[arya44]

Hi there,
I'm just starting to discover different personalities coming from the mouthpiece. I found if I move my lower jaw outward it creates more buzz sound sort of like modern jazz character and having it closer to the tip especially with controlling the pinching I can create a sound more like clarinet (rounder more like a sine wave).
I'm wondering if someone already experienced changing their mouthpiece or reed to create a different texture and what it would be.
It may also depend on the sax body. I have a Yamaha YTS-61 and a new lower end Otto Link metal mouthpiece #6, with Rico Royal 2 1/2 reed. I found YTS-61 has a round sound to begin with and I'm wondering what mouthpiece could be a good choice for this sax to take advantage of YTS-61 personality.

 

[Agent27]

I think the word you're looking for is "tone" or "timbre"

I'm wondering if someone already experienced changing their mouthpiece or reed to create a different texture and what it would be.

That's pretty much the job description of a sax player. :mrgreen:

The mouthpiece/reed combination has a HUGE impact on your sound. There are different aspect of the mouthpiece that change the tone greatly. The outer dimensions, the tip opening, the thickness of the side and tip rails, the height and shape of the baffle, the size and shape of the chamber, and arguably the material and quality of that material. They all make a difference. You want a dark, lush sound? A mouthpiece with a large chamber and a low baffle is probably what you're looking for. A bright, edgy, centered tone? Then a piece with a small chamber and high baffle might be more your style. The saxophone is capable of producing many varieties of tones.

To learn more about the parts of the mouthpiece and how they affect tone, check out these links.
http://theowanne.com/knowledge/mouthpiece-features
http://theowanne.com/knowledge/mouthpiece-glossary

Reeds are also a big factor. Different reeds work better for different mouthpieces and different reeds get different tones out of your mouthpieces. If you're willing, you just have to try a variety to see what works best for you and your mouthpiece.

The vast majority of tone production takes place in the player and in the mouthpiece setup. The horn does play a role, but not nearly as much as the mouthpiece/reed/player.

Good luck.

 

[arya44]

Thanks for the info. Would you be able to suggest some mouthpiece brands/models that produce a softer tone sort of like a clarinet?
What about any models/brands for reeds that have this characteristic? I guess soft for me equates to less edgy based on your description.
Thanks again.

 

[ARC454]

For a round sound out of a Yamaha, I recommend a Selmer S80 C*. It is, by anyone's estimation, a reasonable mouthpiece for any situation. Get some reeds you like: I use Vandoren Java 3.5's, Lavoz Mediums, and some old, old, old reeds I found in the case. Basically, learn every nook, cranny, limit and edge of the mouthpiece, and you can get the sound you want out of it. That's my opinion, anyhow

 

[Saxophilist]

Thanks for the info. Would you be able to suggest some mouthpiece brands/models that produce a softer tone sort of like a clarinet?
What about any models/brands for reeds that have this characteristic? I guess soft for me equates to less edgy based on your description.
Thanks again.

A Vandoren Optimum TL3 mouthpiece with Vandoren v12 strength 3 reeds. This setup produces a very round sound, similar to the clarinet.

 

[arya44]

Thanks guys. I'll look into that. A friend of mine likes soprano over tenor sax because of the timbre possibilities in soprano sax. I think getting different sound out of a tenor may need a bit of more work but the pay off is having the warmth of the lower tones.

 

[Saxophilist]

Thanks guys. I'll look into that. A friend of mine likes soprano over tenor sax because of the timbre possibilities in soprano sax. I think getting different sound out of a tenor may need a bit of more work but the pay off is having the warmth of the lower tones.

It's very easy to change the tone quality of every sax. Just change the mouthpiece and the timbre will be different. Try the mouthpiece I mentioned above. It should give you the sound you're looking for.

 

[arya44]

Thanks. I'll do. Actually the shop in my town has both TL3 and TL4, and also V12 reed.
What do you think about TL4? TL4 opening is larger (still smaller than my Otto Link #6). Do you think TL4 with larger opening will produce a different tmbre compared to TL3? I thought TL4 may give me a bit more dynamic range.

