Maui Xaphoon The Pocket Sax Manual

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Xaphoon

"The Pocket Sax"

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Summary of Contents for Maui Xaphoon The Pocket Sax

Page 1 Xaphoon Xaphoon “The Pocket Sax” “The Pocket Sax”...
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents About the Xaphoon ....................1 A tour of the Instrument..................2 Finger Placement ..................... 2 Mouthpiece ...................... 2 How Reed Instruments Produce Sound............3 Vibrato, Lip Control and Fine Tuning ..............5 Learning to Play....................6 Instant Gratification ..................6 The Upper Register ..................
Page 3: About The Xaphoon
Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 About the Xaphoon Congratulations on your purchase of a Maui Xaphoon! Your Xaphoon (pronounced “za foon”) is a very unique instrument, which produces the deep, rich sounds of a saxophone or clarinet, yet is lightweight and extremely portable.
Page 4: A Tour Of The Instrument
A tour of the Instrument The Xaphoon is comprised of only four pieces: the main body, a tenor sax reed, a brass ligature to hold the reed in place, and a plastic cap to protect the delicate reed when not being played. Finger Placement The Xaphoon has a total of 9 holes, and the fingers are placed as in the illustration at the right.
Page 5: How Reed Instruments Produce Sound
Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 reed to vibrate freely. Your tongue should be out of the way and not touching any part of the instrument. Your lower lip should come into contact with the reed approximately where the line is at the right.
Page 6 The Xaphoon uses a standard Tenor Sax reed, which is available in any music store. The unit comes with a #2½ strength reed, which is a good general- purpose strength. Experienced jazz sax musicians might want to use the harder reeds like a #3 or #4 to get a stronger, more powerful sound.
Page 7: Vibrato, Lip Control And Fine Tuning
Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 For best results, the reed should be moist (this will happen automatically as you play); many musicians moisten the reed in their mouths prior to playing. Reeds can last for thousands of hours of playing, but in the real world most reeds will end up becoming chipped, broken, or slightly warped before they actually die of old age.
Page 8: Learning To Play
Learning to Play Instant Gratification If you’ve never played a reed instrument before, this section can help you to quickly learn how to get a sound out of it. If you are an experienced sax or clarinet player, you may wish to skip the next two sections and go right to the fingering chart that follows.
Page 9 Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 If you couldn’t get a sound, try moving the mouthpiece further into your mouth and try again. An adjustment of lip pressure on the reed may also help produce a note.
Page 10: The Upper Register
The Upper Register If you were successful in following the above procedure, you will find you can play the first 1½ octaves (C to F) of the Xaphoon’s 2-octave range. changing the lip position on the reed and repositioning the instrument in your mouth slightly, you can also attain the high register (High G to High C).
Page 11: Fingering Chart
Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 Fingering Chart To finger the Xaphoon, all 5 fingers of the left hand are used on top; whereas 4 fingers of the right hand are placed at the bottom. (The right thumb is not used.) Take special care to make sure you can feel the edges of the holes and that they are sealed all around.
Page 12 Fingering (thumb) (thumb) (thumb) (Use slightly less lip pressure) C# Db C# Db D# Eb ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♭ ♭ ♭ ♭ ♭ ♯ ♯ ♯ ♯ ♯...
Page 13 Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 Chart (Right baby finger used only to support the instrument above “G”.) G# Ab G# Ab F# Gb F# Gb A# Bb A# Bb ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩ ♩...
Page 14: Instrument's History
Instrument’s History The original Xaphoon was invented by Brian Lee Wittman, a musician who lives in Maui, Hawaii. For over 25 years Brian has been making Xaphoons out of the bamboo that grows wild on the island. The bamboo has a beautiful burnt finish and possesses an old-world, handcrafted charm.
Page 15 Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 Finally I arrived at the rehearsal studio where I was due, only to find a major hero, Mr. Airto Morierra (the Brazilian percussionist) just happened to be there jamming with my delighted band members. I jumped in on my new axe, and found that its strong warm tone could be as full as a sax, and amplified very well in an electric band setting.
Page 16: Plastic Xaphoon
the chord changes, but it would not make much sense to transpose the entire tune to C#. There would be just too many cross-fingerings and lip adjustments. I have generally restricted my output to C instruments, mostly to avoid confusing beginners with too many choices. I will gladly make instruments of any key, but only if the customer is still interested after having attained some skill on the C.
Page 17: Care For The Instrument
Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 Care for the Instrument The Xaphoon is made of the same high-quality materials as many clarinets and oboes. Although the unit is remarkably maintenance-free, you can keep the instrument looking new by giving it a treatment of Armor-All once a year.
Page 18: Troubleshooting Tips
Troubleshooting Tips Symptom Suggested Actions I can’t get a sound, no matter This is probably because the reed is not free to how hard I blow. vibrate. Try sticking the instrument into your mouth an additional inch or two; then leave the holes open and blow as hard as you can.
Page 19 Maui Xaphoon • PO Box 1163 • Paia, HI 96779 Some notes sound a little flat Variable lip pressure, which allows the player or sharp. to “bend” notes, can also cause the player to inadvertently play a note a little sharp or flat.
Page 20: Do You Enjoy Your Xaphoon
If you have stories to tell of how you have been playing it and/or spreading the joy of music to others, please tell us about it! We love to hear stories and recordings of how people are enjoying the Xaphoon. You can contact us at: Maui Xaphoon PO Box 1163 Paia, HI 96779 Web site: http://www.xaphoon.com...