com

Ken UK
User ID: 1689844 Dec 28th 5:52 PM
Had my first sax at age 16 in 1968. It was a tenor, but a friend helped me transpose the notes in the tutor book to Concert pitch, like my guitar, and I played like that by ear for a few years. F# was E to me. After a break of 30 years I bought another tenor and began music lessons, but also found C Melody saxes through the computer and I now own a couple of Bueschers. Has anyone else ever played tenor with transposed notes?

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Jan 2nd 10:58 AM
Ken UK - All my transposing is usually from either concert pitch into the pitch of the saxophone I am playing (Bb or Eb), or from the pitch of some other instrument or clef (F, Bb, Eb, Bass Clef, Tenor Clef, etc.) into the pitch of the instrument I am playing.

It sounds to me like you learned to play using concert pitch fingerings. For examble, Concert Bb on the Tenor Saxophone was played with the middle finger of the left hand down and all others up. Is this right?

Ken Uk
User ID: 1689844 Jan 2nd 5:15 PM
WW2: Yup. Correct. That's why I could never play with anyone else (unless it was on guitar, or school recorder) for the next 30 years, until the band re-started those thirty years later. Smart eh?? ...no, not really , but I never met anyone else who was playing sax at the time back then ...and after; well I was pretty involved with work, wife and raising kids etc. etc. That's why when, in 2002 as the mid life crisis hit, I started music lessons with my newly aquired(Conn of course)tenor again at the age of 49! Five years later I'm still swimming against the stream of time trying to better my playing and reading. Finding C Melodies was inspiring, but I still have not managed to incorporate playing C Mel into the band. Do I feel a New Year's resolution coming on?

Wolf 1w
User ID: 0192094 Jan 2nd 11:28 PM
Any info on a Lyon & Healy C Melody. The serial # is 201111 and I am curious if this a Martin stencil? Has an engraving of an indian on the bell. Although I am a "Tenor Man" want to explore the world of C Mels. Any info would be helpful. Thanx Wolf

jazzbug1
User ID: 1836024 Feb 7th 8:15 AM
I have played since age eight, so that makes for 51 years of saxophones and clarinets. I have been playing professionally (jazz)for 43 years. I own and play bass sax all the way up to a c soprano. I fooled around with c-melodies for about 40 years, but never seriously played them until about six months ago. I picked up a Martin, which has a bigger bore that the other brands. With a Goldbeck mouthpiece, it can play sweetly or nastily (did I invent a new adverb?).
The bigger bore gives me quite a volume range. I am currently restoring a "Chu" model Conn and will see how that works, but the bore is smaller than the Martin, so I will probably sell it on Ebay. Many players compliment the overall sound of the C and many younger players don't even know about them. I sold my York (Buescher stencil) to another player, who loves it. Hello to all my relatives in Northern Ireland. I am a decendant of the Cuffe family who were landed British gentry when Ireland was occupied. The Cuffes were unique, as when they invaded, instead of pipes, they played pre-sax version of the c melody, called the quack-o-phone, hence the early-on bad reputation of the c melody, beginning in the fifteenth century. I am a Yankee in C Melody Land.

blue9girl9
User ID: 8910463 Feb 20th 1:14 PM
I just got my c melody today. I am a flute player and have an alto but just can't deal with the Eb thing. My sax came with a case that's way too big -- a tenor case. I'm glad I found this forum because now I know where to get a case. Anyway, I've played sax for about 3 years on and off, mostly off, but flute for 34 years. I'm hoping the C melody will be more fun for me than the alto was (which was not very fun!)

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Feb 20th 2:27 PM
Hi Blue9girl9.

My daughter also picked up sax after playing flute for a few years. She had a problem until she studied the circle of fifths and discovered what transposing instruments (alto in Eb, Tenor in Bb) are all about. Now she is a killer tenor player and a powerful flutist (sorry, my dictionary defines flautist as "See Flutist").

Welcome to the site, and have a blast with that C-Melody!

alan (uk)
User ID: 9245273 Feb 21st 4:03 AM
jazzbug1 - great story, but the only quack-o-phone I've ever heard of was an eleven (?) string C&W contraption mentioned on some record sleeve notes. More info please (any paintings ?).

Are you sure the Cuffe's didn't kiss the Blarney Stone before they left these shores ?

==============

Bluegirl9 - hello from me as well - I can completelu understand the "just can't deal with the Eb thing" - it's what C-Mels were specifically made for in the 20's. If you don't play where parts are transposed/written for the Eb/Eb instruments, then why not stay with C.

