mouthpieces

[CSK]

When I was in a music store yesterday, I saw a saxophone mouthpiece. It had Alto C* on it. Would that be a good mouthpiece for a beginner?
I thought about buying it, but wasn't sure if I should do this in case it wouldn't work for me. I will appreciate any help with this.

Carol K

[Martin Williams]

C* is generally an easy facing to play on for a beginer, but it might be helpful to know who the manufacturer is, since between different manfacturers are not the same with facing sizes and lengths, even when the mpcs says they are the same size. I hope this helps you

Martin Williams

[xuanvu]

You won't know if it work for you unless you actually give it a try... Try it and see if you like the sound, the reponse, the control, etc... and decide if you gonna buy it or not...

[CSK]

Thank you for your reply to my post about mouthpieces. The C* mouthpiece that I saw was at Ridenhours and it is an HMG which is a Ridenhour brand.

Carol K

[Joe Linux]

How much did it cost? I wouldn't put a lot of money into expensive mouthpieces. If you want to experiment with mouthpieces go the Woodwinds and Brass Online, and buy 3 Rico Royals @ approx $17.00 each and experiment with them. Mouthpieces that give a lot of edgy tone seem to play out of tune. In contrast the so called "darker" ones such as the "A" series blend better, and they play in tune more easily or naturally. I bought an A5 and a C5 for my tenor. These play okay with a Fibercell "soft" reed. I like the timbre of the C5 but much prefer the blending qualities if the A5. So with my Hal Leonard movie theme book, I'm using the A5 whereas with the Jim Snidero "Easy Jazz Conceptions" book I use the C5. Maybe the B5 will work with both. Again I would say it would be risky to just dump a chunk of change on a speculative mouthpiece. Read the reviews of the Rico Royals. People seem to like them, and they don't cost too much. One thing for sure is that you can hear the difference between them when you play.

[CSK]

The mouthpiece that I looked at in Ridenhours was about $24 or $25 I think and they won't let you try it out in the store and will not let you return it. So that means that if I bought it and it didn't work for me, then too bad. I would be stuck with it. That seems too risky to me. I guess the mouthpiece I have is ok for now. Since I haven't been playing the saxophone very long, maybe I shouldn't be thinking too much about experimenting with different mouthpieces. What do you think?

Carol K

[Dave Dolson]

Carol: I'd order a few pieces (the most common ones described on SOTW) from WW&BW and return what I didn't like for the small re-stocking fee and shipping costs. When you find THE piece, you will be glad you spent the money. DAVE

[saxchado]

Carol, I have a Yamah 4C that is a great beginner mouthpiece. Nothing fancy, but a good player. I'll sell it to you for whatever it cost to ship it. (let's say 5 bucks) if you are interested, drop me an e-mail or a private message.

[Joe Linux]

Since I haven't been playing the saxophone very long, maybe I shouldn't be thinking too much about experimenting with different mouthpieces. What do you think?

Well, I think you should experiment, but keep the costs low. Again I get back to the Rico Royals because there is a full line, about as inexpensive as they come, returnable, and several players have stated they like them.

But perhaps you don't need to change mouthpieces at all. Do you know what kind of sax sound you like? Are you getting close to the sound you want? Are you satisfied with your own sound? Are you playing along with CD's? Are you in tune with the player on the CD? Are you playing at a level where you can do the Jim Snidero "Easy Jazz Conceptions" book? Do you even want to play jazz?

Take advantage of the guy's offer to send you his old mouthpiece. Over time you will find other people who are willing to give away a mouthpiece they aren't using.

I would suggest you purchase the Saxophone Tipbook

http://www.tipbook.com/usa/index2.asp

It is a very valuable resource, and will answer many of the questions you are asking. It has a lot of information on mouthpieces and reed adjustments.

The reed is actually probably more important than the mouth piece. Reeds have to be matched to the mouthpiece. I like the sound of the Vandoren V16 reed, but I only have one of them, and it is or actually was too stiff. I softened it but it still is a bit too stiff. Even though the sound of the Vandoren cane reed is the best that I have achieved, I have still chosen to play a Fibercell, because of it's durability and alleged consistancy. So a perfect sound isn't the only issue.

