How big do you have to be to play bari? [Archive]

CircaRevival

08-18-2005, 07:11 PM

I tried searching for a topic like this an couldn't find one. :| So...

How big do you have to be to handle a bari? What I mean is, to be able to hold it right and play it properly without you not being able to get your hands around it, or it touching the ground(maybe not so bad a thing). I'm about 5' 4" and about 135 pounds.

Thanks!
CR

Alto Giant

08-18-2005, 07:22 PM

Sorry, but I can't handle with you amrican guy's units ....

I'd say you should be about 1,70 metres and 75-80kg to handle a bari without getting a backache after five minutes.....

bariman

08-18-2005, 07:23 PM

You won't have a problem. I would just stick with modern horns though, their key layout is a little easier to handle than some more vintage horns. I hear Yamaha's are very tenor-like.

Bariman

Flower Power

08-18-2005, 07:28 PM

I know of a female bari player, about 5'5". She plays a bari suitable for small hands (Yanagisawa). No problems for her!

Greetings
Flower Power

CircaRevival

08-18-2005, 07:58 PM

Sounds good. Thanks guys!

Cheers,
CR

David Spiegelthal

08-18-2005, 08:25 PM

You'll be fine -- I might recommend a harness rather than a neckstrap, but it's not a necessity.
FYI, many years ago I dated a lady tuba player who was about 5'2" (in those nasty non-metric units) and barely 100 lbs. -- she had no trouble playing that beast and carrying it everywhere with her in a backpack.

Mike Ruhl

08-18-2005, 08:31 PM

kcp

08-18-2005, 10:25 PM

...
How big do you have to be to handle a bari? What I mean is, to be able to hold it right and play it properly without you not being able to get your hands around it, or it touching the ground(maybe not so bad a thing). I'm about 5' 4" and about 135 pounds.

I think you'll do just fine - I'm 5' 3" and 115 pounds here - Besides the fact that it looks awfully strange to people to see a baritone sax which seems to stand and play on its own, I've got no problem at all :D I've said it before, worth to mention it again (http://www.saxontheweb.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=191510#post191510) : The size of the saxophone matches the player's ego ;)

Stacey

08-18-2005, 11:09 PM

The size of the saxophone matches the player's ego ;)

That does it. I DEFINITELY want to sell my soprano and buy a bari, then.

Or a contra.

RickBusarow

08-18-2005, 11:18 PM

My first teacher was 5'1" and maybe 110lbs. Not only was she a bari player, but also an ice hockey goalie.

dirty

08-19-2005, 12:11 AM

A friend of mine is 5'3" and has no trouble playing bari. I myself stand at a towering 5'6" and have never had trouble with the horn, even when I was smaller.

barisaxplayer

08-19-2005, 12:11 AM

Girl bari player I know is under 5 feet(the bari is only a little shorter than her!!) and she's really small(~100lbs). She plays a cannonball just fine.

Brendan Muse

08-19-2005, 12:35 AM

If you can reach the keys, you can play it.

I have a friend who wanted to play bari for years, but he couldn't get his fingers down to the low C key. Poor chap.

And Kim, I've noticed that it's the opposite. Alto players always seem to have enormous egos, whereas we humble baritonists are so self-effacing as to be invisible. Hmm...

Stacey

08-19-2005, 12:40 AM

And Kim, I've noticed that it's the opposite. Alto players always seem to have enormous egos, whereas we humble baritonists are so self-effacing as to be invisible. Hmm...

Hmm... maybe I should keep the soprano, then... :twisted:

Stretch

08-19-2005, 12:41 AM

I'm a tall skinny tenor player who got a sore back after playing a bari the first days I had it with a shoulder harness. I immediately resorted to playing the horn in the stand and have done so ever since (2 1/2 years). I have a Yani with a low A. Bb baris are a couple of pounds lighter which could be a consideration.

kcp

08-19-2005, 02:42 AM

And Kim, I've noticed that it's the opposite. Alto players always seem to have enormous egos, whereas we humble baritonists are so self-effacing as to be invisible. Hmm...

Well hmm... you get me confused now. Okay, new theory: The bari acts as a HUGE facade to hide my tiny little insecurity problems... does that work? ;)

MPL

08-19-2005, 04:05 AM

I'm 5'4" (162mm) and 145 lbs., and I have no trouble playing my Martin Committee baritone. Only occasional problem: because I'm short, when I sit in certain kinds of folding chairs, I'm so low to the ground that the bow of my horn scrapes the floor if I move too much! Quite a shock when you're in the middle of a big band shout chorus.

