Hi James
I bought a Tenor Yamaha 4C MP this weekend because the previous owner dropped the 4C and chipped off a piece of the lip.
One has to be very careful, because according to Big Dave the air flow over the leading edge is quite critical. The tip opening of the 4C and Vandoren VL5-T27 is nearly identical, but all the other small variations mean that I’m much more comfortable with the 4C. My wife says the sound is warmer and rounder, and I’m enjoying it much more than the VL5.
I played my Alto today and my tone has improved again (after my weekend Tenor practice session). I think that playing standing up is the better position. Lower lip pressure can be controlled just by leaning forward or back. Today I used much less pressure on my lips with emphasis on pushing my upper lip forward and with lighter pressure on the mouthpiece. I guess my lips would be more in an oval shape than round as before. All these changes produce a darker, and louder sound which makes sense as the less pressure we place on the reed the more freely it can vibrate.
My Tenor has become my tutor, as it is teaching me a better way to play and I can notice the improvement between the Alto practice sessions.
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