I've settled on C-Sop, C-Mel, C-Clarinet, and of course (C) flute & piccolo. Sadly I also like the low end of alto clarinet, so I have to play one little chap in Eb..........(and I still keep the Bb/Eb horns around for the rare occasion that they are needed)

jazzbug1
User ID: 1836024 Feb 28th 1:52 PM
The "Quack-o-phone" had a semi-successful 19th century American president as it's most famous promoter. His name was "Mallard" Fillmore.

Toxic Oreo
User ID: 1704034 Feb 28th 2:02 PM
I have been playing sax since I was 9 and have never looked back. I have played steadily for the last 16 years on everything from Bb sop to a fairly fun stint on Bari (I discoverd that when playing jazz, I was a pretty potent low end...outblowing trumpet sections is oh so much fun). I have only ever owned an alto and a tenor, much to my chagrin. I discovered vintage horns my freshman year in college and instantly fell in love. I picked up a Conn 6m stamped vii that was in great functional shape for a song and haven't been able to look back. I am hoping to add a third horn, the a pretty little c-mel, to my stands in the music room within the hour. I heard a c-mel played in a blues band a few months ago and have desired one ever since...conviently around the time I started playing pretty regularly with a blues band.

CMelodyMan User ID: 0164614	Nov 19th 8:20 PM Me, about 7 months, and I'm 14 yrs old, although my sax is in need of some serious repair right now, so I can't play it
cmelodysax-uk User ID: 8200143	Nov 20th 9:47 AM CmelodyMan - are you really only 14 ? I don't mean that as any kind of criticism at all, your posts seem quite mature. Pleasant surprise !
ukebert User ID: 1446254	Nov 20th 10:35 AM The more young people playing c melody the better!
CMelodyMan User ID: 9189423	Nov 20th 11:29 AM Thank you, and yes, I really am 14. I like to play the saxophone(I play A,T,CM,B), I first got interested in C Melodies about a year ago. I found them to be interesting, and I become convinced that they are probably the most neglected and "misunderstood" I guess you could say, of all the saxophones.When I joined SOTW in Feb., I realized that someone on there could porbably hook me up with an inexpensive C Melody, so I posted an ad for an inexpensive C Melody, and I ended up buying one from a fellow SOTWer, a Martin Inspriation, for $120 including shipping! I thought I made a good buy, and it actually played! But, one day I decided to taske it apart, and when I put it back together, it didn't work. I figured out that some of the springs were broken, so I took them out, and I haven't fixed it since, althouh I hope to have it fixed soon.
CHARLES S User ID: 3438284	Mar 26th 2:09 PM I AM 71 & HAVE BEEN PLAYING SINCE 1943 IN MY DAD'S BAND IN NEBRASKA. I HAVE HAD 11 C'S & HAVE CUT DOWN TO JUST 2 NOW. THANKS, CHARLIE
Captain Muggles User ID: 8945823	Mar 26th 6:53 PM I started playing saxophone at the age of 14. I started on a Wurlitzer American C Melody (Martin Stencil). I am now 67. So that makes it 53 years! I have almost always had a C melody in my sax stable most of my career.
ag csax User ID: 1857214	Mar 30th 9:34 PM ive been reading reading this forum since i got my conn c mel.. ive been playing the c mel for 5 months, and really loved the sound... im 21 yrs old..i started playing the sax when i was about 13. my first sax was an alto selmer and my bought me my c mel.. i don'thave any background about this instrument until i surfed to ebay and eventually landed in this forum. until now i have developed into a true musician by heart and hope to excel more.. im glad to have you guys around i really thank you all... God bless
tenorgirl User ID: 9816503	Dec 28th 3:03 PM hello. I've been playing the tenor for 6 years now and would love to learn more about the c mel sax
Alan (UK) User ID: 8200143	Dec 28th 4:08 PM www.cmelodysax.co.uk
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Dec 28th 4:59 PM Also check out www.C-Melody.com
Ken UK User ID: 1689844	Dec 28th 5:52 PM Had my first sax at age 16 in 1968. It was a tenor, but a friend helped me transpose the notes in the tutor book to Concert pitch, like my guitar, and I played like that by ear for a few years. F# was E to me. After a break of 30 years I bought another tenor and began music lessons, but also found C Melody saxes through the computer and I now own a couple of Bueschers. Has anyone else ever played tenor with transposed notes?
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Jan 2nd 10:58 AM Ken UK - All my transposing is usually from either concert pitch into the pitch of the saxophone I am playing (Bb or Eb), or from the pitch of some other instrument or clef (F, Bb, Eb, Bass Clef, Tenor Clef, etc.) into the pitch of the instrument I am playing. It sounds to me like you learned to play using concert pitch fingerings. For examble, Concert Bb on the Tenor Saxophone was played with the middle finger of the left hand down and all others up. Is this right?