Brendan Muse

08-19-2005, 04:18 AM

Well hmm... you get me confused now. Okay, new theory: The bari acts as a HUGE facade to hide my tiny little insecurity problems... does that work? ;)
Maybe instead it acts as proof that, while we could be egotistical, we aren't. Or something.

Randall

08-19-2005, 04:40 AM

in my experience, most bari players I have met were girls and they were rather small at that...so I really don't think size is such an
issue as far as playing the horn goes.

Holding it and marching or standing with it is another story.

I am 6'3" and around 240. I hold the horn in front of me and play it like an alto and most people say it looks like a tenor compared to me.

But I'll be the first to tell you- it gets tiresome and the darned thing gets heavy after about 30 minutes..
;)

CircaRevival

08-19-2005, 12:26 PM

Thanks for posting. Now rest assured I know I'm big enough to play bari.

Cheers,
CR

mwhaa

08-19-2005, 01:23 PM

yeah i dont play bari alot but when i do im just fine im about 5'8" 120 lbs, the only thing i have to make sure im doing when i play bari is where a neotech neck strap otherwise id have back problems, but yeah so a bari usually comes down to top of my knee cap mid thigh maybe and i play it pretty much like an alto or tenor(i stand almost all the time) so it rests up against my leg

-mwhaa

08-19-2005, 03:17 PM

If you're big enough to carry it by hand for five minutes, then I'd say you're big enough to play it. Then again, I know people who wheel them around like anti-walkers and they can play them well, too. Go play one and find out!

UNTplayer

08-21-2005, 12:44 AM

If you have short arms, you won't be able to reach the right hand keys on some baris. I can play Martin Committee (which is what I have), Yamaha 62, King Zephyr, but can't play Buescher 400 or Conn Naked Lady.

I second the recommendation on the harness.

Burt

hornimprovement

08-21-2005, 06:22 AM

I started playing bari in 8th grade. I was probably about 5' and 90lbs. if you like the sound, you'll figure a way to play it. I like the Walt Johnson shoulder strap to keep me away from the chiropracter. -Jeff

martysax

08-27-2005, 04:10 AM

I think you'll do just fine - I'm 5' 3" and 115 pounds here .... ;)

I'm twice your size! I could attach a strap and and harness to carry you like a sax while you play the Baritone and I play the Flute.

Imagine what that would look like on St. Catherine St.

joshuski

09-07-2005, 07:25 PM

I was a freshman in high school just about 5'. I went from clarinet to bari in one fell swoop for marching band. Took a little getting used to moving the volume of air needed for the bari. I did recently switch from the thin neck type to a Neotech harness.

tapdancesavy

11-06-2005, 05:37 AM

I'm a 5'5" bari player and weigh 130 and use a harness and haven't had any trouble. The way I look at it, compared to a contrabass sax a bari looks as small as an alto. Also, be wary with a small frame of neckstraps because neck arthritis can creep up on you! Good luck!

bariman987

11-07-2005, 12:00 AM

Im about 6'3'' and I have no trouble a t all playing the bari. My theory is that the bigger you are the easier it is to play large instuments.

jov1988

11-08-2005, 01:01 AM

My theory is that the bigger you are the easier it is to play large instuments.

wow lol brilliant deduction. thats a world class theory there!:D

Vortex

11-08-2005, 02:26 AM

I know a female, about 5'6, probably not more than 120lbs, who has no problem playing bari with just a neck strap. In fact it's her preferred horn. I do the same thing and I'm the same size.

wow lol brilliant deduction. thats a world class theory there!:D

Brilliant? BRILLIANT?!? That's not brilliant! How about another Guinness?

*one bottle later*

Does that mean larger people have a terrible time on smaller instruments? (ex. Cannonball Adderley was nicknamed for his round figure and played a smokin alto). Because if it does, then by nature smaller people should be better at smaller instruments, in which case this guy should be a star piccolo player!

http://garfieldridge.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/troyer.jpg

jov1988

11-08-2005, 03:45 PM

Brilliant? BRILLIANT?!? That's not brilliant! How about another Guinness?

*one bottle later*

Does that mean larger people have a terrible time on smaller instruments? (ex. Cannonball Adderley was nicknamed for his round figure and played a smokin alto). Because if it does, then by nature smaller people should be better at smaller instruments, in which case this guy should be a star piccolo player!

http://garfieldridge.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/troyer.jpg

was a joke, I know bariman987.

Mike Ruhl

11-08-2005, 03:54 PM

was a joke, I know bariman987.Yeah, really. And on a related note, have you ever seen Shaq shoot free throws? http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98/mikeruhl/ticking.gif http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a98/mikeruhl/nono.gif

paulwl

11-08-2005, 04:07 PM

Not only do many lightly built folks play excellent baritone, but there are an unusual number of short people among the ranks of bass saxophonists. Our own Merlin admits to being something of a fireplug in build, and I myself have lost 1/2" in height since acquiring my first bass (I assume from spinal compression).