[CSK]

Thank you for your reply to my post about mouthpieces. I sent Saxchado an e-mail and told him I would like the mouthpiece he offered to send me. It might be good to try some different ones. The sound I like is a nice sweet, mellow like tone. I am just starting to play some with CDs and I am in tune. I like different kinds of music - hymns, country, etc. I like Ace Cannon a lot. I have never been too much into jazz music, but I think I might like some of the smooth jazz. I do know that reeds are very important and I'm experimenting with this too. One trouble that I have is getting squeaky sounds, most especially from the lower notes like G, E, F#, D, etc.

Thank you for telling me about the saxophone tip book. I may get that.

Carol K

[Sakae]

That's a good topic...

I'm still making those word familiar to me, so I've entered this thread to learn what is "mouthpiece". Now I know. We call, here in Brazil, as "palheta" (don't even try to babelfish it, and don't phone your musicians living in Brazil, because it has the same meaning of "guitar vane").

Mine (I've bought only one, monday... Gotta buy another one) is a Vandoren, 2 1/2, but haven't seen the note (C* or anything else) yet... Ok, I HAVE to stop being lazy, that's the truth...

Other thing... I've read that you guys pay about 15, 25 euros for an mouthpiece. I'm sure you're talking about the really good ones, right? My Vandoren mouthpiece, I paid "only" R$ 11 (~ 4 dollars).

Can anyone give me a light?

[xuanvu]

I don't think that ~20, 25 euro can give you a good mpc, sometimes that you'll find a cheap one that sound great, but very rare... I spent lots and lots of money on mpc, from Beechler Diamond Inlay to Beechler Belite, Phil Barone (~$90), Morgan 1C (~$130), Jody Jazz ESP ($300), etc... I settled with a Lamberson that I got from another SOTW for $175 (buy directly from Lamberson or his dealers would be $300!)

[Joe Linux]

I don't think that ~20, 25 euro can give you a good mpc, sometimes that you'll find a cheap one that sound great, but very rare... I spent lots and lots of money on mpc, from Beechler Diamond Inlay to Beechler Belite, Phil Barone (~$90), Morgan 1C (~$130), Jody Jazz ESP ($300), etc... I settled with a Lamberson that I got from another SOTW for $175 (buy directly from Lamberson or his dealers would be $300!)

You spent more money on mouthpiece than I spent on my entire tenor sax. I think a beginner has to experiment with inexpensive mouthpieces before dumping a lot of money into expennsive ones. Look at how much money you spent on ones that didn't please you in the end. To me mouthpiece saleman seem to be in the Saxophone Snake Oil market.

[Joe Linux]

CSK stated: One trouble that I have is getting squeaky sounds, most especially from the lower notes like G, E, F#, D, etc.

Sounds like your horn has some leaks. Those notes really aren't all that low. Can you go down scalewise without squeaking or does it happen when you skip down to one of the lower notes? I doubt it is mouthpiece; maybe your reed is a bit too stiff. I would bet on a leak maybe on the G pad as the notes that you are have trouble with are all lower than that pad.

The Tip Book goes into the subject of "Registers" and I believe the notes you are having trouble with are in the middle register, and should be easily playable with proper embouchure and breath support. Are you blowing from the bottom of your stomach? The breath support has to be rather solid and stable on the lower notes.

A good beginner's book with play along CD is Hal Leonard's "Alto Sax Today" Book I, II, and Song book. The entire package would be around $40.00. Book I comes with a short DVD and a more complete CD. It sells for $20.00 as a set.

[CSK]

I took my saxophone to a repairman yesterday and it turns out that it did have some leaks in it. These have been fixed.

Carol K

[Fred]

Saxchado's offer was very kind - I think the Yamaha 4C is a decent place to start. Carol, did I miss it or did you not say what you were currently playing on?

Here's a pitfall in trying out mouthpieces: REEDS
Too often younger players get the idea that they should play a certain strength reed. Not so. Your MOUTHPIECE may work well with a certain strength reed, but if you try a different mouthpiece, you may not own a single reed that will work on it. The result is that many younger players eliminate great mouthpieces from consideration because the reeds they own made the mouthpiece unplayable. So remember the order: Mouthpiece first . . . then reeds that are appropriate for the mouthpiece.

