[tonyh]

I was wondering if it is normal for the mouth piece to move around a little bit, I find mine does when I take a breath, I seem to get the mouth piece back to the right place when I start to blow again.

I was thinking of gluing some rubber to stop it from slipping on my teeth.

 

[NatureColor]

get one of those mouthpiece patches from vandoren, and life will be alot better!

 

[sharp5]

I know a guy who bites a Dukoff in half once a year.

 

[jbtsax]

Tony,

I call those "teeth tracks" and no they are not normal for an advanced player. They indicate different amounts of the mouthpiece are put in the mouth when you play. This can contribute to inconsistency in your tone, pitch, volume, and tonguing. My recommendation is to get one of the thicker commercially made mouthpiece patches, make a groove where your top teeth should go and then find that groove with your teeth. If you are not sure about top teeth placement, see this link: http://www.brucepearsonmusic.com/article/SaxEmbouchure.htm

The problem with gluing your own rubber patch on the mouthpiece is that some adhesives are toxic and you would be putting them in your mouth. Hope some of this helps.

John

 

[tonyh]

I didn't think they would be normal teeth marks, or tracks as John called them . I have been to that site before and did draw a line across the reed, so my teeth do start out in the right place, they just seem to slip up and down when I take a breath, I will try and buy some of the stick on patches.

Sharp5, your friend must have a real bite on him, not sure I would want to buy a new mouthpiece each year.