My Experience Making a Low A for my Low Bb Bari By Kevin Murray

My sax is an elderly (1920s?) Adolph Sax / Selmer stencil - to low Bb: see pic
Paul Coats has previously provided instructions on this topic ( here)- but my experience was a little different, so it may be worth recording for others sake - but essentially I followed his instuctions cautiously.

It is essential not to cut too short a length of pipe - in the UK, 4" plastic soilpipe is the best - cut to about 7.5" to begin and then test it. Bind one end with self-adhesive draughtproofer - from any Do It Yourself store - wrap it around a few times to give a comfortable padded ring: this is important - it allows some leeway on the final length of the pipe. When this is all done, try the pipe in the bari's bell: if it is flat - i.e. too long

- try gently pushing it a little further into the bari bell - it may be sufficient to correct: this is why the padded sealing ring is important, if the sound remains flat, trim 0.25 " at a time off the pipe.

You can estimate the correct length by playing down a C major scale (below low C to low A) - as in the attached .wav file

The silver spray paint job is the final touch. Then when you need a low A, it is available as in the .wav intro to "Moondance" - the accompaniment from the dog is purely optional! (Does anyone else's dog like to sing along to the bari?)

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