Mouthpieces Mouthpieces, and do I need a new one?

Should I buy a new mouthpiece to get a better sound, even though I'm a beginner, or should I stick to the default right now? I'm eager to get a reasonably priced Yamaha mouthpiece, but am not sure if I need to. Please help, lol. 😀
 
Should I buy a new mouthpiece to get a better sound, even though I'm a beginner, or should I stick to the default right now? I'm eager to get a reasonably priced Yamaha mouthpiece, but am not sure if I need to. Please help, lol. 😀
Try a yamaha. If you find it better sounding/feeling go for it.
Your teacher can probably advice you in your choice.

My advice is not to spend more than the price of a yamaha.
 
Yep, try a Yamaha 4C, and a Rico Royal B3 both cheap and good . Will your sound improve? There are so many variables and unless your existing m'piece (what is it?) is really bad, it is doubtful. It all depends on how long you have been playing and how much you're embouchure is in control, can you play with vibrato for example. If you can, then you can make the instrument sing and be able to compare m'pieces subjectively. Practice and patience are the name of the game.
Beware of GAS (Gear Acquirement Syndrome).

John 🙂;}
 
Try a yamaha. If you find it better sounding/feeling go for it.
Your teacher can probably advice you in your choice.

My advice is not to spend more than the price of a yamaha.

This is very good advice for a beginner. The Yamaha mouthpieces are great for starting out -- good quality for what they are, and very cheap. It will last you until you and/or your teacher know why it's holding you back.
 
Buying a Yamaha mouthpiece is, I am sure, a good idea. However, before you rush off and buy a 4c, think about the tip opening. Yamaha tip openings are very small - the 4c on tenor is 1.7mm, or 0.67". I think a conservative opening for a new player would be about 2.2mm, or 0.85-0.9". I'd suggest you go for a 6c - even that is only 1.9mm, or 0.74, so still very narrow. Similar sort of proportions apply for alto.
 
Buying a Yamaha mouthpiece is, I am sure, a good idea. However, before you rush off and buy a 4c, think about the tip opening. Yamaha tip openings are very small - the 4c on tenor is 1.7mm, or 0.67". I think a conservative opening for a new player would be about 2.2mm, or 0.85-0.9". I'd suggest you go for a 6c - even that is only 1.9mm, or 0.74, so still very narrow. Similar sort of proportions apply for alto.

For beginners, I generally recommend a 4C for alto or 5C for tenor.
 
Yamaha 4C's cost about £35. Rico Royal B3's cost about £15. A LaVoz mouthpiece costs about £25. A Runyon 22 (Charlie Parkers mouthpiece, developed by his teacher, Santy Runyon) costs about £31.

Having played all 4 I rate the Runyon the best of these, but what do I know..................They are all likely to be an improvement on the one you play, which may be better as a door stop!
 
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Personally speaking miss-saxophone, selecting a mouthpiece is a very personal procedure, as is reeds, and especially a saxophone.
I'm sure the individuals who have offered their advice know what's best for them, or in their experience dealing with mouthpieces, etc. However, I wouldn't spend money dealing in something as personal as a mouthpiece unless you physically try some out yourself and experiment with them and get first hand knowledge in what is appropriate for you.

Personal embouchure is just that....personal. You may possibly take some advice and realize that your stock (no name) mouthpiece is better than the money you spent if you don't try a few out as comparison. For instance, giving a friend a mouthpiece for their birthday is not necessarily a wise gift. A thoughtful gift, but not a wise one.

If you can get to a music store that deals in woodwinds, select a bunch of mouthpieces with various tip openings as in the one's offered in advice on this thread and see for yourself. They'll set you up in a room to try them out and don't rush the process.
Make your own decision and don't be so quick to take advice as definitive knowledge.

Just adding a different perspective to the mix....
 
I know of East Coast Winds in Hornchurch - who only stock Runyon and Otto Link mouthpieces: Deadimage removed. Not sure Essex has a very large choice to be fair.

The point Mike makes is a good one, but I doubt whether , as a beginner, I would travel far to try out something that only cost between £15 - £35 as my money could easily end up being spent on petrol, parking fees etc. and the chance of finding a music shop with several of these mouthpieces in stock in the right sizes is nigh on impossible - even sax.co.uk only stock the Yamaha and Runyon pieces.

The risk would be that I would only try out what is available in any local music shop and inevitably end up spending up to £100 and more, which is a significant outlay compared to the cost of those suggested.

So I could imagine making a journey if I was buying a more expensive mouthpiece (once I had been playing a while and knew what sound I was after) and was confident to play a mouthpiece/sax in public in a shop, but be more wary of doing so as a beginner who had some cheaper recommendations to choose.

p.s. I notice on Fi's website that she has bought a Yamaha 4C - case closed!
 
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I would say you can't go wrong with the yamaha 4c, the Rico Royal B3 has a wider tip opening and IMO a bit more difficult for a beginner to get control over particularly the low notes. 🙂
 
I like the advice about trying a few out. I did that when I bought my last mp (my first metal one). Spent plenty of time in a shop where I could try them out. Came out with one I hadn't expected but felt and sounded right for me. I use it all the time now.
 
Hey miss-saxophone

How are you getting on with the 4C? I've got one on my shopping list - using the Jupiter one which came with my sax at the moment. Is it much easier to play? Would you recommend it?
 
To akame - well, you don't have to try so hard to play the low notes, apart from that I haven't really noticed any other difference - it could be that I'm just new to saxophone playing though. So sorry about that. It is lovely and shiny and has a cute Yamaha logo on it though - so that's a plus! 😛 Hehehehe.
 
My first sax teacher tried to encourage me to "drop" my jaw when playing the lowest notes, which is similar on trumpet too. Unless there is a slight technical problem it is possible that it is about tight embouchure. It is perfectly possible to play notes an octave above your fingering by tightening your embouchure.
 
My first sax teacher tried to encourage me to "drop" my jaw when playing the lowest notes, which is similar on trumpet too. Unless there is a slight technical problem it is possible that it is about tight embouchure. It is perfectly possible to play notes an octave above your fingering by tightening your embouchure.

Yep agree with this, also helps with random squawks and squeaks especially on the attack of the note :thumb:
 

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

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