Mouthpieces Mouthpiece and reed combination

[Slimpie72]

Hello
I'm playing the saxophone for 1 year now. I have a jupiter alto saxophone with a yamaha 4c mouthpiece and a 2,5 van doren traditional reed.
Now I want a more jazz sound and let 4 mouthpieces come from the shop to try.
I tried a meyer 5, a joddy jazz, a d'addario jazz select and a selmer c*. The meyer and the jody jazz I don't like. I tried them with the 2,5 van doren and a 2 java reed.
Now I can't chose between the 2 that left.
The d'addario with java 2 sounds great but maybe better with a 2,5 or 3 select jazz reed.
The selmer sound good with both reeds but also needs a little stronger reed than the java 2.
What are your opinions and are there people who have the same problem and can't chose?
Excuse me for my poor englisch but I'm from the Netherlands and don't write englisch every day.

 

[Colin the Bear]

Our physiognomy is unique to us. Whatever works for you.

The sound comes from you. You can't buy it. You have to earn it.

 

[7201]

Hi, you're doing great with your English. There are many similar threads on here. You can get pretty much any sound from any mouthpiece as long as it allows you to blow in a comfortable way and get all the notes on the horn.

Your definition of "Jazz sound" might sway your choice. Interestingly the Selmer C* isn';t that far away from the Yam 4C to my mind, certainly not like the difference between the 4C and the Jody Jazz.

If you want to sound like Paul Desmond then it's pretty easy on either of these mouthpieces, but less-so on the Jody.

Mainly though, it will be about how you blow into the mouthpieces with your airstream and embouchure, this is going to fashion the sound the most. Dave Sanborn won't sound too different on a 4C.

 

[eb424]

i liked this one its easy blowing

Rousseau JDX7 Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece - Mickleburgh Musical Instruments

mickleburgh.co.uk

 

[saxyjt]

I tried a meyer 5, a joddy jazz, a d'addario jazz select and a selmer c*.

You don't say what size are the Jody jazz and the D'addario Select Jazz. The tip opening will influence the reed strength and the reed strength will influence the sound.

The selmer sound good with both reeds but also needs a little stronger reed than the java 2

Yesterday I experimented various reed strength on a mouthpiece and it was amazing how big a difference it can make.

 

[nigeld]

The Selmer S80 is usually regarded as a “classical” mouthpiece, so it is not an obvious choice for a more jazzy sound than a Yamaha 4c. In my experience, the Selmer Soloist has a bit more edge.
The D’Addario is also a good mouthpiece.

But in the end, choosing a mouthpiece is a personal thing, so what suits one of us may not suit you. And for some of us, the quest for the “perfect” mouthpiece is an ongoing one.

 

[sizzzzler]

Steve Neff has a great site with hundreds of mouthpiece reviews played on his ref 56 alto and SBA tenor.

Neffmusic-Jazz Saxophone and Improvisation Lessons — Website of Steve Neff

Online video lessons and books for jazz saxophone and jazz improvisation by Steve Neff.

www.neffmusic.com

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[MarkSax]

Just my 2 cts. Have you considered just experimenting with different reeds and strengths along with your embouchure to get that ‘jazz’ sound? On my Martin alto the best mpc I have ever used is surprisingly the Yam 4C with a 2.5 Rico Royal. Some jazz players let the mpc rest on an outturned lower lip as an embouchure. But like mentioned before it’s pretty much up to you what you like.

 

[Wade Cornell]

It's not surprising that the mouthpiece you like best is similar to what you're already using. It takes a while for one's embouchure to adjust and take advantage of the potential of a new mouthpiece. As an example (and I'm a 60+ year player) I purchased some years ago an RPC mouthpiece. I'd heard good things about them so thought I'd give it a try. When it arrived I tried it out and was somewhat disappointed. I just couldn't make it sound the way I wanted. So I put it away and every once in a while dragged it out to try again. After months and many tries, I took it out again and suddenly there was the sound I was after. It's now the only mouthpiece I play on alto.

We subconsciously adjust to new gear (especially mouthpieces), but it's not instantaneous. It can take quite a while as our oral cavity, throat, air supply and embouchure go through adjustments. Once you've got those "dialed in" then you can find if that mouthpiece delivers the sound you want.

Reed strength is also important, especially compared to tip opening. The 4C is a narrow tip, so requires a fairly stiff reed. If the mouthpieces you're now trying out are more open you'll need to drop down to softer reeds to be able to play effectively. There's a lot of factors, but none of us can determine what you mean by "Jazz sound" as there are hundreds of well known jazz players that all have a different sound.

