IN THE WORKSHOP
Mission Statement
Imagine for a moment a saxophone without tone holes.
Just mouthpiece and body.
All you can play on it is the lowest note (the fundamental) and its overtones (the partials).
You can make an objective statement about its sound and how it speaks. How well does the instrument's shape and material support the forming of an oscillating air column?
Now back to a regular saxophone with its 24 tone holes capped off with pads made from felt and leather. Somewhat surprisingly, the air column forms despite the irregularity that comes with tone hole chimneys and pads. The tone holes are only there to lengthen and shorten the air column, not to change or improve the sound.
That brings us to the role of resonators.
Resonators are discs made from different materials and cover the pad where it is exposed to the inside of the body. They help with the resonance of the instrument by reflecting the molecules of the oscillating air column. A pad without a resonator/reflector tends to absorb and diffuse the movement of particles.
Maximum reflection is achieved by a smooth and rigid surface. That's why I want to cover as much of the pads' leather and felt surface as possible. This coverage and associated reflection helps achieve the goal of my craft: optimizing the instrument so – through the player – it speaks true to its nature.
In the Workshop
For this purpose I’m using nickel-plated convex brass resonators made by Pisoni Italy.
I install the biggest size I can fit in regards to the tone hole size instead of using pads with preinstalled resonators. In order to achieve the maximum rigidness of the reflector, I attach its rivet firmly to the inside of the key by cooling down the hot shellac while pressing the pad into the key cup.
Through these custom resonators, I am not trying to make the instrument sound “brighter” or “darker.” I want the instrument to speak as well and even as possible; true to its own nature.
No hollow space there. No semiflexible hot glues or contact adhesives. Shellac is very stiff at room temperature. When you close the keys of a saxophone that has been overhauled in that fashion, you are as close to the saxophone without tone holes as you can get.