I Don’t Want to Bore You……An Explanation of Saxophone Bores and How They Work by STEVE “SAXGOURMET†GOODSON As I travel around teaching and discussing saxophone design, I become more and more convinced everyday that the least understood aspect of saxophone design is the configuration of the bore. I am also absolutely convinced that there […]

BUILDING A BETTER BARI! As many of you know, I consider myself first and foremost a bari player. I’ve been to every continent except Antarctica with a baritone sax, and at one time or another have owned an example or two of all the major brands. I’ve also designed and overseen the production of several […]

An Ounce of Prevention……. I am forever amazed by saxophonists who show little or no interest in being proactive about keeping their horn playing its best. Surprisingly little time or effort is required for a few basic maintenance routines that you can perform yourself with tools and materials that you most likely have on hand […]

I was a paid writer for The Saxophone Journal magazine from 2008 – 2013. Here’s a list of my articles which were published there. They are all available as back issues from Dorn Publications. Of course, I have had articles published in quite a few other music magazines in the United States and Europe, but […]

  I promise that this explanation of the physics of saxophone playing will be totally devoid of higher math, complex formulas, or scientific jargon. I further hope that your eyes will not glaze over, and that you will leave this article with a clear understanding of the physics of saxophone sound production and how these […]

  It’s a testament to the genius of Adolphe Sax that our modern saxophones use a keywork system that is basically identical to what was used on the very first examples. It is true, of course, that the range of the instrument has been enlarged and that certain mechanisms have been improved. However, today’s saxophonist […]

There have been a great many pleasures and benefits that I have derived from my association with The Saxophone Journal over the years, and there is no question in my mind that first and foremost among them is the contact I get with my readers. It is an enormous source of encouragement to get the […]

A SAXOPHONISTS GUIDE TO NECKING by Steve “Saxgourmet†Goodson If you’re sitting at the bar talking to a group of saxophone designers, before long the topic is sure to turn to the neck, and it will be universally agreed that the neck is the most misunderstood and critical component in determining the saxophones sound and […]

bores I Don’t Want to Bore You……An Explanation of Saxophone Bores and How They Work by STEVE “SAXGOURMET†GOODSON As I travel around teaching and discussing saxophone design, I become more and more convinced everyday that the least understood aspect of saxophone design is the configuration of the bore. I am also absolutely convinced that […]

I’ve recently had an internet discussion with another individual about why the USA saxophone companies failed. Make no mistake about it, they didn’t withdraw from the market voluntarily. They failed because saxophone buyers chose to buy other horns. It’s as simple as that. The USA companies, which had every advantage in the world (more about […]

We have met the enemy, and he is us…….take a good look at the player sitting next to you on your next gig…..he (or she) may well be the reason gigs are scarce and pay is low. I used to participate in a discussion group on Facebook until I realized that most (but not all, […]

I had a fascinating and very enlightening conversation on the phone yesterday with a customer who was shopping for an alto. This guy (who is a regular poster on Sax On the Web, BTW) told me I needed to reduce the selling price of the Super 400 he was considering because “everybody knows you can […]

I’m often asked by my students and customers for some tips on how to get gigs, particularly the “right†gigs….I want to assure you that this skill is just as important as learning your scales. There are lots of guys out there who can play, but they don’t seem to work very often. Here are […]

  We were having drinks with some friends last night and discussing some of the comments we’ve gotten on my recent blogs, and the topic of ASCAP/BMI payments came up…..a couple of people around the table didn’t think they ought to have to pay to play recorded music in their restaurant or for the music […]

I read an interesting article the other day (at www.cnn.com) about the plight of the musicians in the Minnesota Orchestra……now as a matter of full disclosure, I want to state for the record that I am all in favor or musicians making as much money as possible, as this is in the best financial interest […]

I was talking with some friends recently, and it came up in the conversation that during the 70’s, you could hear a pretty good local band at a neighborhood bar for a five dollar cover charge. The club owner, of course, collected the cover charge and used it to offset the fee charged by the […]

The MK VI horns were built entirely without blueprints and underwent considerable evolution over the production run. The employees simply remembered what to do and made changes as they saw fit. There was not a huge amount of difference between the French assembled and Elkhart assembled horns. Most of the differences were cosmetic. Here are […]

I live in a city with two significant Jazz Studies programs at major universities, and have customers and friends who are either faculty members or students at major Jazz Studies programs at universities around the world. I’m often brought in to lecture at these programs, and I think I am as familiar as anyone with […]

The recent policy changes at eBay have made a bad situation worse if you’re a seller. If you allow returns, you must now give buyers 14 days! You must also give refunds only as cash refunds or exchanges, no merchandise credits. Couple this with all the other eBay BS such as no feedback for buyers, […]

Over the last couple of days there has been a rather vigorous and often quite heated discussion on one of the saxophone related groups I’m a member of on the subject of changes in the music industry and how it affects employment opportunities for musicians…..and of course, since it was a saxophone related group, how […]

I’ve seen a good bit of discussion lately about sending a brand new horn to a technician for a set up and adjustment before it is played. One of my students asked me about this today, and we had a pretty good discussion on the topic. Here are my thoughts on the topic: As a […]

I was having an email conversation this morning with an absolutely world class prick from New Zealand who objected to the shipping costs as too high……stating that he could get shipping services for far less…..well, maybe he’s right. We ship small packages via USPS World Express Mail. We do so because (1) we get a […]

First, as a matter of full disclosure, I want to make it very clear that I do not believe in the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, or Santa Claus. None of these entities exist, and nobody has ever been able to offer any conclusive proof to the contrary. Unfortunately, the saxophone world is filled with […]

I got a call from a guy I used to play with years ago over the weekend. He said he was letting me know that he was willing to sell his old Selmer for “only $25,000â€â€¦â€¦uh, yeah…. Seriously, boys and girls, do any of you actually have first hand knowledge of any 60 year old […]

As you know, our company manufactures and sells (among other things) saxophone mouthpieces and synthetic saxophone reeds. In the course of talking with customers in an attempt to assist them with their purchase, I have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of standardization in the saxophone accessory business. We recently published a reed strength comparison […]

Every business day it is my pleasure and honor to speak with several potential saxophone buyers who have expressed an interest in our instruments and who have questions about them. Invariably, I am asked to compare and contrast our saxophones with other brands on the market, and I am always happy to do so. I’m […]

Anybody who has ever visited my repair shop knows that I’m a sucker for tools…..if there’s a saxophone repair tool that exists on this planet that I don’t have, it’s most likely because I didn’t know it existed. Seriously, boys and girls….you can’t do a world class job of repairing saxophones if you don’t have […]