[Adderleysfasthands]

hi fellow sax men

i still have got money from my last birthday and i was thinking
of spending it on one of those berg larson ebonite mouthpieces

i am most probaly gonna get a lay 90, but i dont know whether to get
a round chamber or mellow chamber, i know you'll ask what type of music i play (latin,bop,most jazz, some classical) and you'll see that my idol is Adderley, but the idea of a Mellow sound rather than a big round sound on Alto (which everyone around here seems to want) seems very rewarding.

what are your thoughts have any of you played on one of those berg larson ebonite alto mouthpieces?

 

[Adderleysfasthands]

oh yeh and i have spotted a Modern selmer soloist on saxophones.co.uk
going for around 95 pounds (190 dollars)

 

[jamiejazz]

I think that a good sound is a versatile sound, that means you need supple chops to sound bright or dark or 'mellow'. To me, I think of a 'round' sound as a good centred sound-how you phrase with it is something else.

In terms of mouthpiece, it depends how long you've been playing. Dick Oatts, Charles McPherson and others have all sounded great on Bergs but they all have superb articulation and devastating breath control. I've played a HR Link 7 for 15 years and even now if I'm slightly out of practice, then it becomes hard to control as it's quite wide.

I'm kind of easing back into a Meyer 5 now and really enjoying the control.

I sometimes still try Bergs when I'm feeling obsessed with Dick Oatts' playing-I have a nice 85. I always get a honeymoon period when I change, but the Berg sounds thin after a few weeks playing.

Just make sure you're honest about where your chops are at this point in time. If you're young, then there's no rush-even on Jazz gigs I played a Selmer C*for about 4 years before buying even a Meyer.

Jamie

 

[Adderleysfasthands]

i'm 16 and i been playing for around a year, and i have been using an otto link for around 5 months, but i would really like to move up especially since the lay of the otto link is too easy and not as enjoyable to play.

i found sources that kenny garrett plays a Selmer soloist lay E with hemke strengh num-3 reeds, so that has sorta made me open my eyes to it

 

[jamiejazz]

It's great you want to experiment and trying mouthpieces can help you understand what's you and what's the mouthpiece.

I was lucky to study with someone who was a pro from the 1920's onwards and he always told me to stay with a close facing and he was right to do so. If you get a big sound from a small mouthpiece then it means more. If you play a wide mouthpiece too early it might enable bad habits to set in without you even knowing it. It's a pretty tried and tested method.

Kenny Garrett's sound is mainly in his phrasing-lack of vibrato and ultimately his rhythm. If you transcribe him every day for a year (playing along and getting the notes down on your alto-start with 'Mack the Knife' maybe) then you'll get that sound on any mouthpiece. Rosario Giuliani gets that kind of sound on a meyer 5.

It's up to you of course-this is just what I suggest. The cliches (alto=Meyer Tenor=Link) are often there because they tend to work.

Jamie

 

[jacobeid]

For a player with only one years experience I think a berg with a tip opening of .090 might be a bit extreme. Start off with meyer type pieces around a .072-.076 opening (around a 5 or 6 on most common mouthpieces).

 

[bruce bailey]

Yep, .075 would be the max I would choose. Look at the Selmer Super Session in a D facing as it should give you the options you need.

 

[jacobeid]

After I had been playing for two years (without any knowledge of saxophones) my bundy mouthpiece chipped. I found jody jazz pieces and ordered a classic 6. I thought it sounded great and I loved it. Too bad it caused a lot of bad habits I had to learn how to fix.