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Mouthpieces Change mouthpiece to match tone?

drrob7

drrob7

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Hi

I've found a YouTube clip of a sax player with a fantastic sound, and in my journey to develop and improve my own sound I'd like to head in his direction.

We have the same sax - that's how I found the clip: a Selmer Ref 54 tenor, but he's using a Jody Jazz mouthpiece whereas I'm on an Otto Link 7.

I don't know anything about the Jody jazz. Personal ineptitude aside, is my Otto Link similar enough to be able to get close to his sound? Or are the mps quite different?
 
Having a similar mouthpiece can help you to be near his sound but you can still get close even if mouthpieces are different...

To try and play similar to his "sound" you should listen to him over and over, not just a few times but i mean dozens and more times, you need to literally kind of immerse yourself in his playing/sound and style even transcribe some his playing and play along to it and try to copy his phrasing, dynamics and technique, keep doing this ALOT and your brain will naturally adjust with practice and time and you will start thinking and sounding more like that player.
I used this technique alot and i have the big bright sound i always wanted, for examples just look for my postings of my sound clips here or youtube, you will see examples of it but in the end i still have my own sound overall and so will tho you may end up closer to the player you wish to copy.


If you want more personal help with developing a sound "similar" to that player but still your own sound then send me a link to him playing so i can hear what you are looking for, i.e. youtube then PM me and maybe i can talk you through it as much as i can.
hope that helps?

regards,

thesaxman71
 
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To produce the same sound on the same gear and set up , you'd need to be an identical twin. The kit lets you be you. You are the sound. Be guided by others but don't be a copy. Most of the sound of any player is what they play not what they play it on. You can't beat practice. Everybody will want to know what mouthpiece and reed you use if you practice four hours a day for a couple of years.
 
I think the sound we make, ( after a lot of practice ) because that is the only way we can say . This is our sound. Is partly our physical makeup, and what we hear in our head. Now what we hear in our head as an ideal sound is combination of lots of emotional ( because sound evolks emotion) that we have heard in the past. That stays in our sub-conscious. So as has been said you can imitate a particular style/sound if you immerse yourself in that, but probably better to be able to understand the expression that is available from lots of different styles/sounds and then take the mixture of these sounds to arrive at your own. ( you can only produce what is in your head in the first place) What I find intriguing is , I can hear a player, that there are some aspects of his sound that I don't like, but I still enjoy his music.
 
PS. Just a point about choosing a MP. Similar to food , if you go to the supermarket to buy some tomatoes, because you like the taste of tomatoes, you don't come out with a pineapple.
 
I appreciate all your answers and advice re developing my sound through practice and listening etc. I know there's no magic bullet (or mouthpiece) in terms of getting the sound you want but surely equipment plays a part in at least getting you in the ballpark of near where you want to be? Eg different sound of metal vs hr mps, alto vs tenor. With this in mind I really would like to know whether the Otto Link is even close to a Jody Jazz to are they poles apart in basic sound or material?
 
drrob7 said:
I appreciate all your answers and advice re developing my sound through practice and listening etc. I know there's no magic bullet (or mouthpiece) in terms of getting the sound you want but surely equipment plays a part in at least getting you in the ballpark of near where you want to be? Eg different sound of metal vs hr mps, alto vs tenor. With this in mind I really would like to know whether the Otto Link is even close to a Jody Jazz to are they poles apart in basic sound or material?
Click to expand...
The jody is in general a brighter more cutting mouthpiece than the link and has a lot more projection due to the wider tip opening and chamber shape, the link is more of a universal general purpose mouthpiece, what i would call a "safe and stable toned" (think of a big band blending in with the section) an all-rounder in tone whereas the jody has more more of a "focused tone" with a sound that is more 'laser-like' or penetrating (think of a soloist sound leading a jazz quartet)
yes the link and jody can both be played in a big band or quartet setting but i used that general reference to settings to let you see how i hear them being played in so you had a general idea of the mouthpiece differences.
 
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Hi,

Not sure if you're playing metal or HR but here's a quote from the Jody web site:

Special Notes on The HR* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
Expect the JodyJazz HR* tenor sax mouthpiece to play just slightly brighter than traditional Otto Links and Meyers. This is due to the slightly smaller chamber. Many different sounds are possible on the JodyJazz HR* hard rubber tenor mouthpieces.

For example: For Classical playing try our C* or 5* model with a relatively hard reed.

For a sound similar to Stan Getz use a HR* 5*, 6* or 7 with a harder reed than you might normally use. Play softly and you will hear that beautiful sound with a hint of air it.

For a sound more like Sonny Rollins us a 6*, 7*, or 8* with a softer reed to get that nice jazzy buzz in the sound. ( These are just the broadest suggestions. The real answer about sound is for you to experiment and find out what works for you.)


I had a Jody Jazz HR for a while and liked it but I went a different route in the end. Second hand I found the HR prices very reasonable anyway.
 
Jody Jazz mouthpieces are generally better made than Otto Link mouthpieces. Mouthpieces generally contribute 10% or so to final sound. Is it true that you want a brighter sound overall, or how would you describe the sound that you liked in the other guy? The more specific you can be then the more help we could be. Jody Jazz mouthpieces aren't the only mouthpiece around, depending on what sound you make, and how you would like to adapt it.
 

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