[calisax]

Hey everybody! I just got my new Meyer metal alto mouthpiece from wwbw today. I must say, I love the way this piece plays. I ordered a 7 because I tried a 5 at a local music shop and felt that I needed to open up a bit. This 7J plays great for me, and really works well with my embouchure. Altissimo is accomplished so incredibly easy in comparison with my link 6. The upper range is absolute perfection for my taste, however, I'm having difficulty hitting the lower range, low C - down to Bflat. I've been playing with the same mouthpiece for so long now that I figured I'd ask others' advice on what I'm most likely doing wrong here. Did I go too wide with a 7? Other than the lowest notes, it feels superb. Should I just drop down a half-size on the reed, or loosen my mouth? Perhaps my horn is ready for a tune-up, it's spent quite a few hours in the hot truck lately between work and play. Any advice is greatly appreciated... thanks!

 

[twsax]

The embrochure has a lot to do with it.

You really shouldn't change your embrochure at all in different registers of the horn. "Loosening up your mouth" when playing in the low register is a bad habit. The embrochure should remain constant.

In my experience, I found that I had to get my act together with my embrochure first before messing with different mouthpieces, reed sizes, ligs, etc...

It is essential that you are confident and proficient in your embrochure above all else. (Supporting is also just as important but i don't want to get into too much...)

 

[Jonathan C.]

Try changing reed sizes. About a Step or a half if you can. That really helps with getting the sound out.

 

[littlewailer]

I seem to be having a similiar problem too.
only my problem is less consistant. C#1 always wants to go into the octave overtone unless I play forte or higher. B1 has to pop out a little. But C and Bb it is sometimes scary how quietly I can play them. Bb more so.
Horns fine (no leaks) and the only thing that has changed as of late is I switched my lig to a Rovner light and inverted it so it wouldnt ding up my dukoff. And also reeds are in constant rotation but i think i'm sticking with zz's.

 

[MojoBari]

You should almost always go to a softer reed when going to a larger mouthpiece tip size. But you did not say what you had been playing on.

 

[Razzy]

I seem to be having a similiar problem too.
only my problem is less consistant. C#1 always wants to go into the octave overtone unless I play forte or higher. B1 has to pop out a little. But C and Bb it is sometimes scary how quietly I can play them. Bb more so.
Horns fine (no leaks) and the only thing that has changed as of late is I switched my lig to a Rovner light and inverted it so it wouldnt ding up my dukoff. And also reeds are in constant rotation but i think i'm sticking with zz's.

There is almost certainly a problem with the G# lever, probably the upper of the two adjustment screws. Either it needs to be turned a quarter-turn clockwise or the cork/felt on the bottom of it needs to be repositioned or trimmed down on one side. I know you said "no leaks" but when problems are experienced in a counterintuitive way on the bell tones (i.e. lowest respond fine, just above does not), this is almost always the root of the problem, and it will not make itself evident in any other notes on the instrument.

Also correct me if I'm wrong, but inverting a rovner would put the screw on the back of the reed, correct? Euch! Just put some tape on top of your mouthpiece and put that lig on the correct way. this might help your problems, also.

 

[calisax]

Thanks for all of the advice fellas. I haven't had a chance to play again since I started this thread. I'll probably swing by the music store downtown on the way home from work and get a couple of 2 hemke's. This may fix the problem I'm having. I may have been better off buying a 6 tip on the mouthpiece, being that I was playing on a 6 otto link STM. However, like I said the upper register sings so beautifully, I hate to compromise any of the tone just to ease my strain on the lower notes. Anyways, gotta go. Thanks again guys!