[garyjones]

Hi and thanks in advance,
can you guys talk to me about what factors in mouthpiece design contribute to making the sound either spread wide or focused core.
i have a paper by ralph morgan that talks about the roof (baffle to throat)
being flat causes spreadness and smooth concaveness (opposite of the rollover) off the baffle creating core center sound.. can you guys add some to that or is that the whole rub.
thanks again
i think there is something about this i'm not getting right now.

 

[Tryptykon]

Wouldn't the chamber size be a factor ?

Also, the sidewalls - flat vs. scooped out

 

[markm]

All Things Mouthpiece

This web site offers some good information with a nice diagram of mouthpiece components.

http://www.saxophones.co.uk/all_things_mouthpiece.htm

MM

 

[EZ]

From the mouthpiece perspective, I think that focus vs spread has to do with the fundamental and mid partial components of the sound. If the piece is set up to favor the mids and highs, you lose some of the "spread" effect - setting aside what the characteristics of the horn itself are. How quickly the chamber opens up from the very tip has most to do with this - the initial baffle (and sidewalls to a lesser extent).

To set the initial baffle up flat to concave off the tip rail de-emphasizes the high partials, thus establishing a meatier core. It also can add some resistance to set up a piece this way, so the balance of tone vs. performance has to be taken into account.

Chamber and throat size definitely contributes as well. As we have more acute hearing of the mid and high frequencies, a high baffle can override the effect of the chamber and throat design - such that you would notice differences in throat and chamber more readily on a low baffle piece.

My $0.02