Tenor MPC for a beginner

There are lots of threads like yours that you can mine for information based on extensive responses. Just use the search command. It seems that many people in your position are picking up a Jody Jazz HR* in a 6-7* tip opening and getting good results from that piece. I have a 7* and I wish I had one of these when I was a beginner. It is a great piece for someone getting started in jazz.

Xanax said:

any sugestions?

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Use the search button?

This has been covered dozens of times, and now once more. What you will get, if this thread plays out, is a listing of dozens of different favorite mouthpieces ranging from $50 up to $xxx or higher. Not much better than cracking open a catalog with dozens of choices.

I don't say this to be mean or rude, but the search button is your best bet to find an answer you can work with.

Good luck

I knhoe there a search button sorry but i'm a newbie at sax and dont want to buy a mpc that its not what i want.

What you will get, if this thread plays out, is a listing of dozens of different favorite mouthpieces ranging from $50 up to $xxx or higher. Not much better than cracking open a catalog with dozens of choices.

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So please give choices and prices please, that better then notinhg

Selmer S80 C*.....

You just can't beat this mouthpiece on any level. It's a classical piece but can be quite bright when pushed. As a beginner, you really don't need to deal with intonation issues of many high baffle pieces. The S80 will take you a very long way down the road. And then, when can burn up the sax and sound jazzy with the S80, you'll be ready to move to more extreme pieces.

Enviroguy is right it is a Classical piece. But as a begginer you will want to concentrate on getting everything right. I learned on a C** and it was one of the best Mouthpieces I have played. And as said before they work pretty well. I used one in Jazz Band for a while. They will run you about $100 new.

Xanax: I agree with Carl H. But beyond that, although you don't want to end up with a mouthpiece you don't like, that is the very nature of learning the saxophone. Many of us who have been playing for years have tried TONS of mouthpieces, purchased pounds of them, have boxes and drawers filled with them, keep one to three in each horn case . . . well, you get the idea.

There is no universal mouthpiece that fits everyone; we cannot all agree because we are all built differently AND have different tonal concepts and goals.

To list all suitable mouthpieces (and no one knows what is suitable for you) and their prices may be a nice gesture, but it would take more bandwidth than we have available to us. Selmer C*? Not for me. Selmer C**? Not for me. JodyJazz? Not for me. I've played all of those and didn't care for them. Again, you get the idea.

Go forth and test. DAVE

If you have a private Lesson Teacher. Take them along with you to test. They may help you figure out the pieces may sound in a few years.

Thx for the replies, and i would like to try more then one mpc for now but i don´t have the money, for a beginner it's ok to try metal mpc or just stay with hard ruber ones?

If you're a beginner, start with a good student mouthpiece. The Morgan Protone or Hite Premier, which I think are $30-$35 or so, are good choices. As you develop your skills you'll have a better idea of what you want in a mouthpiece. By the way, almost everyone sounds bad when they first start playing sax. Your current mouthpiece may or may not be the problem. Finding a teacher is the best first step to take.

Xanax said:

Hi, I bought recently a tenor sax and it came with a Pennsylvania mpc that i know nothing and it sounds awful. I want to buy a mpc that's not too expensive and has a "jazz" sound and is easy to play, any suggestions?

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Get a Morgan Protone for Tenor saxophone. Inexpensive, great sound, great quality and workmanship.
You can use it for concert band, marching band or even middle school jazz band.
Also the Selmer S-80 is ok for a beginner but a round chambered Larry Teal is better
Try out a Vandoren V-16 hard rubber mouthpiece.
Also try out a Hard Rubber Meyer 6M , perfect for classical or jazz.
The standard for hard rubber tenor pieces is an Otto Link Tone Edge For a beginner, get the 5* or 6 facing. Perfect for growing Embouchures

As a begginer most saxophoniest would say stay away from Metal. It was 4 years after playing sax before I even touched a Metal, and it was one I borrowed from a friend. I would personally say stick with Hard Rubber, and just try them out. Though, I agree with retread it may not be a problem with the moutphiece. Do you mind telling us the horn/mouthpiece/reed? It may be something cheap like a too think reed that is causing you to sound bad. Or as stated before your a begginer. That could be it too.

~Carbs

well the Horn is Evette Foregein, it's all that says, but i found one that is totaly like mine:

http://www.saxpics.com/the_gallery/malerne/stencils/76xxx-martin/

The mpc is a hard rubber Pennyslvania and the reed is Rico Plasticover? (they are black ) 2-1/2.

And the sax probably needs new pads cause is leakin and its hard to play but that's normal i think...

Before you spend money on a mouthpiece, get the horn fixed all leaks everything. Try it then, maybe try some Cane reeds. Vandoren 2.5-3 would probably compable to the reeds your using now.

Hello Xanax!

Is it your horn? Or one you borrow? If you can afford it, fix the leaks. Yes, saxophones need looking after and being cared for. It will cost you money. But if you have been playing since last summer with leaks, you could be burning out with frustration. I know I would have. My horn was adjusted yesterday, and it plays any low note now. I did not use to be able to do that.

I am a beginner like you, I went from C* to C** and that made a difference for me. I think I will stay with this mpc, because it's easy to play, and will do for some time. I do not think my tone is great, but my teachers tone on my horn has shown me that the horn is not the limitation

Get a teacher as well, if you do not have one already. Even for just a few weeks. Good luck!

By the way, I play an alto.

OsloSax

Get a good teacher first. That's most important. Then ask that person what mouthpiece to buy. The most popular beginner mouthpieces are the Morgan Pro-Tone, Hite Premier, and Yamaha 4C. If you want to start with a professional mouthpiece, I'd advise the Vandoren A27 or the Meyer 5M. I don't like the square chamber of the S-80, as it can encourage poor breath support in some students, so I like the round chamber Vandoren better.

Brilhart 3* !

If you are on a budget, get the Morgan Protone or BARI Esprit. They are easy to find locally. I sell them for $18 (BARI) to $38 (Protone). Either is a well made starter. If you run across a Brilhart, they are good all around Tenor mouthpieces. I just can't use the Selmers on Tenor even though they are my soprano and alto first choice.

Yes the horn is mine , today i went to buy a simple strap but with no luck, thats the problem in living in small countries. So the mpc probably will have to be ordered from UK or in europe cause if i found one decent here it should be completely overpriced. Any reliable site?

I've had no problems buying from Thomann: http://www.thomann.de/, Dawkes: http://www.dawkes.co.uk/ or http://www.sax.co.uk/.