A Cool Saxophone Quartet

If only we could play this for Solo and Ensemble Contest (if we were talented enough...)

The Production of a Saxophone

Have you ever wondered how your instrument came to be? Saxophones (and every other instrument) take a while to manufacture in order to provide a quality instrument. Selmer Paris created the video below to show how that convert a piece of sheet metal into a true work of art. Be sure to watch this video, it is quite amazing what process it has to go to in order to be able to be found in bands everywhere.

Update

Hello everyone! If you are wondering why I haven't been posting in a while, it is because I have been out of the country and only came back last Sunday. It was an awesome vacation, but I did not have time to update my site. Also, since I have been back, I have been at band camp (which has been hard work but very fun) which has also prevented me from posting much. I just wanted to make this post to let you know that this website did not die. Also, I have the winner for the Forestone reed giveaway contest! To see if you were the lucky winner, watch the video below:



Congratulations to the winner and thanks to everyone who entered. Remember, there will hopefully be more giveaways coming up, so keep checking back! A new review will be coming up soon, so check back soon.

*CLOSED* Contest Time!

Recently, I reviewed Forestone Reeds (if you haven't read the review, you can read it here). The nice people at Forestone have agreed to give me one of their professional-quality reeds to give away for FREE! That's right, you can get a $25 reed for free! How cool is that? If you are the lucky person chosen to get a free reed, you can choose any of their strengths (they range from F2-F5), and they will send it to you absolutely free! So how can you get into this awesome giveaway? Well, here are all of the ways to earn entries:

1. Comment on this post with at least one reason why you deserve a free Forestone reed - 1 entry
2. Join my website (link to join is here), or if you are already a member, you still qualify - 1 entry
3. Answer the trivia question: Forestone reeds are made from a mixture of polyurethane resin and wood cellulose fiber, up to 50 percent of which is comprised of what material? (need help? visit http://www.forestone-japan.com for the answer) - 2 entries
4. Make a YouTube video at least a minute long talking about this contest and why you should win plus give a link to this post - 5 entries
5. "Like" Forestone Reeds' Facebook page (link here) - 1 entry
6. Refer members to join my site- 2 entries/person (limit 10 referrals, but of course you are free to invite more people)

Tally up the numbers, and that is up to 30 entries into this drawing! So, now that you have done all of that, how do you notify me of what you did? Just shoot me an email at saxtasticsaxophonegiveaway@gmail.com with a short description of what you did (#1- copy your comment and user, #2- send me your username, #3- send me the answer, #4- send link to video, #5- just write that you did...This is going to be on the honor system, please don't abuse this to get an extra entry, #6- tell your referral to email me with the subject, "I was referred by..." and put your username for my website Note: You must me a member of my site to get extra entries this way)

I will assign a random number for every entry and put it into Random.org. I will hit the random button 25 times (once for every dollar an alto Forestone reed is worth), record it, and post the video. The winner will have 1 day to respond to my winning email message, or they will forfeit their prize and a second drawing will be held. The deadline for entries is July 16th (but the drawing may be later because I have to process all the entries). Good luck to everybody that enters!

logo and picture courtesy of http://www.forestone-japan.com

Hodge Products Reed Case Review

First Impressions: Hodge Products sent me a black faux leather reed case that holds six alto sax reeds or seven clarinet reeds. The centered logo on the top of the case gives the case an elegant yet simple look. Opening the case, I saw a sloped acrylic table that holds your reeds. I also noticed messy glue work on the foam insert. Near the bottom left corner was a small yet noticeable glue splotch on the foam. There was also a chip near the top portion of the sliding lock.

Hodge Products Alto Saxophone Silk Swab Review

Hey everyone! Recently, Hodge Products kindly sent me an alto sax silk swab and a reed case. If you have never heard of them, be sure to read this review and the upcoming one on the reed case. They are a great company and have great prices.

Forestone Reeds Review

These days, synthetic reeds are a love-hate relationship. You either love 'em or hate 'em. But with advancing technology in our every growing society, companies like Forestone Reeds (pronounced "forest-tone") can help produce better synthetics and hopefully get more musicians to like synthetics. Read the review below on how Forestone is the future of reed production.

Website Spotlight: Jary Custom

Have you ever bought a mouthpiece and wanted it refaced, replated or just fully customized? Well, Mr. Jary at JaryCustom.com can do just what you need plus more. He offers refacings, adding a baffle, replacing or repairing a bite plate, and many other services. His prices are reasonable and he is a really nice person. Plus, if you want a fully customized mouthpiece, he can purchase the mouthpiece for you if you aren't sure which one you want.

*CLOSED* First Giveaway!

Hello everybody!

I decided I need to give some incentive to join my site, so I came up with a giveaway. I will be giving away items related to the saxophone as well as money! So how can you get in on these future giveaways? It's very simple. All you have to do is click this link, click "Join Site" and fill out the form. It only takes a few seconds and it will make you eligible to win some pretty cool prizes! If you are already a member, then you don't have to do anything else. If you become a member, you will also be notified whenever there is a new post on the blog. So here is the first giveaway. You win some awesome, never been used reeds (strength 3 and 3.5)! Okay, it's not a new car or sax, but it is free. So all you have to do is join the site to be eligible. I will assign a number to every member and use random.org to choose a number. If that number matches your name, you win! The drawing will be held once I reach 20 members, so if you really want some new reeds, I suggest you start inviting people to join!

Sara

Manhasset Symphony Music Stand Review

Hello everybody! Recently, Manhasset sent me a really cool red music stand. If you aren't familiar with Manhasset, they are one of the oldest music stand makers and very well known among the music community for the well made products. Their stands are found in schools and concert halls as well as homes of musicians who won't settle for anything less.