Changing the mouthpiece of the saxophone, how, when and which one...

On any given day at Sax On, the door opens and you hear a "good morning". Then comes one of the most common questions we are asked: "I'm playing with this saxophone mouthpiece, but my partner has this or that mouthpiece and it sounds great...do you have it? I would like to try it...". 

And then comes the disappointment because with our own saxophone, we do not have the expected result.

In this article we are going to explain what would be a possible evolution, a road map to change our saxophone mouthpiece and thus improve our initial setup, although we must not forget that the alto saxophone reeds (or soprano, tenor or baritone) are an important part of the "upgrading process" to take into account.

INITIATION

The first mouthpiece we receive is the one included with the purchase of the saxophone. They are usually mass-produced mouthpieces, of easy emission (hopefully) that in a short period of time should be upgraded if we want to improve our sound. 

A clear example would be the yamaha 4C alto saxophone mouthpiece.

Which mouthpiece to buy for tenor sax or alto sax as a first upgrade? 

One of the most recommended mouthpieces, and that every saxophonist should have in the reserve bench, would be a Selmer S80 C* for alto saxophone and/or a Selmer S80C** for tenor saxophone; ease of emission, flexibility and with a centered sound. Recommended by most teachers as a first setup. 

An alternative to consider would be the WATER model by Theo Wanne.

FIRST UPDATE 

After some time, and after having practiced, listened, talked and discussed, we reach the moment to make a change because we want "something else".

Any saxophonist can find his mouthpiece, since there are different "conceptions", and it is at this moment when brands like OTTO LINK, MEYER, JODDY JAZZ, VANDOREN or THEO WANNE (“elements” series alto saxophone mouthpiece) come in. 

A common thinking would be that a closed saxophone mouthpiece (at the tip) is going to be easier to play, and it is true; but not always. There are other factors such as the chamber, the baffle and the curve that influence both the sound and our feeling of playing our saxophone.

At this point, the saxophonist must reflect on what kind of sound he/she would like to achieve or enjoy.   

A usual and easy classification for "the saxophone mouthpiece" (although with muuuuuch nuances) points to divide them into (and adjectives can change):

• Bright sound: saxophone mouthpiece with spontaneous emission and powerful sound (to a greater or lesser extent). In this group we could highlight the JODDY JAZZ JET, SYOS SPARK, JAVA, JUMBO JAVA, Claude Lakey...

• Cored Sound: saxophone mouthpiece with ease of emission with moderate resistance: SANTTONIO, SELMER SOLOIST, MEYER, SYOS STEADY, D'ADDARIO, Ted Klum...

• Dark Sound: saxophone mouthpiece with deep bass, vintage sound par excellence: OTTOLINK, JODDYJAZZ custom dark

DEFINITIVE UPDATE (...or not!!!)

At this point let's suppose that we have soaked up the great saxophonists, listened to various styles, transcribed solos and even created our own; it has arrived the time that we have developed a specific sound (as PRO saxophonist that we are ;-)....

There appear (or have already appeared) terms such as vintage mouthpieces, refacers, modifications, set ups of great musicians, and a whole host of wonders and information about the "mouthpiece" world...

We can distinguish two big groups where to find that wished sound in the mouthpiece of the saxophone.

• VINTAGE PAR EXCELLENCE

(links to set ups of musicians)

Early Babbit, Florida, Berg Larsen, Dave Guardala, Meyer NY bross, are just some of the most mythical models that we can name in this section that every saxophonist has already heard and/or read...

The limited number of units (especially for tenor saxophone mouthpieces) for sale and the fact that the lucky owners of one of these have a hard time getting rid of them, makes them difficult to get (but not impossible, it's just a matter of having the budget). As an example, this beautiful Early Babbitt in original condition.

• INSPIRED BY

Nowadays we have great mouthpiece craftsmen like Theo Wanne or Ted Klum who, knowing all the details of the mythical vintage mouthpieces, recreate or inspire for their own current models, with models like BRAHMA, LAKSHMI or DURGA, AMBIKA, LONDON, YARDBIRD, Lebayle or JODY JAZZ DV.

All of them try to bring that golden age of mouthpieces closer to more modern and innovative methodologies; both in design and production, but keeping the "soul" of the ancestors and trying to get closer to "the desired mouthpiece of the saxophonist".

CONCLUSION

Music is fluidity, changes, movement. When we play we are creating and subject to the inspiration/emotion of the moment. It is for that reason (flow) that our set up can change.... 

The ideal mouthpiece should have easy emission, power and timbre quality, with deep bass and smooth treble, as well as fine bass and velvety treble, in tune, powerful but refined, sharp but controllable, refined but with character in all its register and a host of fantastic qualities that would make us the happiest musicians in the world...

I regret to inform you that it does not exist... or .... if..... he who seeks, finds... we see ourselves!!!!!