Mouthpieces Duckbills....

[Jules]

Here's one for you guys. Why are certain mouthpieces 'duckbilled'? or to be exact, I've got my own theory- can anyone confirm or deny it? I've found that a duckbill mouthpiece allows me to play with my teeth slightly more closed and, as a function of this (though I can't work out why!) playing in a heavily percussive style (King Curtis, chicken sax etc) seems far easier.
(A)- has anyone else found this to be the case, (B)- if so, is it safe to assume ih A is true, then that's why mouthpieces with a duckbill are loved by rock/soul players & (C) any idea why a narrower bite allows better yackety action (assuming that it does for anyone else appart from me).

 

[Bobby G]

Yeah, my Brilhart Levelaire piece could be described as a duckbill and as well as the great sounds I get it's also really good for staccato, heavier accenting and faster tonguing. Also, though, it's fine for smoother and darker playing.

I can't comment on yakkety as I don't know what it is!

Cheers, Bob

 

[spike]

Interesting, never really thought about it, I mostly play an old DG KC R&B which has a slight duckbill and that probably due to the fairly high baffle.

Mpc's without baffle are going to need to be that much bigger, if you compare the pictures of Jody Espina's new DV to his ESP you'll see what I mean. Since the duckbills have a higher baffle they play a bit brighter which a lot of rockers and soul saxers like.

Since it means not having as much metal in the mouth I think it's simply physically easier to articulate with the mouth more closed. This has been the deciding factor for me not changing to my Lawton allthough I prefer the tone I can get out of it, it just doesn't talk like the DG, it feels like speaking with a plum in my mouth.

So that's my take on it, coincidence - was invited for duck with dumplings, red cabbage five beers and three schnapps last night, very nice but I woke up with a dry beak this morning.

 

[spike]

Yakety sax - Boots Randolph, sounds like a gaggle of geese, gack gack gack, staccatto notes and bending duck-like notes, I use it in r&r solos bending the Major 3 then playing the 5 very staccatto, a few times in quick succession. I guess it's playing country picking guitar style on sax.

 

[Jules]

spike wrote:
Yakety sax - Boots Randolph, sounds like a gaggle of geese, gack gack gack, staccatto notes and bending duck-like notes, I use it in r&r solos bending the Major 3 then playing the 5 very staccatto, a few times in quick succession. I guess it's playing country picking guitar style on sax.

apparently King Curtis based a lot of his trade mark tricks on guitarist's techniques (I suspect that the yakety thing comes form his solo on Yakety yak by the Coaster, which predates Boots Randolph...?)

 

[spike]

Yeh the coasters, i was trying to think of examples, however - dawned on me in the meantime, somebody who played really good yakety sax was Steve Douglas, can't think of a good example at the moment.
Edit:
Also known as Chicken sax, hence the ornithological comparison.

 

[Bobby G]

Do you need a duckbill mpc to play chicken sax 🙂

Maybe my liking for my duckbill mpc and Hodges-style note bending has its roots in guitar-playing, as I played it for 35 years before taking up sax.

Are there duckbill ebonite pieces around?

Cheers, Bob

 

[spike]

Okay, been digging through Vinyl, If you've got any Duane Eddie lying around you might have " Movin' and Groovin' " that's the best I can find of Steve Douglas doing chicken sax.

Ebonite Duckbills - check out the biggest sax shop in the world.

 

[Jules]

Bob Green wrote:

Are there duckbill ebonite pieces around?

Cheers, Bob

You occassionally see ebonite duckbill berg larsens on e-bay, but they fetch quite a price.

 

[Pete Thomas]

nachoman wrote:

Bob Green wrote:

Are there duckbill ebonite pieces around?

Cheers, Bob

You occassionally see ebonite duckbill berg larsens on e-bay, but they fetch quite a price.

That's probably why they've started to make them again:

http://www.berglarsen.com/duckbill.htm

 

[Bobby G]

Is chicken sax two sax players running towards each other full-pelt, hirns a-blazin' at full volume, the winner being the one who holds his line and doesn't give way?

 

[Jules]

Might try that with my baritone player at our next gig!! or... er... maybe not!

 

[Bobby G]

Well, I don't know, nacho. On the one hand your smaller hirn would mean you were faster on your feet, but the bari player would have weight and bulk on his side. I should think a C-melody would be the ideal compromise with it's combination of manouverability and weight, also who really cares if the odd C-mel gets trashed, no-one plays them any more do they 😉

I reckon I've just invented a new Olympic event. Or how about 7-a-side or Synchronised Chicken Sax?

Cheers, Bob