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Missing Bb key on an old soprano sax
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Author:  paulrace [ Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Missing Bb key on an old soprano sax
A reader writes: Hi , I have a problem playing a middle Bb note in an very old Ancora Paris Grand Prix soprano ( no low Bb an no high F notes),please some advice I want to sell it but I don't want to have problems with the buyer.
Thanks in advance .

-------Our Response-------------------

Salomon, thanks for getting in touch. I don't know that model or whether it was really made by Buffet or someone.

Can you send me a clear photo of the right hand keys and one of the left hand keys, including the palm keys (the ones you hit with the base of your right finger)?

I may be able to see if there is an alternate fingering or a key missing or something.

Just reply to this e-mail and add the digital photos as attachments.

Thanks.

-----The reader responded with several photos including this one:

Attachment:
goofy_sax.JPG
goofy_sax.JPG [ 88.84 KiB | Viewed 11398 times ]
Author:  paulrace [ Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Missing Bb key on an old soprano sax
Our reply:

Your sax IS missing an alternate fingering key on the left hand that sax players often use when the whole song requires Bb. Some sax players may decide that's enough reason not to buy it.

The most common way they teach beginners to play is to play an A (pressing down with the first two fingers of the left hand) and use the base of the first finger of your right hand to press the rectangle-shaped key underneath that. That should open a pad further up and raise the A to a Bb.

There is also a sort of leftover recorder fingering, which requires you to play a B note (with the first finger of your left hand) and press the pad under your first right finger down.

A VERY archaic fingering to try might be to press down the first and third finger of the left hand.

I'm attaching a primitive graphic that shows those three ways. The first two work on almost every sax. The third one is just a guess based on some other instruments' primitive fingerings.

Best of luck,

Paul Race
SchoolOfTheRock.com

Attachment:
alt_bb_fingerings2.jpg
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Author:  paulrace [ Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Missing Bb key on an old soprano sax
The reader replied:

First option worked!!!
Really appreciate your help .
Best regards!

-------------------------

In the meantime, I've tracked down a couple other saxes of this brand online. Both are also missing the alternate fingering keys for the left hand. Don't know how I'd get by without the Bb key now that I'm used to having one - Paul
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