Embouchure/mouthpiece position

lovefool · May 1, 2008

Thanks all for interesting replies to my last post.

Embouchure seems ok to me but I've found that I have to shove my mouthpiece almost all the way down the cork to get it in tune. How can I remedy this?

According to Larry Teal (book), I may have insufficient musculature 🙁

but then if I push with my lower lip more I can't get it play sharp, it just cuts out. My sax is a sakkhusu from sax.co.uk so should be ok.

Any advice would be very welcome.
Keira

Col9 · May 1, 2008

My alto mp goes on to nearly the end of the cork with 1 mouthpiece and varying positions but still past halfway with all the others.
My baritone is about 3/4 of the way on with my standard MP and just a little shorter with a jody jazz classic MP.

I don't see a problem as thats what the corks there for. I'm not sure you have anything to remedy. If I'm wrong someone will tell us in bit. 😉

Col.

Bobby G · May 1, 2008

I don't know if it's wrong, but my alto mpc goes on nearly all the way down the cork, leaving only about 4-5mm of exposed cork.

Apart from being flat overall, would moving the mpc further up the cork have any effect on the relative intonation, I wonder?

justin_chune · May 1, 2008

Your mouthpiece position sounds fine to me. If it were dangling off the other end you would have more of a problem. Some saxes seem to have more cork than others. Happy blowing.

philthd · May 8, 2008

if you play with the 'piece on a little sharp, you play with a more relaxed embouchure and its easier to adjust notes up as well as down, if its pulled out a little flat its can be quite hard to adjust any flat high notes upwards.