Mouthpieces what size,what type?

[Ed]

Selmer Soloist C**
Hemke Reeds
Selmer Lig.

Problem solved.

I prefer the vintage soloist but that's going to run you about $200. The new one is still over a $100 (I think).

The Vandoren recommendation is a good one. You can also pick up a Rousseau NC4 for a good price. All good choices for classical or playing in concert band.

 

[cymru97]

Boy, I have to agree with Pete's comments. As a beginner it would be best to establish a baseline to work from. A sax teacher should be able to identify problems whether mouthpiece or player and work from there.

That said, every alto player should at least try a Meyer 5M, but maybe not until you can appreciate the differences. I have no idea if you are at that point yet, but a sax teacher could tell you...

Ed, it's strange, we share virtually the same Bari setup and I also play a soloist-stlye C** on my alto...

 

[jbtsax]

I'm with Tammi on this one. Without seeing this student's embouchure and hearing the tone he produces there is no way anyone can offer a meaningful suggestion about changing from a C* to another mouthpiece. If he doesn't like the tone the C* produces when he plays, you can be certain the problem is not the mouthpiece.

If he said he was playing on a "no name" plastic mouthpiece that came with his Chinese saxophone it would be a different matter entirely. In that case suggestions of a better quality mouthpiece would be in order.

John

 

[Enviroguy]

Sometimes you can find a good Selmer S80 or S90 on eBay for under $50. To me, these are a great improvement over the standard Selmer C*. Also, you may want to consider moving up at least one tip size to maybe a D or D*. My playing really improved when I happened to "find" an S80 tenor mouthpiece in the bottom of an old unused school horn case. I played it through the rest of High School and beyond. On tenor, it was definately an improvement over the stock Geo Bundy piece I had been using.

Of these two, I find the alto S80 the most versatile. The S90 alto piece seems to have a more classical sound.

 

[AGaston]

It sounds to me, and I could be wrong (often am) that this may be a case of listening to someone else...perhaps a recording even & wanting to sound like that and thinking that a different mouthpiece might do the trick. Well, first of all different mouthpieces are going to work differrently for each person. You can read on sax forums how this piece & that piece are so great, maybe so, for that particular person, but that may not be the case for you. Selmer C*'s are probably one of the best all around beginner mouthpieces there are; alot of experienced players still use them & sound really good on them. Forgive the old cliche, but chops don't come in a box, it takes lots of practice & playing to develope a good sound on a sax. You can change the sound of your C* with different reeds...as in LaVoz for a brighter sound, Hemke's for a darker more classical sound & Rico's for something in between. Depending on the time you've been playing I would suggest you continue to use the C* & try some different reeds maybe plus a lot of practice. Of course there's always the chance your particular piece might be a bit off (factory problem)...you could have a teacher or a more experienced player try it for an opinion on that. Mouthpieces can get really expensive & you're not going to get anything much better or maybe not as good as your C* for $80....unless perhaps thru ebay where you might pick up a decent Vandoren.
Vintage pieces are terribly expensive, you generally cannot try them first, and once you get one you're stuck with it whether you like it or not unless you can resale.