[DoubleE]

Got to love the web man!

Just became a Sax newbie. I'm 46 and love making new noises... looking forward to actually sounding good.
I bought a L.A. Sax LA-725 for only $500 (read some decent and not so decent stuff on this choice) but I figure a good place to start.
Just invested in a JodyJazz HR* 5M since the stock piece is not made well. Okay, it sucks.
My question:
I understand that Tenor/Alto/Soprano/Baritone all use a different mpc... correct? I'm concerned with the piece that slides onto the cork...
Who knows of a website, that shows the SIZE of the mouthpiece opening that fits onto the Cork for various types of saxophones (and clarinet mpc's if you know that also)?

I would like to see a site that shows me specific dimensions and pictures.

Also, is there a site that explains the science of how the sound gets BIGGER by going through the Sax body... and how the difference between a Tenor and Baritone are created?

Thanks for your experience, advice and assistance in advance.

Clark 'be coo' and Blow Hard, Blow Good!

 

[Dave Dolson]

DoubleE: Welcome to SOTW. Yes, each size saxophone USUALLY uses a mouthpiece made specifically for that size of horn. There are exceptions - C-Mel with tenor pieces, etc.

The internal diameters of mouthpiece barrels vary. I don't think there is a standard . . . from 'nino to bass. And, I don't know that anyone has ever catalogued the measurements from maker to maker, or style to style.

The adjustments for varying mouthpiece barrel sizes is done by the changing the circumference of the neck corks. As an example, I recently bought two Morgan Vintage soprano pieces and they were too big for my neck corks. My Selmer Super Session pieces fit perfectly. I took my sopranos to Scimonetti's in Lancaster and had them replace the neck corks with a bit bigger corks. Now my SS pieces are tighter, but the Morgan pieces slide right on without having to wrap small pieces of paper around the corks each time I put the Morgans on my horns.

The lowering of pitch is merely the air column becoming longer as it passes through the instrument. The shorter air column of an alto is going to make that horn higher in pitch than the longer air column passing through a baritone.

And that's why the notes rise in pitch as the player opens more tone holes on any instrument. Trumpet/trombone/tuba is the same principle . . . by lowering valves or extending the slide, the air column travels further and becomes lower. DAVE

 

[DoubleE]

Thanks for the info Dave. Anyone else have links for saxophone designs?