For Sakae, your English is fine. I do wonder if you are mixing up Reeds (thin cane strips) with Mouthpieces (hard rubber/plastic/metal part that gets pushed onto the neck.) Your description of a Vandoren 2 1/2 sounds like a reed.

[Sakae]

I've messed up!!

Mouthpiece is what we call "bocal" here. Reed, so, it's the "palheta", huh?

Sorry about that... At least you guys learn something in portuguese (lol)

Thanks, Fred... If wasn't you, I'll keep thinking that people pays 25 euros for a reed.

[CSK]

The mouthpiece that I am currently using is the one that came with my alto saxophone. The name on it is NEMCO and on the side it says 3*. I use a number 2 Vandoren reed. I did not realize that you need to match the reed up with whatever kind of mouthpiece you have.

Carol K

[Joe Linux]

CSK remarked, "I did not realize that you need to match the reed up with whatever kind of mouthpiece you have. "

Yesterday afternoon I got a new Fibercell Premier 1.5 reed, a Fibercell Premier 2.0 and a box of 6 Vandoren V16 2.0 natural cane reeds. The new Fibercell 1.5 blows the most easily, and has a good sound (tone) with both the Rico Royal A-5 and and the Rico Royal C-5 mouthpieces. I still favor the C-5 mouthpiece, but the A-5 is very good too, but it is somewhat darker and more mellow in character. It has good projection with the new Fibercell 1.5 and still has the ability to play with style. The C-5 is more jazz like and has a more cutting sound that has more stylistic potential. I didn't play either with a play-along CD yesterday, so I'm not sure if the blending of the C-5 is still less than the A-5 as was the situation previously.

Today I expect the Rico Royal B-5 mouthpiece I ordered to arrive, and then maybe I will be better able to make a final decision. I think it's a good idea to have a couple of mouthpieces that play well, and which may be individually better suited to different rooms or playing situations. Also one could be damaged or lost, and I now have a backup that works.

Today, I finally know which stiffness of Fibercell is correct for me and my mouthpieces, and now I can order three or more of the 1.5's. I then will limit my playing time on each of them to one hour at a sitting as this is said to prolong the life of any reed. I have been practicing 3 to 4 hours a day with a single Fibercell that grows mushy over the session. I have sanded off the tip to make it a little stiffer as it has worn out (The reed is shorter, not thiner). But, the brand new reed has greater vibrance and excitement in its voice. If you are in a serious playing situation, it's imperative to have at least two and probably three reeds that you can count on. You had mentioned squeaks before, and I notice that the newer reed is more controllable, and much less squeak prone, particularly with the A-5 mouthpiece.

If I were going to play in Sunday worship service, I would use the A-5 with a good sounding reed. After its all said and done, the reed is the most important factor of tone, but then the proper mouthpiece provides the overall tonal color that combines with the reed to give the final sound. As for the intonation of my Kessler "Solist sax", it is very good at least up to the E, three lines above the staff. ( I haven't learned to play the "f" above that yet.)

I have made some adjustments to the sax itself: I added key risers to the left hand side keys, adjusted a few springs to make the action more even, reshaped the octave key on the neck to make it form more perfectly to the octave key peg on the body, Now no matter which way the neck is turned, the tolerance between the neck octave mechanism and the octave key peg is the same. The tolerance is close with only a small amount of free play in all rotations of the neck. Then I added a small shim under the fingerpearl of the left hand "g" so that the two pads that are operated by that key close more evenly. I can see a sax player has to keep a close eye on the action of the sax to be certain that everything is working or works the best that it can. Eventually I hope to understand exactly which pad or pads are being opened or closed with any given key combination.

[saxchado]

Carol, I sent that mouthpiece to you today. Enjoy!

[Joe Linux]

My Rico Royal B-5 mouthpiece came in. I like it. It seems the most expressive of the three. (A-5, B-5, C-5) I seem to be able to play it with more dynamic range, and it maintains a colorful flexible tone which can easily be shaped and contoured. I will still keep the C-5, but I'm not sure about keeping or returning the A-5. With the right reed, it plays well too. So I think I will live with them a bit more before making the final decision. I have a Runyon upper teeth cushion on each of these mouthpieces.