 

[Saxophilist]

double post. see below

 

[Saxophilist]

Thanks. I'll do. Actually the shop in my town has both TL3 and TL4, and also V12 reed.
What do you think about TL4? TL4 opening is larger (still smaller than my Otto Link #6). Do you think TL4 with larger opening will produce a different tmbre compared to TL3? I thought TL4 may give me a bit more dynamic range.

Both are very good mouthpieces; try both and see which one you like best. The TL4's timbre is similar to the TL3, but is slightly brighter and has a greater dynamic range.

Also, since you have been using a rico royal 2.5, the v12 3 might be a little too hard. Perhaps a 2.5 v12 would work better for you.

Good luck

 

[arya44]

Thanks a lot. I bought both TL3 and TL4 and V12 2 1/2 and 3 reed. I found TL4 is having too much air leakage for me. The sound is more typical saxophone texture. With TL3, I was getting smoother and rounder sound plus no leakage even with #3 reed. Actually TL3 was the only one that worked well with #3 reed for me (I tried my previous mouthpiece too). The texture of TL3 and #3 is closest I get to clarinet so far. Although the payoff is I get quite a air blowing resistance so I loose the dynamic range quite a bit but definitely the texture is noticeably different than a large metal mouthpiece with a soft thin reed.
Another alternative that I'm trying to learn is using the bass clarinet mouthpiece on the Tenor Sax. Do you have any information on that? Are they identical in the pitch? Apparently switching the mouthpiece from Tenor Sax to Bass Clarinet would create a hybrid called Clarophone!
Artists like Trygve Seim (which I recently became fan of) use this approach. Also John Surman plays something that sounds like a Tenor Sax but with much softer and kind of wood resonation sound. I haven't researched that yet.

 

[Saxophilist]

Thanks a lot. I bought both TL3 and TL4 and V12 2 1/2 and 3 reed. I found TL4 is having too much air leakage for me. The sound is more typical saxophone texture. With TL3, I was getting smoother and rounder sound plus no leakage even with #3 reed. Actually TL3 was the only one that worked well with #3 reed for me (I tried my previous mouthpiece too). The texture of TL3 and #3 is closest I get to clarinet so far. Although the payoff is I get quite a air blowing resistance so I loose the dynamic range quite a bit but definitely the texture is noticeably different than a large metal mouthpiece with a soft thin reed.
Another alternative that I'm trying to learn is using the bass clarinet mouthpiece on the Tenor Sax. Do you have any information on that? Are they identical in the pitch? Apparently switching the mouthpiece from Tenor Sax to Bass Clarinet would create a hybrid called Clarophone!
Artists like Trygve Seim (which I recently became fan of) use this approach. Also John Surman plays something that sounds like a Tenor Sax but with much softer and kind of wood resonation sound. I haven't researched that yet.

You should be able to get more dynamic range out of the TL3 once you get used to it. Try practicing long tones at various dynamic levels.

How does the 2.5 work with the TL3? It should have less resistence than the 3.

And about the bass clarinet mouthpiece, I have never tried it before. If it fits on the neck of the tenor, I suppose it could work, but I'm not sure how the intonation would be.

 

[arya44]

That's true indeed. I played TL3 yesterday for the third time and I found that I have more fun getting used to the back-pressure and smaller tip opening and develop a different scale for the dynamic range. I think the dynamic range is still there but the whole thing is shifted to a more quiet range which I'm getting used to for sort of classic or new-age style phrases which I wouldn't discover with a more aggressive sounding texture. I still prefer the smooth tone of #3. #2.5 gives a bit of the typical sax mouthpiece buzz in the lower octave. With #3 I can manage having no buzz almost in the whole range. I think it's a better match to that kind of character. I guess it may be too early to judge. As you mentioned I should keep practicing.
Thanks a lot for the feedback.