How big is yours - mouthpieces that is

[Gandalfe]

There’s always been a debate among mouthpiece sizes. The two camps seem to be:

Bebop style players: smaller mouthpieces (e.g. meyer 5) with hard reeds (e.g. rico 4)

Funk/Fusion style players: large mouthpieces (e.g. Link 9) with soft reeds (e.g. lavoz MS)

Neither is “right”, it’s all what you’re looking for.

I’d think that a meyer 5 will give you a much more stable base to work with. Open mouthpieces can be a pain in the ass to control.

The two things I’ve found that improve sound better than anything?

1. Long tones. Find an “open note” on your horn (e.g. alto A on the staff), with a tuner hold the note IN TUNE as long as you can. Work from ppp to fff keeping pitch. I usually warm up with this.

2. Overtones. Good examples here http://www.petethomas.co.uk/saxophone-harmonics.html and here www.daveliebman.com/Feature_Articles/Demsey/demsey%201.pdf
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[Dave Dolson]

I'm generally in the bigger-opening/softer-reed school.

My alto piece (most favored) is a Meyer 6S-Medium Chamber. On that piece I use Vandoren Java 1 1/2 that I've scraped down.

On soprano I use a Morgan Vintage 6 (.065) with Vandoren ZZ 2, or a Selmer Super Session J (.069) with Vandoren Java 2. All reeds scraped down. I also have a Morgan Vintage 7 (.070) that I carry in my case and use on occasion - with the same Java 2 that I use on the SS-J.

I have tried the smaller tip openings on soprano (and both types on alto) and over the long haul, I prefer the ones I've listed rather than smaller tips and stronger reeds. My preferred set-ups give me more warmth, easier control, and more volume (projection?), than do the smaller tips.

I only play old jazz, though. But I doubt that I'd switch set-ups for different styles of playing if I were to expand beyond trad jazz. To me, good tone is good tone regardless of the style of music being played. DAVE

 

[Groovekiller]

I like big tip openings and soft reeds. But it depends on the horn. I tend to be a tenor-baritone player, and on those horns I use big mouthpieces, about a .120 tip. On soft gigs, I use #2 reeds, and I'll use stiffer reeds as the volume increases.

However, as I get farther away from tenor or bari, I use mouthpieces with a closer facing. My alto mouthpieces are a #7 or #8, my bass sax mouthpieces are around a #6, my soprano mouthpiece is a Selmer F, which is conservative today, and my sopranino mouthpiece is about a #5. My reeds are usually softer than others in the sax section,

Esoteric information:
On Benedikt Eppelsheim's contrabass saxophone and Tubax, I'm back up to big mouthpieces, around a number 8. Benedikt tells me that this is because the neck opening (small end) is proportionately smaller than the horn on these instruments.

 

[saxhound]

Larger tips / softer reeds for me, although this is a recent phenomena. I'm currently playing:
Bari .120 / 2.5
Tenor .110 / 2.5 - sometimes a 2 for a quieter gig or rehearsal
Alto .085 / 3

I used to have bad clarinet chops on sax, and I was playing 3.5 and 4 reeds on more modest openings. I even had some 4.5 and 5 reeds for bari. I found that the larger tip / softer reed really allowed me to relax my embouchure without losing control. As Gandalfe says, long tones and overtones are the ticket.

When I made the change, I also did the mouthpiece exercise for about 15 minutes per day for about a year (earplugs recommended!). When I started, I could only vary about a third or fourth, but now I can play an octave, and sometimes more. It's made a huge difference in my tone and intonation. The bad news is I let my clarinet playing slip slide away during all this. Time to get out the Mozart concerto and hit the shed.

 

[WoodwindDoubler]

I'm neither!!! ... I like open with a hard reed :-D



Alto: meyer 7 with rigotti 4 1/2 strong on alto ... Haven't tried 5 strength yet ... probably will next time

Tenor ... i like a 7 (currently playing a Vandoren V16) with 4 - 4 1/2 ... play V16s ... rigotti, rico jazz selects ...

Bari ... no matter the opening I usually play La Voz hards or find harder reeds from another company.

Sop ... Selmer F with 3.5-4.5s --- I got back to the 3.5 if I haven't touched it in a while



People have often told me it might just be easier to slap on a Popsicle stick LOL!



I'm weird ... I know.

 

[pete]

Essentially posting so I can remember this thread and post something cohesive later.

My mouthpieces:

* Alto/tenor/bari: Sigurd Rascher, most of the time. Erm. There's only one size. Generally used Vandoren 3.5 reeds.

* When I played jazz, I used a Berg Larsen 110/0 hard rubber 'piece with the Vandoren 3.5's. Why'd I pick this one? It was the easiest to play, had great control and it gave me a sound that seriously intimidated the bass trombone player (who played in the Buffalo Philharmonic).

 

[Ed]

It really depends on the mouthpiece and what I'm trying accomplish.

Alto - small tip (like a c**) with hard reeds
Tenor - larger tip with soft reeds
Bari - medium to smaller tip with hard reeds

I think that the reeds need to be the appropriate strength for the mouthpiece. It's about getting the sound in my head more than worrying about the strength of reeds or the tip opening. Although I have spent countless hours trying every combination possible

 

[pete]

Essentially posting so I can remember this thread and post something cohesive later.

My mouthpieces:

* Alto/tenor/bari: Sigurd Rascher, most of the time. Erm. There's only one size. Generally used Vandoren 3.5 reeds.

* When I played jazz, I used a Berg Larsen 110/0 hard rubber 'piece with the Vandoren 3.5's. Why'd I pick this one? It was the easiest to play, had great control and it gave me a sound that seriously intimidated the bass trombone player (who played in the Buffalo Philharmonic).

BTB, I probably win the thread for using the biggest mouthpieces. The SR bari mouthpiece is bigger than a Conn New Wonder bass mouthpiece .