Ken Uk User ID: 1689844	Jan 2nd 5:15 PM WW2: Yup. Correct. That's why I could never play with anyone else (unless it was on guitar, or school recorder) for the next 30 years, until the band re-started those thirty years later. Smart eh?? ...no, not really , but I never met anyone else who was playing sax at the time back then ...and after; well I was pretty involved with work, wife and raising kids etc. etc. That's why when, in 2002 as the mid life crisis hit, I started music lessons with my newly aquired(Conn of course)tenor again at the age of 49! Five years later I'm still swimming against the stream of time trying to better my playing and reading. Finding C Melodies was inspiring, but I still have not managed to incorporate playing C Mel into the band. Do I feel a New Year's resolution coming on?
Wolf 1w User ID: 0192094	Jan 2nd 11:28 PM Any info on a Lyon & Healy C Melody. The serial # is 201111 and I am curious if this a Martin stencil? Has an engraving of an indian on the bell. Although I am a "Tenor Man" want to explore the world of C Mels. Any info would be helpful. Thanx Wolf
jazzbug1 User ID: 1836024	Feb 7th 8:15 AM I have played since age eight, so that makes for 51 years of saxophones and clarinets. I have been playing professionally (jazz)for 43 years. I own and play bass sax all the way up to a c soprano. I fooled around with c-melodies for about 40 years, but never seriously played them until about six months ago. I picked up a Martin, which has a bigger bore that the other brands. With a Goldbeck mouthpiece, it can play sweetly or nastily (did I invent a new adverb?). The bigger bore gives me quite a volume range. I am currently restoring a "Chu" model Conn and will see how that works, but the bore is smaller than the Martin, so I will probably sell it on Ebay. Many players compliment the overall sound of the C and many younger players don't even know about them. I sold my York (Buescher stencil) to another player, who loves it. Hello to all my relatives in Northern Ireland. I am a decendant of the Cuffe family who were landed British gentry when Ireland was occupied. The Cuffes were unique, as when they invaded, instead of pipes, they played pre-sax version of the c melody, called the quack-o-phone, hence the early-on bad reputation of the c melody, beginning in the fifteenth century. I am a Yankee in C Melody Land.
blue9girl9 User ID: 8910463	Feb 20th 1:14 PM I just got my c melody today. I am a flute player and have an alto but just can't deal with the Eb thing. My sax came with a case that's way too big -- a tenor case. I'm glad I found this forum because now I know where to get a case. Anyway, I've played sax for about 3 years on and off, mostly off, but flute for 34 years. I'm hoping the C melody will be more fun for me than the alto was (which was not very fun!)
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Feb 20th 2:27 PM Hi Blue9girl9. My daughter also picked up sax after playing flute for a few years. She had a problem until she studied the circle of fifths and discovered what transposing instruments (alto in Eb, Tenor in Bb) are all about. Now she is a killer tenor player and a powerful flutist (sorry, my dictionary defines flautist as "See Flutist"). Welcome to the site, and have a blast with that C-Melody!
alan (uk) User ID: 9245273	Feb 21st 4:03 AM jazzbug1 - great story, but the only quack-o-phone I've ever heard of was an eleven (?) string C&W contraption mentioned on some record sleeve notes. More info please (any paintings ?). Are you sure the Cuffe's didn't kiss the Blarney Stone before they left these shores ? ============== Bluegirl9 - hello from me as well - I can completelu understand the "just can't deal with the Eb thing" - it's what C-Mels were specifically made for in the 20's. If you don't play where parts are transposed/written for the Eb/Eb instruments, then why not stay with C. I've settled on C-Sop, C-Mel, C-Clarinet, and of course (C) flute & piccolo. Sadly I also like the low end of alto clarinet, so I have to play one little chap in Eb..........(and I still keep the Bb/Eb horns around for the rare occasion that they are needed)
jazzbug1 User ID: 1836024	Feb 28th 1:52 PM The "Quack-o-phone" had a semi-successful 19th century American president as it's most famous promoter. His name was "Mallard" Fillmore.
Toxic Oreo User ID: 1704034	Feb 28th 2:02 PM I have been playing sax since I was 9 and have never looked back. I have played steadily for the last 16 years on everything from Bb sop to a fairly fun stint on Bari (I discoverd that when playing jazz, I was a pretty potent low end...outblowing trumpet sections is oh so much fun). I have only ever owned an alto and a tenor, much to my chagrin. I discovered vintage horns my freshman year in college and instantly fell in love. I picked up a Conn 6m stamped vii that was in great functional shape for a song and haven't been able to look back. I am hoping to add a third horn, the a pretty little c-mel, to my stands in the music room within the hour. I heard a c-mel played in a blues band a few months ago and have desired one ever since...conviently around the time I started playing pretty regularly with a blues band.