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I just picked up my Soprano Sax from Dan my horn tech. He gave it the full-resto. Our old friend Tod Dickow was in the shop, played it and loved it. Tod remembered playing it 40 years ago at some jam that I would have never remembered. He plays basically the same Selmer Soprano, his a 1950s serial number, mine is a '72 or something.
So my Soprano has been in a closet forever. I never really practiced on it in my '20s. I got a Selmer silver scroll shank D and played #3 Rico Royals. I just gigged it every night for 6 or 7 years... then I burned out on the music business... and quit playing. Horn was rode hard, put away wet. haha
So, Tod is a great player, no doubt. He is playing a Selmer E silver scroll shank... that's been worked on... haha. The silver Selmer Scroll shank D mouthpiece I have seems like a Dog right now. I got a new orange box of 2 1/2 Ricos. I'm not getting them to play. They squeak and I think it's the MP. I tried massaging some other random new reeds in a drawer. They are not working for me either.
I found a new #3 Fibracell. It was popsicle stick hard, so I scraped it until it played ok. Pretty hard to get the reed on the tip right. It plays... but still too much work.
I'm playing tenor 25 hours a week. I play in #3 Fibracell premier reeds. I have four in a holder and rotate one every day. Once they break in, they all feel the same and last months. At some point, I might have this Selmer Soprano D worked on. I remember it as a good playing mouthpiece. But I was in my 20's and had chops.
I'm basically starting from scratch, I'm a total noob here. I have no idea how this stuff is supposed to work.
I want to play an easy set up, so I can play an hour every morning. I want to work on Bozza Etudes and Caprices, Marcel Mule Arias, Bach, etc. Beautiful sounding, accessible music, so I can go busking, and not play the Bebop and Blues junk I think is hip. Nothing inspires confidence more that a couple women walking by plugging their ears. I think I'm totally killin' ATTY... then one lady says; Can you play Phantom of the Opera?
I'm not a huge Legere fan. I spent probably $500 on tenor reeds, and found one that finally worked. But I don't like how they go soft as they warm up... other stuff like spit sticking to the back of the reed. I think I want to try to play Fibracel soprano reeds. Probably softer than #3-medium, but I'm just supposing.
I'm playing 3 Link STMs and a Tone Edge on Tenor that like the #3 Fibracel premiers. I'm not necessarily married to metal mouthpieces. I wonder if any Link guys out here are playing Fibracels... what mouthpiece, tip, reed strength, etc?
Should I just get a middle of the road Selmer or Vandoren student mouthpiece? Something to learn how to produce sound on, while I try other set-ups? Like what models, tip?
Any Tone Edge guys playing Fibracel? I want to do the same thing I do on tenor, have 4 reeds and rotate them. I know I can scrape legere and Fibracel reeds to play on a mouthpiece. Most of the time anyway.
I want to find a mouthpiece that plays 2 1/2 Fibracels right out of the box. So as reeds go soft over time, I can break new ones into the rotation. I need to be able to pull off the cap and hit it. I have a big hour glass that drains out in 18 minutes... poof, off to the next corner...
So my Soprano has been in a closet forever. I never really practiced on it in my '20s. I got a Selmer silver scroll shank D and played #3 Rico Royals. I just gigged it every night for 6 or 7 years... then I burned out on the music business... and quit playing. Horn was rode hard, put away wet. haha
So, Tod is a great player, no doubt. He is playing a Selmer E silver scroll shank... that's been worked on... haha. The silver Selmer Scroll shank D mouthpiece I have seems like a Dog right now. I got a new orange box of 2 1/2 Ricos. I'm not getting them to play. They squeak and I think it's the MP. I tried massaging some other random new reeds in a drawer. They are not working for me either.
I found a new #3 Fibracell. It was popsicle stick hard, so I scraped it until it played ok. Pretty hard to get the reed on the tip right. It plays... but still too much work.
I'm playing tenor 25 hours a week. I play in #3 Fibracell premier reeds. I have four in a holder and rotate one every day. Once they break in, they all feel the same and last months. At some point, I might have this Selmer Soprano D worked on. I remember it as a good playing mouthpiece. But I was in my 20's and had chops.
I'm basically starting from scratch, I'm a total noob here. I have no idea how this stuff is supposed to work.
I want to play an easy set up, so I can play an hour every morning. I want to work on Bozza Etudes and Caprices, Marcel Mule Arias, Bach, etc. Beautiful sounding, accessible music, so I can go busking, and not play the Bebop and Blues junk I think is hip. Nothing inspires confidence more that a couple women walking by plugging their ears. I think I'm totally killin' ATTY... then one lady says; Can you play Phantom of the Opera?
I'm not a huge Legere fan. I spent probably $500 on tenor reeds, and found one that finally worked. But I don't like how they go soft as they warm up... other stuff like spit sticking to the back of the reed. I think I want to try to play Fibracel soprano reeds. Probably softer than #3-medium, but I'm just supposing.
I'm playing 3 Link STMs and a Tone Edge on Tenor that like the #3 Fibracel premiers. I'm not necessarily married to metal mouthpieces. I wonder if any Link guys out here are playing Fibracels... what mouthpiece, tip, reed strength, etc?
Should I just get a middle of the road Selmer or Vandoren student mouthpiece? Something to learn how to produce sound on, while I try other set-ups? Like what models, tip?
Any Tone Edge guys playing Fibracel? I want to do the same thing I do on tenor, have 4 reeds and rotate them. I know I can scrape legere and Fibracel reeds to play on a mouthpiece. Most of the time anyway.
I want to find a mouthpiece that plays 2 1/2 Fibracels right out of the box. So as reeds go soft over time, I can break new ones into the rotation. I need to be able to pull off the cap and hit it. I have a big hour glass that drains out in 18 minutes... poof, off to the next corner...