 

[6441]

As someone who has not been playing long, I have in the past two years experienced the same confusion about mouthpieces and reeds. I have too many mouthpieces and several reed types and I still have not settled 100% to one, although I use one mouthpiece most of the time and try one other from time to time. As for reeds, I have 2, 2.5 and 3 in Vandoren Blue and Jazz. I can play the 3, but they require more work and I don't think that is a good path to follow. Likewise, I sometimes play the 2, but it gets "flabby" after a long session. 2.5 seems to be optimal. I like the ZZ (Jazz), but what I am about to say is most important.

What several other people have said is what I have found to be true. The sound is from you, not the hardware. Of course, you must be comfortable with the tip opening and the other parameters. Assuming that is the case, it's embouchure and airflow that will make your sound. If you hear something you like, gradually move up the scale, one new note at a time. You won't hear subtones too far up, but you will hear and feel a different sound with that modified embouchure.

On a practical level, whether you play long tones as an exercise or not, experiment with varying your embouchure very slightly, using your standard airflow strength. If you don't know anything about air, ignore that last bit. Two extreme ways to vary embouchure are overtones and subtones. I suppose the gang will say not to mess with those, but I'd recommend (against all the potential slings and arrows) to try to make a subtone on the low C, for example. This is the most obvious example of modifying the sound.

As for a "jazz sound", it is my totally unscientific opinion that you can find that somewhere between your normal embouchure and the move to achieve a subtone sound. Regardless of all these little details, try playing a note and changing that way your mouth handles the mouthpiece and reed and you will hear some differences. Maybe yoiu can find what you're looking for.

 

[Targa]

Mouthpieces are inanimate objects which 'bed in', the longer you use them the better they get. Perhaps it is the continual vibrations that alter the crystalline structure which makes them more able to respond whatever type of music you play.
Reeds being from living material are able to communicate with each other and pass on their memories, as each dies the next one you use knows everything the others before it have learnt from your playing..

 

[nigeld]

Reeds being from living material are able to communicate with each other and pass on their memories, as each dies the next one you use knows everything the others before it have learnt from your playing..

That explains why I keep repeating the same mistakes.
Is there a brand of reeds that selectively passes on the good playing memories?
And do stronger reeds have better memories?

 

[Colin the Bear]

Jazz sound. I wish I knew what that was. Imo it's how you voice, phrase and the notes you play. Passing notes, bending, growling etc play their part. Where you sit on the beat. Extending chords and exploring subtle harmonies are all better if in tune.

Some of the greats had a poor tone imo but make the music sing with imagination, technical wizzardry and musicality.

Don't get distracted by the gear. What sounds great, playing solo in the practice room may disappoint in a band setting. That jazz sound you're looking for may be in the arrangement and nothing to do with you.

 

[Slimpie72]

Thank you all for your comments. I settled for the selmer c* with 2.5 java green reed. This setup is easy playing and gives me almost the sound I was looking for. Now the rest is on me practice, practice and practice.

 

[eb424]

2 years in loads of mpces loads of reeds still cant blow 4 notes that each sound different.. Good call Colin the bear..

 

[brianr]

Thank you all for your comments. I settled for the selmer c* with 2.5 java green reed. This setup is easy playing and gives me almost the sound I was looking for. Now the rest is on me practice, practice and practice.

Great choice.

In my first couple of years of playing I was messing around/changing mouthpieces a lot. Driving myself mad.

I then found a great teacher who suggested a selmer C star, and that it would be very beneficial to me if I didnt continually change.

I played only that C star for about 18 months, and it was the best thing I did. It helped my tone production hugely.

At your stage, it isnt about the mouthpiece. It’s about good, consistent practice on the same mouthpiece.

You’ve made a good choice. Stick with !!

 

[TBay]

I can’t help with the technical info, but lived in The Netherlands in the 90s for a couple of years. I worked at Gist Brocades in Delft and the university of West Brabant. A beautiful country with some great venues for live music, are you in a band at the moment?

 

[Slimpie72]

I can’t help with the technical info, but lived in The Netherlands in the 90s for a couple of years. I worked at Gist Brocades in Delft and the university of West Brabant. A beautiful country with some great venues for live music, are you in a band at the moment?

No I'm not. I joined the carnaval society and want to play with the band of the carnaval society, when I'm experienced enough.

 

[sizzzzler]

Thank you all for your comments. I settled for the selmer c* with 2.5 java green reed. This setup is easy playing and gives me almost the sound I was looking for. Now the rest is on me practice, practice and practice.

If you like the Selmer a Vandoren Optimum would work for you. They are the mouthpiece of choice for most classical players having the flexibility to go from woody to focused sparkle without losing the dialled in intonation, and better made than the selmers.