What instrument is this and how is it making that sound?

November 14, 2022 7:25 AM

I recently heard a version of "Why don't you do right?" by Julie London and can't tell what instrument(s) is playing a refrain in the song - a brass line with a vibrato/modulation effect that's audible here (from 1:22 to 1:29) and in several other parts of the song.

I'm guessing the part in question is played by a brass section (or maybe just trumpets or saxophones), but I'm curious to know which instruments in particular. And how do they produce the vibrato/modulating effect? My first guess was that it might be a trumpet mute wah-wah effect, but I would expect that to sound different.

Can someone with more musical knowledge than me help answer? (Bonus points if you can share a video or page that demonstrates how the effect in question is implemented ;-)

posted by ciocarlia to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Best answer: It's definitely saxophones playing with heavy vibrato. it's hard to tell if there are trumpets mixed in. There are already muted trumpets panned left, and since these kind of songs were usually recorded live, there probably aren't more trumpets on the right. There could be clarinet mixed in, though.

They're just playing with VERY heavy vibrato. Guy Lombardo's orchestra is probably the best known example of this technique (in particular, their version of Auld Lang Syne from the 40s, which you've most likely heard).

Here's a thread about this technique. In the first video, go to about 9:30 to hear the saxes doing this technique.
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:33 AM on November 14, 2022 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Here's a nice detailed explanation/demonstration of vibrato on a sax (though the examples are classical). Players use their jaw and embouchure to change pitch, often using a "wah wah" motion, but Wonki Li seems to be an expert and says "yai yai" is better.
posted by SaltySalticid at 7:59 AM on November 14, 2022 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you both for the answers. That makes sense :-)
posted by ciocarlia at 8:20 AM on November 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Just chiming in to say that this is definitely just saxes, you can hear the difference between sax vibrato and the trumpet vibrato that comes on the hits immediately after (~1:29).

(Also, technically saxes are not brass instruments, even though they're generally made of brass, because the actual sound is being produced by blowing across a small wooden reed attached to the mouthpiece, like a clarinet or oboe, and not by blowing through the player's pursed lips, like a trumpet, trombone or tuba).
posted by firechicago at 8:34 AM on November 14, 2022 [5 favorites]