Jazz Mouthpieces Revisited

by Paul R. Coats

In a recent discussion with a local high school band director the selection of mouthpieces for jazz and marching band came up. In an earlier handout, "First Jazz Mouthpiece", I gave specific recommendations but feel the need to go a little further.

First off--metal vs. rubber (or synthetic): Jazz and classical mouthpieces are available in both metal and non-metallic materials. Dr. Frederick Hemke is noted for using the Selmer Metal mouthpieces for his classical performances on alto and tenor. A few years ago I saw a Boston Pops performance on PBS in which I noticed the tenor and bari players using metal mouthpieces, the altos, hard rubber. The tone quality of a mouthpiece is influenced more by the shape of the baffle and chamber than by the material from which it is made--though the material does contribute to the tone since the mouthpiece also vibrates. The problem with recommending a metal mouthpiece to a high school student (or many college students) is that they have not fully developed their embouchure or playing style. Since metal mouthpieces start at well over a hundred dollars, and may run to several hundred, it would be unwise to advise a young player to buy metal. There are many good rubber and synthetic mouthpieces to choose from at a much more affordable price.

High school and college students may have to change mouthpieces several times before finding models suited to their needs. Metal mouthpieces are difficult to reface and should not be refaced as this will break through the silver, gold, or chrome plating, exposing the user to possible brass poisoning. A hard rubber or synthetic mouthpiece may be easily refaced to the player's changing needs. When a player is experiencing choking up at high volume he may need a stronger reed (no more than a #3) or a larger tip opening. If the student has to use a reed stronger than a #3 then his mouthpiece's tip opening is too close. If there are problems controlling the tone, difficulty playing softly, playing the low register, or embouchure fatigue, a smaller tip opening may be needed. This is usually overcome in a week or two as the player becomes accustomed to the new mouthpiece, unless an extremely large tip opening was selected. The Runyon #6's should suffice, though strong students may do better with #7's. These sizes translate to .074"-.078" (#6-#7) for alto, .086"-.090" for tenor, and .089"-.093" for bari. Most pros play #7's and #8's in the Runyon facings.

Note that each manufacturer has its own unique numbering system. A #5 in one brand may be a #7 or a letter size in another. This strange setup causes confusion which is only solved by referring to the charts.