[yanksnut]

I recently switched back to a Jody Jazz Classic bari sax moutpiece i haven't played in awhile, and i found it almost impossible to play on my new sax. With the s80 c*Selmer mouthpiece i was using i could get great projection, and range all the way up and down the horn, and could sustain for a long time. Now using the jody jazz mouthpiece, i have found a lot of trouble getting almost any sound, can't sustain any note lower than a g at all, and can play above a mezzo forte, and thats blowing my brains out. I'm playing on a vito vsp bari horn, and using a vandoren classic 4 reed. any help would be hugely appreciated

 

[maddenma]

So, a C* is a pretty closed piece. A VD 4 works well on it for most players.

The JJ comes in 4 = .080 5 = .090 6 = .100 7 = .110 8 = .120 9 = .130

You didn't mention which. If it's a 4, that shouldn't be a reed issue. If you've got a 9, you might want to think about a softer reed. There's nothing macho or advanced about playing a reed that's too hard.

 

[martinm5862]

I used a JJ for a couple of years when I was playing bari. Your reed is a big problem. I had a JJ Classic 7*. I tried every reed and found the Rico in the orange box or Rico Jazz Select worked best. I used a Rico 2-1/2. With a more open piece I would have used a Rico 2. The Vandoren in my opinion
does not work well on most jazz mouthpieces and the low register won't play at all with a #4. Why are you using such a hard reed? A baritone reed has to be soft enough to produce the low notes and sustain them but hard enough to play a high F in tune. That would dictate a Rico 2 or 2-1/2 on the JJ. Also try the mouthpiece with the spoiler.

 

[MPL]

Agreed. A #4 should work great on a smaller piece, but unless you have iron chops it'll be really hard to make a good sound on a bigger piece like a JJ 7 or larger. I would also recommend nothing stronger than a 2-1/2 on the JJ if it's a 7 or bigger.

 

[yanksnut]

I just checked it and it is a 7. Thanks to everyone for the tips!