Mouthpiece Pitch - Fact and Fable

Thanks for the info guys!

So--how important is it to be able to play way below the normal pitch for the mouthpiece? I can get an octave on my tenor piece if I start way up at A, but there's no way I can go all the way down to G from G (not yet anyway).

Anybody else do these kinds of exercises? I also like to practice slides, growls, etc. on my mouthpiece and neck. Leaving the sax out helps me to focus on the tone production mechanics (I think). I figure if i can get a decent tone on the neck, the horn would probably sound good too?

Lastly: I've often wondered if the tone played on the mouthpiece alone can be used to diagnose mouthpiece design issues/characteristics? The tone that I get on different pieces is very differerent.

eg: can you hear if the baffle is uneven by the mouthpiece tone etc.?
 
SteveSklar said:
speaking of temperaments ......
Click to expand...
One of my favorite pieces of information from Ferron's "The Saxophone Is My Voice" is the use of the number 1.05946 which is the 12th root of 2. That is, this number multiplied by itself 12 times will equal the whole number 2.

To find the frequency of the next higher chromatic note from any given note, you multiply its frequency by 1.05946. To find the next lower chromatic note from any given note you divide its frequency by 1.05946. Once you have done either computation 12 times, you arrive at the octave 2 times (or 1/2) the original frequency. What's neat is this also works for wavelengths of the notes since the relationships are the same as the frequencies.

John
 
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