Playing on the Mouthpiece only

[Jules]

I've spent a fair bit of time sat in traffic jams playing my mouthpiece of recent. I can quite happily tootle from "G" through to "E" but stop dead when trying to get the 7th and octave. Any excercises or ideas on improving/expanding mouthpiece-only work?

 

[daveysaxboy]

I find joining a sax onto it help's me,it's abit whacky but yee haa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We I Man,Like

 

[Jules]

I find joining a sax onto it help's me,it's abit whacky but yee haa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We I Man,Like

Not strictly practical when sat in the driving seat of a Vauxhall! The steering wheel would get in the way.....

 

[daveysaxboy]

Not strictly practical when sat in the driving seat of a Vauxhall! The steering wheel would get in the way.....

Do the Lester PRES Young stance and ya can play and use ya knee's for steering

 

[Jules]

Do the Lester PRES Young stance and ya can play and use ya knee's for steering

Not one for the fainthearted! would certainly choose a curved soprano for such frolicks!

 

[neil]

could you make something akin to a xaphoon that your mouthpiece fits on to....any ideas anyone?

 

[Mamos]

I think there must be a market for a practice sax for such instances

I would love to have mu horn at work with me during the day for practising scales etc

One that you could put your actual mouth piece would be good

Who can we speak to

mamos

 

[jonf]

Playing on the mouthpiece??

Get yourself a bike then you won't be stuck in traffic and you'll have more time to play when you get there.

Blatting through the Cuilfail Tunnel last week, exhaust echoing off the walls. Parp Parp

(Oh, and like me you'll still need a car as well for offspring and the lady of the house. And probably a spare bike as well. Or two)

 

[Pee Dee]

Why not mount the sax under the bonnet, and into the mpc socket insert a length of tubing, or copper pipe through to the car, and to that plug in your mpc. It would make a great horn If you know an electronic whizz-kid, get button switches attached to the steering wheel, which are connected to the keys of the instrument, then you can have a tuneful horn

 

[Phil Edwards]

Hope this is all helping you to get to the 7th and Octave, Jules...

Phil

 

[Rogerb]

I think it may mean "We don't know!"

 

[ManEast]

I've spent a fair bit of time sat in traffic jams playing my mouthpiece of recent. I can quite happily tootle from "G" through to "E" but stop dead when trying to get the 7th and octave. Any excercises or ideas on improving/expanding mouthpiece-only work?

Hi Nachoman
Yes.... try coming off the M.P , Just a tadd. and pos move your tongue forward... again just a tadd, open and relax the throat . Also it is very important that the notes are in tune so best put a tuner in your car.

Good luck Nach.


ManEast

 

[Mamos]

Has anyone tried fitting a mouthpiece to say a recorder or similar

mamos

 

[half diminished]

Has anyone tried fitting a mouthpiece to say a recorder or similar

mamos

No but I am keen to try to fit one onto the wife's Stylophone. Old Git suggested one might help my playing so I'm gonna try.

 

[Jules]

Hi Nachoman
Yes.... try coming off the M.P , Just a tadd. and pos move your tongue forward... again just a tadd, open and relax the throat . Also it is very important that the notes are in tune so best put a tuner in your car.

Good luck Nach.


ManEast

At Last, A sensible answer! :welldone:welldone
Yup- I tried doing the routine with a tuner the other day and it's going to be an interesting control excercise.... portable long tones...

 

[jonf]

Mouthpiece

At Last, A sensible answer! :welldone:welldone

I though my suggestion was sensible.......

 

[Pee Dee]

I thought my answer was very sensible. Too complicated for this forum I suppose.......

 

[TonyMoroney]

Has anyone tried fitting a mouthpiece to say a recorder or similar

mamos

Sorry to drag the thread in a silly direction again..... but ....

What about creating a carrot clarinet for your mpc (as seen in the YouTube section of this fine forum) play it in the car in traffic and just before you get to your destination, you've a healthy snack and you're on your way to your "5-a-day"

It's the gift that keeps on giving!!

Cheers

T.

 

[AlanB]

This post isn't really for Jules since I think he is a thousand miles ahead of me on this mouthpiece only practice. Maybe for others just starting and looking at this thread. It seems from the books and other advice that the different tones on the 'mouthpiece only' should be made with the larynx and throat and very little with the jaw and lower lip. I was managing only a couple of tones. I found it very hard to conceptualise what throat adjustments I should be making (since while talking and singing they happen subconsciously).

Then I hit on the idea of whistling. I tried whistling from the highest note I could produce to the lowest note and concentrated on my throat and larynx. I found that there was a huge amount of movement here to get the notes. This is especially true if you simultaneously try to keep an open throat (in the "ahhhhhh" position). Keeping this in mind I went back to the mouthpiece and found I could get almost a full octave almost immediately(although the notes were very badly out of tune - need much more work with a tuner).

Am I on the right track here? Is this a generally accepted way of achieving good mouthpiece control? or am I creating problems for myself further down the line? Feels good though!

 

[littleplum]

mouthpiece playing

Hey Mamos

Try attaching an alto mouthpiece to a length of hosepipe. How low is that note?? it makes your brain shake.

Go on and try it, you know you want too.!!!


Dave