[Rackety Sax]

OK, maybe not so modest, but here goes...

Anyone else like these "Mouthpiece Sound Charts" on the Runyon website? They list four scales for each mouthpiece: Bright/Dark, Thin/Thick, True/Bent, Soft/Loud.

I'm sure the collective brainpower of SOTW can improve on this. What is the ideal limited set of measures for describing tonal differences when comparing mouthpieces, saxophones, kazoos, etc.?

For starters, to the list I would add something like buzzy/smooth or gruff/smooth.

Once we all agree on this twisted maybe we can add its use as a requirement for marketplace listings.

 

[fballatore]

Well, I'm no expert (and far from it), but I really like the charts on Runyon's website. I hadn't seen those before, and it would really be helpful if all the mouthpiece makers had similar charts on their sites. IMO, Runyon's charts seem to cover all of the tonal qualities that a mouthpiece influences. I think that buzzy/smooth or gruff/smooth are more a function of the reed and player, not the mouthpiece.

The thing that would be really helpful is that if the "collective brainpower" of SOTW could compile similar charts for other mouthpiece brands. Now that would be something. Sounds like a job for the Mouthpiece Museum... Look, up in the sky... it's a Bird, it's a Trane, it's Mouthpiece Museum!!

 

[retread]

The question would be "relative to what?" The Runyon site compares only Runyon models, which allows a standard of comparison. What could be the standard for all mouthpieces?

 

[Rackety Sax]

The question would be "relative to what?" The Runyon site compares only Runyon models, which allows a standard of comparison. What could be the standard for all mouthpieces?

All mouthpieces? I'm talking about all sounds in general! :twisted:

The Runyon site does not only include Runyon models. At the bottom of the link above is a scale for a "Selmer C#" [C*?] mouthpiece.

But you raise a good point. If this were limited to mouthpieces, one could think of the broadest range currently in existence on a particular dimension and use those as that dimension's anchors. For example, on the dark/bright scale, a 0 could be the Strathon Adjustotone (I think someone on the site said it's extremely edgy) and a ten could be a vintage Conn mouthpiece. A Dukoff might then be a 2, a Caravan an 8, or whatever.

Details aside, what do you think of the idea and what are the dimensions that should be included in such a scale?