[Lorentz]

I use a Soprano Planet mouth piece (0.065) and use number 2 reeds (Hemke), the sound is beautiful. But there will be some annoying "spitty" sounds, like you'd get from a deep fryer, after playing for a while. I know it is water condensation on the reed. Because when i take out the reed from the mpc, and wipe the saliva on the reed away, and then put the reed back and play, the spitty sound is gone. So, how do i minimize this sound? is it too large opening? or something wrong with the reed?

By the way, i don't have this problem on Tenor. I use a Jody Jazz CHI in Tenor.

And does any Joe Allard 's student know how to minimize the saliva problem?

 

[EZ]

Re: Annoying spotty saliva sound

The saliva is being trapped at the tip of the baffle and reed. Normally condensation or saliva makes it's way down the chamber of the mouthpiece and into the neck. If you must use a 2 reed, then the baffle near the tip rail needs to be lowered slightly to allow the saliva to "vent" away. This could change the tone VERY slightly, but it will clean up the sound.

If you use a stiffer reed, does the problem go away?

 

[reedsburn62]

Re: Annoying spotty saliva sound

Faster air stream.

 

[dunkit2323]

Re: Annoying spotty saliva sound

Faster air stream.

I don't know about "air speed." I find that when I get the fuzzy sound, if I tighten my embouchure enough, it will go away. I only do this when I am unable to stop playing to wipe off the reed or suck the spit out.

 

[reedsburn62]

Re: Annoying spotty saliva sound

Has everything to do with it. I never have to stop and wipe of my reed. Been playing professionally for 20+ years, teach at the college level. I just might know something about this.

 

[dunkit2323]

Re: Annoying spotty saliva sound

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course. Personally, I don't agree with the concept of air speed in general. If you increase your air speed, you are putting more air into your horn. More air = More volume. To play softly, we use less air with the same amount of support. So then by this logic we must decrease our air speed to play softly? Does that mean that the saliva sound will come back when you play soft now?

I'm sorry, like I said....the air speed thing just doesn't really make sense to me.

 

[daigle65]

Re: Annoying spotty saliva sound

Try cork grease in the chamber.

It's discussed in this thread:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?164377-BA-alto-and-quot-spitty-quot-sound..../page2

 

[Lorentz]

Re: Annoying spotty saliva sound

Than you guys!!! And I agree with Dunkit2323, it seems that air speed is not the solution...

i will try this today, but, would anyone tell me where is the shank? i have googled it, but the only pic of anatomy of mpc i can find is the attached jpg file.

Try cork grease in the chamber.

It's discussed in this thread:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?164377-BA-alto-and-quot-spitty-quot-sound..../page2

 

[Sigmund451]

Re: Annoying spotty saliva sound

The shank is the part behind the table...the part that goes on your cork first....opposite the tip.

It has nothing to do with your problem and offers no solutions.

 

[reedsburn62]

Okay, soft volume with less air speed, intonation goes south. Air speed does not equate to volume, it's air support not how hard you blow. So let's call it for the sake of argument, air support, same deal though. I've been teaching this concept for some years as it was taught to me and it works. So for me, it's not an opinion but a fact. Of course if you want to stop in between tunes, remove your reed, wipe the spit of, re-assemble everything and play, repeat etc., go ahead. I just played a gig where I had to play the extremes of volume, guess what no spit on the ppp volume, and lots of air support/speed. So OP, try long tones: one note for 16 beats at 60 BPM, start pp, crescendo evenly to FF by 8 beats and decrescendo back to pp without changing the tone, timbre, intonation, etc. of note. Do this, take a breath and go to another note. Chop builder as well as breathing builder. Trying to keep the note sounding the same through the dynamic change is difficult but will help.

 

[mi000ke]

And if all else fails, just suck on the mouthpiece and out comes the excess juice....anyway works for me in a pinch - although not recommended mid-solo

 

[reedsburn62]

And if all else fails, just suck on the mouthpiece and out comes the excess juice....anyway works for me in a pinch - although not recommended mid-solo

Yes, you are correct.

 

[Joe Giardullo]

Hi folks

Lorentz contacted me about this and I asked him if he had changed the way he delivers the air into the mouthpiece, because he didn't have this problem until recently and he's had that piece for a while.

He told me he had changed, effectively "narrowing" the oral cavity and was now ( my words) "sliding" the air into the piece more.

And that's when the issue arose.

EZ is exactly right about the solution (no surprise there).

What had been a good balance in his piece is now slightly out of balance because of that change in the delivery of the air.

I recognized it because I went through exactly the same issue years ago, and for the exact same reason.

It's a slight but important adjustment behind the tip.