ving said:
I would agree, I have tried an 8M, 7M, 7E, and 7EL pieces. Where Morgan tenor pieces seem to blow very easy comparable to the tip opening (I have a 9 that feels very comfortable) I found the 8 on alto to be quite a workload--even the 7's which felt good to me size-wise were a little tougher to blow with a particulary hard 3 reed...
The 8M for alto is not a workout at all if you use a softer reed. With a Hemke 2.5 it's quite easy blowing. You can also bend notes to your hearts content and have quite a lot of control over intonation. High notes sing out beautifully and subtoning is easy down to low Bb.
I guess it depends on the strength of your embouchre, but I found the 7 to close up with a 2.5 reed and to have too much resistance with a harder reed, making low notes harder to play.
I used to play 3 and 3.5 reeds on alto because I thought that was necessary for a good tone, but it isn't really. If you're playing classical music or soft jazz, maybe that's a good setup, but if you really want to project, the more open piece with a softer reed will give you a better sound and response. I guess I'm leaning towards the Pete Thomas camp on this one.
While it may very well be true that the 7 is a more popular size in a Morgan alto piece, that's hardly a reason to warn people away from trying a larger tip. "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds," as they say.
If you want to hear my setup and judge for yourself, check out "Dead Flowers" on my myspace page. It's just a practice recording made with a cheap portable recorder, but it shows the basic sound of the piece--subject to my own (considerable) limitations, of course.
All debating aside, I think Morgan makes great alto pieces and you'll probably sound good on anything from a 6M to an 8E.