Pitch problems on a Yani.....

[Raptor717]

I have a beautiful Yanagisawa Soprano that was made in the 80s and has practically never been played. I don't really know what model it is because it doesn't say anywhere. However, it does have "Yanagisawa Elimona" engraved on it. The problem I have with it is that it doesn't seem to be in pitch. The mouthpiece I have used with it is the stock mouthpiece that came with it. Could this be a mouthpiece problem or is the horn bad? I'd love to play it but with this problem......Well you can figure that out. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[retread]

The entire scale is out of tune, or some of the notes? What notes?

[Raptor717]

Unfortunatley, most of the scale. Some notes are sharp while others are flat. Low G is pretty sharp but I have to really bite down to get the upper G close to pitch.

[retread]

Don't bite, it only irritates the reed. Seriously, practice Santy Runyon's mouthpiece exercise, which is explained in one of Paul Coats' columns at www.saxontheweb.net. Basically you blow the sop mouthpiece and reed only, aiming for concert Db. This gives you the proper soprano embouchure. Also, Yani sopranos need the mouthpiece very far on the neck, with little cork showing.

If you've already done both these, I have only one other suggestion--have a good tech check the key heights.

[Raptor717]

I just had it adjusted so I figured it was me. If I put the mouthpiece on far, it makes it extremely sharp. How do I compensate for that?

[retread]

Do you blow Db (C#) on mouthpiece only?

[Raptor717]

By that, I assume you mean open keyed. Yes.

[retread]

It's done with the mouthpiece OFF the horn--mouthpiece only. For details gor to www.saxontheweb.net/Coats/tone_production.html

[djonk]

After reading a couple of year's postings on pitch problems; I come to the conclusion that there are musicians out there having pitch problems playing a harmonica!

[Raptor717]

I appreciate the help. I will try this and see if I can play the soprano on pitch. I hope I can. It's beautiful. If I can't I might just have to sell it and get a vintage alto instead.

[retread]

Raptor, I don't know what other saxes you play, but soprano requires more attention to embouchure. Seems to me
I can get lazy with my tenor embouchure and there's rarely serious harm done. Get lazy with my soprano embouchure and the birds fall from the trees, wings covering their ears.

Yani's have a reputation for good intonation. I have an s990, which is probably the generation after yours, and I was very pleasantly surprised after hearing so many complaints about sop. intonation.

But no one just picks up soprano and plays it well. It is not a forgiving instrument. Delightful when you're playing it well, frustrating if you're not. Develop your soprano embouchure with the Ruyon method, then practice, practice, practice that embouchure.

[Raptor717]

Thanks Retread. I will. You're are correct. It is a different world.

[Raptor717]

BTW, I also have an alto, tenor, and c-melody.

[retread]

Raptor, how is the Yani working for you now?

[Raptor717]

Either it ot I still have issues. I'm leaning toward me.

[Buster]

I recently bought my first soprano which was a Yani s900. I had played other peoples sopranos but never with other musicians and never thought about tuning. As a rule I like Yani mouthpieces (alto and tenor) but when I tested the stock Yani mouthpiece I got with my soprano I found I couldn't get the upper and lower registers in tune at the same time. I now have both Vandoren and Bari ebonite mouthpieces which are relatively cheap but are both spot on intonation wise. You do have to be far more conscious with your embouchure on soprano but try some other mouthpieces.

[Raptor717]

Thanks Buster.

[Dave]

Raptor,

I have a Yanagisawa Elimona that a friend from church lets me use until he someday might want it back. What a great instrument. I find that I need to get it treaked often. Seems like some there is some memory retention in several keys. I have more difficulty with middle D and high C. Other than that it's typical low reg. flat and upper reg. sharp. But it plays more in tune than my tenor or alto. I just love the low notes that it plays.

[Perfect Pitch]

Elimona are the best of Yanagisawa...
You must therefore persevere and practice to bring out their beauty!

[quackattack]

replace the stock mpc!

[shmuelyosef]

After reading a couple of year's postings on pitch problems; I come to the conclusion that there are musicians out there having pitch problems playing a harmonica!

I'm sure that there are folks out there that can't play piano in tune, even if the best tuner around just finished dialing the instrument in.

[toughtenor]

I recently made a little recording on an older type yanagisawa ( even older than the elimona) with a selmer F mpc. it's on a soundclick page (see signature, willow) I have to be on my toes and not get carried away too much to , intonation wise but isn't that what the soprano is all about ? I find the Selmer (stock s90) piece a little easier to keep in tune then the stock mpc but I guess you have to try that yourself.
if you take A concert (the B on your sop) as a reference point, the rest should be within reasonable range. if not change your setup ( mpc/reed combination) and see what happens.
maybe your teacher can have a go at it? see what he/she has to say about this ?
or another player with some soprano experience ?
This is a little strange because the elimona has quite a good reputation.

[shmuelyosef]

Keep in mind that "Elimona" is not a model of horn, but a brand ID that Yanagisawa used for several of their top of the line horns, including 880s and 99x. I have an Elimona soprano that is definitely a 990, and plays spectacularly with a Yani metal 7 piece...no issues. I sold my Selmer after acquiring this horn, as it was so far superior.

[asaxman]

I'm sure that there are folks out there that can't play piano in tune, even if the best tuner around just finished dialing the instrument in. Yep, I'll go along with this1 :)

[BigVSax]

Keep in mind that "Elimona" is not a model of horn, but a brand ID that Yanagisawa used for several of their top of the line horns, including 880s and 99x. I have an Elimona soprano that is definitely a 990, and plays spectacularly with a Yani metal 7 piece...no issues. I sold my Selmer after acquiring this horn, as it was so far superior.

So, is there a way to tell what model I have if mine says 'Elimona' but no other model identifiers? Mine plays great and very well in tune, just to keep in the spirit of the thread. I hated the stock mouthpiece, though. Replaced it with a custom one.

[shmuelyosef]

You can figure out the model from the features and the serial # by reading about them at Ed's page:
http://www.woodwindforum.com/plugins/content/content.php?content.4