Written by Paul Race for Creek Don't RiseTM, SchoolOfTheRockTM, and Classic Train SongsTM

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In this Issue - August, 2014

If you don't remember signing up for this newsletter, that's okay - you didn't, exactly. Everyone on this list has visited either Creek Don't Rise^TM or SchoolOfTheRock^TM, and signed up for the newsletter affiliated with that site. And then they never got one.

My apologies. I've had so many other projects going on, I never had the time to do newsletters for either site.

Now that both sites are getting a lot of traffic, it is high time to fix that omission. However, the sites overlap in content and readership enough that it seemed silly to try to maintain two different newsletters and mailing lists. (Or more, once you start counting in our smaller music pages, like the Classic Train Songs^TM page.)

So we've started the "Momma Don't 'Low" newsletter to include topics that would appeal to our various audiences, including:

• Acoustic, folk, and roots music artists and fans,

• Vintage saxophone lovers,

• Contemporary Christian Music fans,

• History buffs, and

• Many others

If you don't feel like this is what you signed up for, please e-mail me with a "Please Unsubscribe" message (worded any way you wish), and we will graciously remove you from our list. We certainly understand. Technically it ISN'T what you signed up for. But I hope you find it interesting and helpful, at least.

For more information about the genesis of this newsletter and the name we chose, please check out the following link:

http://creekdontrise.com/newsletter/mdl_index.htm

This issue's articles are:

• New Americana/Roots/Folk Music Discussion Forum

• Deering's Six-String GoodTime Strikes the Right Note

• Vintage Sax ID Tips

New Americana/Roots/Folk Music Discussion Forum

http://CreekDontRise.com/forums

To sign up for the forum (and this newsletter, if you wish), click the following link:

http://creekdontrise.com/creek_forum_signup.htm

Deering's Six-String GoodTime Strikes the Right Note

One reason for the difference between a six-string banjo and a flat-top guitar is that the resonator (and tone ring, if it has one), make the strings sustain much longer than they do on a guitar, resulting in a cacophony reminiscent of playing the piano with the sustain pedal nailed to the floor. Fortunately, you can adjust for that, as our article on Six String Banjos explains. But if it's too hard to make those adjustments, finding a six-string banjo with a wooden pot and removing the resonator will give you an instrument that's easier to sound good on.

Deering's new "Solana 6" banjo goes one better - it is not only "backless," it also uses nylon strings, today's equivalent of the "catgut" strings banjo players used 120 years ago. This actually gives the things an authentic, pre-Bluegrass sound you don't often hear today. It also removes most, if not all, of the obstacles of playing the thing using common guitar techniques.

In addition, the slotted head gives an authentic look - that was common "in the day" as well. No, they're not cheap. Until the warehouses are full of them, and at least some discounting occurs, it will be a lot easier to afford a cheaper model (especially since so many folks who buy six-string banjos expect to sound like banjo players overnight, and dump the things when they don't). But if you can afford to wait a little longer or save a little more, or if you live somewhere that you can get your hands on the thing, I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised.

To jump to the description on the Deering site, click the following link:

http://deeringbanjos.com/collections/6-string-banjos-the-guitar-players-banjo

To read our article on six-string banjos, click the following link:

http://creekdontrise.com/acoustic/six_string_banjo/6_string.htm

Vintage Sax ID Tips

Different brands added their improvements on different schedules, so there are overlaps. But except for the Paris-manufactured Selmer horns (which all manufacturers started imitating by 1980), the following guidelines usually apply.

For example, most first-generation low-pitch saxophones (1914-1932) can be identified by:

• The words "Low Pitch" or the letter "LP" near the serial number and thumb rest, and
• The low B and Bb pads are on opposite sides of the horn

In that era, the differences between student and professional horns had more to do with quality control and fancy finishes than with engineering.

The improved and transitional models (1924-1980) can often be identified by the low B and Bb pads both on the left side of the bell according to the player's point of view. Most horns made before World War II that have both pads on the left side of the bell were professional horns in their day, although after the war, several manufacturers upgraded their student lines to include that configuration.

The post-Yamaha redesigned horns (1967-now) all have both the low B and Bb pad on the right side of the bell, borrowing the action that the Paris-built Selmers had been incorporating for decades. Some, like the Selmer Bundy II, were made in the United States for a time. But the vast majority have been made in Asia.

The first Yamaha/Vito saxes (YAS-21 and YTS-21) were so distinct that I consider them classics in their own right. But most saxophones made since 1980 are simply Asian imitations of Yamaha's interpretation of the Selmer Mark VI. There are differences in quality control and quality of materials, but there are few substanial differences in engineering. The next time you see an eBay or flea market seller advertising a horn with this configuration as "vintage," assume that he or she is wrong about other things as well.

To read our article on Vintage Pro Saxophone Timelines, click the following link:

http://schooloftherock.com/html/vintage_pro_sax_timeline.html

To read our article on Evaluating Vintage Saxophones, click the following link:

http://schooloftherock.com/html/evaluating_vintage_saxophones.html

More To Come

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On the other hand, if you like what we're trying to do and have suggestions or encouragement to pass on, simply go back to the e-mail you received and reply to it, and we'll see your comments.

Make lots of music and have a great rest of the summer!

Paul Race
SchoolOfTheRock^TM
Creek Don't Rise^TM, and
Classic Train Songs^TM