[texacan]

Does the brand and make of mouthpiece really make a difference in sound for different styles?

 

[RootyTootoot]

It does.

 

[Canadiain]

Well, the mouthpiece doesnt care what its branded as, but a small chamber large shelf baffle piece will sound a lot different to a large chambered piece with no baffle, so yes, different mouthpiece designs will have a big influence over the type of sound you can generate... If you get two brands that are of similar design, you might not be able to hear a lot of difference.


Thats not to say that a great player cant make whatever sound they want too within limits, regardless of the piece they are using, but for us mortals, the right mouthpiece can be a usefull shortcut to a particular sound concept.

 

[Dave Dolson]

Texacan: Like most saxophones differ, even among similar models, so do mouthpieces. But the REAL difference is in the player's embouchure. So "Mouthpiece A" may play great for you and poorly for me.

I am not convinced that styles has much to do with it, though. A good sounding saxophone is most likely going to sound good in any setting, playing any kind of music. I know I am not following the conventional wisdom here, but that's the way I see it. DAVE

 

[sycc]

On my alto I use a Larry Teal for classical and jazz. It is a classical mouthpiece w/ a round chamber and a long facing. I can get it to do what I want for jazz w/ my embouchure.

 

[saintsday]

The mouthpiece makes considerably more difference than the horn.

 

[chops2200]

I think a mouthpiece is kind of like if you were trying to wave to someone in fog......A good mouthpiece that fits you well will clear that fog and help you see (in this case hear/feel) what was already underneath it much more clearly.

They can help make certain aspects stand out, but your sound is YOUR sound

 

[texacan]

ok so how would I know which is a classical and jazz mouthpiece. I really want to know this

 

[J.Max]

ok so how would I know which is a classical and jazz mouthpiece. I really want to know this

There's not a great way to tell the difference just by seeing them, really. A classical mouthpiece will generally have a closer facing and a darker sound than a jazz piece. Good examples: Selmer S-80 & S-90, Vandoren V5 & Optimum series, Rascher, Caravan, Morgan "C" series, and Rousseau R and NC series.

And in a lot of ways, the mouthpiece is really the instrument and the horn is just an amplifyer.

I would recommend that you go to Theo Wanne's site to get acquainted with basic mouthpiece terminology. Click on the "university" link at the top:

http://www.theowanne.com/