dave2sax
04-21-2008, 06:19 PM
I won't go into the details that Saxoholic did in his thorough comparison between the Fmaj7 and the Morgan 6M, but suffice it to say I agree with pretty much all of his assesments of both pieces, other than I really can't compare the two because IMO they are just two different animals.
Before I even got the Fmaj7 I was kind of expecting to be disappointed, but I wanted to try it anyways just to see what the fuss was all about. I typically prefer brighter sounding pieces, which is why I was expecting to be a bit disappointed.
On first play with my standard Java 2.5 reed, it felt a bit more resistant than what I'm used to. I quickly realized the piece actually felt less resistant when I tried to push more air through and faster. As I did that, I noticed this huge sound coming out of my horn, loud but still full - and it never seemed to stop. It was like this thing had no limit on volume. Next I noticed that down low, from G down to Bb my alto sounded like a tenor. I've never heard any sound that deep come out of my MKVi before. So, next up to the altissimo. No problems there either. Just another pleasant surprise of notes popping out up to D4 with very little effort - and with power behind them to spare. Not only that, but I could actually bend them quite a bit, and it was easy. For some reason, altissimo is easier for me with less baffle on any piece. This Fmaj7 gave me a feeling of control in the altissimo that I'm not accustomed to. The palm keys all felt better too - the palm key D3 on my horn sounds better with this mpc than any other, it just sings and rings and feels very open.
I was intrigued. The Fmaj7 had a lot going for it. But....it was darker overall than I normally like, especially noticable in the midrange. Next day I bought some RJS 2H and ZZ 2.5 reeds and that brightened things up a bit. I really liked the RJS reeds on this piece. I also started to find if I paid attention to directing my air, taking in a little less mpc and not biting at all that I could get a bit more edge in the sound. It was workable.
One thing is for certain - this is a mpc to be reckoned with. I cannot brush it off quickly like I can with most pieces after only a short trial. It would represent a distinct change in the direction of my sound, but that may be a good thing for me, some new things to explore. The Fmaj7 is a unique piece - limitless power, incredible low register and great altissimo. The resistant feeling will be a non-issue if I continue to play it more - it's already starting to dissipate. If I can brighten things up a bit in the middle with reed and lig selection and some minor embouchure adjustments, this could be a great piece for me. As far as intonation goes, I have to pull the piece out about 1/16" from normal or else I'm sharp, but no worries after doing that.
Bottom line is that it's a great piece, maybe not for everyone, but worth checking out. The power it has is seductive. Given more time, I expect the Fmaj7 will only feel better and better. My only reservations at this time are about the "less than brilliant" tone quality in the midrange, which is a departure from what I'm normally going for, but maybe that'll be okay too as is, or get better in time.
Before I even got the Fmaj7 I was kind of expecting to be disappointed, but I wanted to try it anyways just to see what the fuss was all about. I typically prefer brighter sounding pieces, which is why I was expecting to be a bit disappointed.
On first play with my standard Java 2.5 reed, it felt a bit more resistant than what I'm used to. I quickly realized the piece actually felt less resistant when I tried to push more air through and faster. As I did that, I noticed this huge sound coming out of my horn, loud but still full - and it never seemed to stop. It was like this thing had no limit on volume. Next I noticed that down low, from G down to Bb my alto sounded like a tenor. I've never heard any sound that deep come out of my MKVi before. So, next up to the altissimo. No problems there either. Just another pleasant surprise of notes popping out up to D4 with very little effort - and with power behind them to spare. Not only that, but I could actually bend them quite a bit, and it was easy. For some reason, altissimo is easier for me with less baffle on any piece. This Fmaj7 gave me a feeling of control in the altissimo that I'm not accustomed to. The palm keys all felt better too - the palm key D3 on my horn sounds better with this mpc than any other, it just sings and rings and feels very open.
I was intrigued. The Fmaj7 had a lot going for it. But....it was darker overall than I normally like, especially noticable in the midrange. Next day I bought some RJS 2H and ZZ 2.5 reeds and that brightened things up a bit. I really liked the RJS reeds on this piece. I also started to find if I paid attention to directing my air, taking in a little less mpc and not biting at all that I could get a bit more edge in the sound. It was workable.
One thing is for certain - this is a mpc to be reckoned with. I cannot brush it off quickly like I can with most pieces after only a short trial. It would represent a distinct change in the direction of my sound, but that may be a good thing for me, some new things to explore. The Fmaj7 is a unique piece - limitless power, incredible low register and great altissimo. The resistant feeling will be a non-issue if I continue to play it more - it's already starting to dissipate. If I can brighten things up a bit in the middle with reed and lig selection and some minor embouchure adjustments, this could be a great piece for me. As far as intonation goes, I have to pull the piece out about 1/16" from normal or else I'm sharp, but no worries after doing that.
Bottom line is that it's a great piece, maybe not for everyone, but worth checking out. The power it has is seductive. Given more time, I expect the Fmaj7 will only feel better and better. My only reservations at this time are about the "less than brilliant" tone quality in the midrange, which is a departure from what I'm normally going for, but maybe that'll be okay too as is, or get better in time.