I have been told Adrian Rollini was only 5'5". Harry Gold, from England, was so small that he was just barely taller than the horn.

Small World Dept.: Harry Gold bought his Buescher bass from Rollini in the late 20s when Adrian was resident in London. The horn is still being played, now owned by the remarkable Pete Thomas (http://www.petethomas.co.uk/saxophone-instruments.html).

Then again, there is Lee Patrick, who must be 6'3" or 4".

altosaxguy1

11-10-2005, 09:19 PM

im 5'2" and 90 lbs and my teacher says i have a very big sound

AhCheung

11-13-2005, 04:34 AM

So the conclusion of the poll is... you can be of any size (didn't Danny deVito 'played' a bari, or rather played with a bari in a 1980s music clip?), well maybe not Vortex's friend pictured above.

To me the question should be "how big should your hands be" or even "how thick should your fingers be". I remember borrowing a Buffet Evette and not being able to play Bb with the small key. My index kept slipping between the B and Bb key! and holding the hand at an angle was not an option.

It may be of interest to players considering switching over to bari --yeah I know some of you will say: you can't become a bari player, either you are one or you are not... but one has to try first to be able to discover if the bari is meant for him/her--) to know from seasoned players which models/brands are more suited for small hands/thin fingers!
I've heard Yanis are; I once played a low A SML (King Marigaux) so I can add it to the list... what else?
and which ones are 'reserved' for big handed players?:cry:

Sadie

12-04-2005, 05:10 AM

I'm really tall, but also female and rather lacking in the muscle department. However, if you use a harness it's a lot easier, and you just have to get used to it. I know a lot of people who are practically smaller than the bari and they're just fine. So no worries.

-Sadie

BayviewSax

12-04-2005, 02:01 PM

Get a late 60's low-Bb Mark VI, my niece could handle the ergos and she's 7. The only issue I've found playing bari (other than the American horns having too wide a spread on the keyboard to suit me) is that I definitely prefer to play standing up. True on all horns, but I actually have trouble filling the body tube sitting down. Mind you, if I weren't such a jack-***, I would just find a human sized tip opening, which would address the issue.

I tried searching for a topic like this an couldn't find one. :| So...

How big do you have to be to handle a bari? What I mean is, to be able to hold it right and play it properly without you not being able to get your hands around it, or it touching the ground(maybe not so bad a thing). I'm about 5' 4" and about 135 pounds.

Thanks!
CR

VeryBari

12-05-2005, 04:07 AM

I am holding onto a bari for a friend right now while he recovers from a stroke. As far as I know, the size of the horn didn't contribute to his illness.... He has been playing his horn, a 1928 Martin, while clamped into a rolling tripod stand. Even with a harness, it was too much for his old bones to carry, so he came up with this custom solution. Freaky looking rig, but it works for him. He doesn't have to hold the horn up at all.

Brassy

12-12-2005, 12:41 PM

Hi guys...well... I've married my bari sax!
I'm 1,57 meter tall and about 40 kg weight. No problem with him, a 50's Weltklang Low A baritone. We aren't afraid by difference of age :D!

Keisha Bedlam

01-14-2006, 03:31 AM

I'm a 5'2" female high school sophomore, and I march and play a Yamaha YBS-52 bari. I've never had a problem with it (aside from getting hit on by guys that are attracted to the big instrument *grin*).

martysax

01-14-2006, 06:36 PM

barisaxi

04-26-2008, 10:28 PM

well, i am 5'2" and weigh about 106 lbs.... and i love playing bari!
(and also, btw, i am in drumline at my school and play the biggest drum.... it is a 67 lb. marching bass drum... i'm the only one not afraid of it. :])

DavidW

04-26-2008, 11:49 PM

I still can't believe martysax is 10'6. He should be in the NBA instead of playing sax :D

BariSaxie

04-27-2008, 03:35 AM

I started playing bari in 5th grade...I don't remember how small I was (Im a female, too), but I know I needed a friend to help carry it!

After 8 years, still playing and (sometimes) pulling muscles...I do recommend a "harness". Helps take the pressure and weight off of your neck.

littlemanbighorn

04-27-2008, 03:55 AM

I still can't believe martysax is 10'6. He should be in the NBA instead of playing sax :D

Guys that tall always just end up with problems with their joints and being a waste of money for the team (I'm from Vancouver and remember "Big Country". ) Of course Marty would say that he's never had a problem with his joints.