saxophone mouthpiece

[wayne wojnarowski]

Could anyone tell give me some comments on what would be a good metal mouthpiece to get? I’m currently using a hard rubber 7 opening yanigasawa. Comment on brand opening whatever light you can shed.

[Anonymous]

Hi Wayne

I’ve been playing for nearly two years with a standard Yamaha 4C mouthpiece and I’m still seeing a weekly improvement in tone and volume.
It may take quite a while before I can out perform this 4C mouthpiece.

I recently bought a silver Selmer Classic C* mouthpiece which had amazing performance compared to the 4C.

The catch is that to play these mouthpieces well (not squeaking etc.), one has to have progressed from beginner to the intermediate level at least.
The larger the tip opening the more skill is required to control the tone of the mouthpiece.
Even after playing for two years I’m still not comfortable to make a switch yet.

The reason I bought it was because I was made a really great offer (55% discount) and I will be graduating
to this higher performance mouthpiece only once I have acquired complete control of the embouchure.

I personally think learners should acquire all the skills (altissimo etc.) on the beginner mouthpieces before moving to the metal.

The Selmer mouthpiece is also much louder and clearer than the 4C so the 4C may be better suited to play in certain environments.

[wayne wojnarowski]

Thanks Jeff I’ve been on this particular MP. for at least off and on 5Plus yrs. With Black Friday coming I’m thinking of investing in a Yanigasawa or Meyer in hopes of getting at least 20% $ 185.00. Any comment? What’s your opening on it?? HAPPY THANGSGIVING

[Anonymous]

Hi Wayne, from what people have said on this forum. The recommended approach is to take your sax with you to the shop. To take your time and play with the various mouthpieces they are selling, to find the one which is best suited to you. It seems what may be good for one person, may be unsuitable for another.

For example, I bought my Tenor with a Vandoren VL5. 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 enjoy playing it much more than the VL5.

[jake]

great advice jeff, couldn’t agree more.
the problem people may face as I do where I live, I don’t have any local shops that let me “try” the mouthpieces, and small shops carry a very small selection of these mouthpieces. from here i have started shopping online. take recommendations and purchase some mouthpieces from places that offer a return policy. most of the time there is a small sanitation fee to do this (around $4) but well worth it to try out some different mouthpieces.
From the few I have played, Theo Wanne mouthpieces are the most free blowing easiest mouthpieces I have tried out. the downside, they are rather pricey, but if you find one that suits you, you shouldn’t have to get another. LOL.
I have played on a custom metal Guardala styled MBII but have recently changed to a Theo Wanne HR mouthpiece and am loving the darker, warmer sound. it doesn’t seem to have the screaming brights as i get with my metal but i am still looking for my unique voice. good luck in your mouthpiece search.

[Anonymous]

Wayne, another option you may consider is to just take along your Yani-7 MP, ligature and a worn in reed.
Then you will be able to compare the feel and tone between your familiar MP and the new one in shop.
This will give you at least an indication of what to expect comfort and performance wise.
The Yamaha 4C sells for under R500 here, and the other advanced types range between R3500 and R15000.
There are also the combination part metal – part composite MP’s to consider too, each with their own particular tonal qualities.

[Dazza]

I have the MP Blues again! Someone should write a song by that name. I tried again tp progress from my Meyer 5 as it is horrible on jumping down to the low D to go to the STM metal 6* and no go. Simply not comfortable with the sound, the fact I had to really strain to control the squeaks and low notes and the Rico reeds that played well for me on the Meyer seem to not suit it. So after some back and forth I have ended up back on the 5C Yamaha but this feels so restrictive now that getting air into it meant I really had to back of the air pressure i am now used to.

I have bit the bullet and am commencing with a teacher this Sunday so hopefully he can guide me. JF, just wondering what was your progression in the early two to three years? Any others having the same issue. Love to hear what members in their 2nd to 4th years have played and are playing. I know they say we are all different but surely there must be some rules that work for all of us.

I am off to the shop tomorrow to try out some Vandorens in the Java and Jumbo Java ranges and buy myself a Xmas present. I remember testing these on my alto and they worked well but then I sold it for the tenor. It is frustrating and really messing with my practice and general playing comfort so i gotta sought it quickly.

(Wayne, if you would like to try the Meyer 5 I would be happy to send it to you.)

[wayne wojnarowski]

Hey Dazza thanks for the offer but I just got a Meyer 8 tip opening med facing hard rubber I think I like it . It sounds a little brighter than what I was using {Yanigasawa 7}
You know Dazza, I get impatient also, don’t keep changing things stick with one thing that you are happy with . You have a good tone why don’t you stick with Johnnies blues tunes ? I blow major pents in a cycle of 4ths minor pents minor 7ths in cycle of 4ths blow whole tones as long as you can! From the bottom to the top!! REALLY!!

[Marc]

Dazza… first, congrats on that decission of going to a teacher. A player who stands by you and see what exactly are you doing with your fingers, embouchure, breathing and all that stuff to advice you and help you improve is worth the price you pay. Any error can be detected early for corrections to be taken. In 2-3 years of constant prectice (I feel I never stress enough the word CONSTANT) you’ll be able to play several tunes fluently and read any score to study it on your own.

As for the MP, your teacher, whoever he/she may be, will put you clear: “don’t worry for now, there’s plenty path to walk before”. Stick to the one you feel comfortable to, if it’s the original that came with your sax, play with it. You may choose the reed that best fit to it. Think of a MP as a pair of shoes (this was told to me by two unrelated teachers, in different situations). You’re learning to walk by this time, so no need to wear a pair of Nike Air Ultra-mega-Jumpin’ boots, since much probably they will cause you a blister on your toes.
After 6-10 months of modelling your embouchure you could try to blow through another piece, which surely you’ll be able to tell the difference.
If you are planning to get a metal MP, think of it as a future investment. I, for myself, got a bargain almost new in the box Otto Link STM 7* some months ago and put it safe at the bottom of a drawer. I only take it out and put it on the sax when I want to make some studio pics of it (I’m an amateur photographer), just for the fun of it LOL…

Keep the work, practice hard, focus on your tone, not on your accessories. Sound must come from your inner body, where some people think the soul resides.

Marc.

[Anonymous]

Dazza – glad to see you doing something sensible.

The 1st three months i spent with a professional Sax player (equivalent of 15 weekly lessons) sorted out everything in terms of playing in tune, intonation in all the registers without squeaking, and not sounding too flat or too sharp.

I’ve listened to lots of sax players who have only been playing for a couple of years – who still can’t play in tune in various registers and squeak in places.

All this can be resolved within a couple of months with a teacher.

Been there, done that, got the t’shirt – welcome to the club!

Ask a lot of successful Pro’s – see how many tell you they had to resort to a teacher.

[Author]

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