Tenor mouthpiece and occasional squeaks

[freddysilk]

I am transitioning from alto to tenor and have 2 mouthpieces that I use. I have an Otto Link Super Tone Master 5* which gives me a mellow tone and a Berg Larsen 95/1 for an edgier tone. I notice that I squeak on certain notes above D2 and don't know why. It's not the same notes all of the time but there are squeaks from time to time in the higher register. If I loosen my embouchure in the higher register, the tone comes out cleanly but if I leave it this way then the bottom register plays one octave higher. If I tighten my embouchure, the low register has a full tone but I then squeak on certain notes in the higher register. I'm using a #2 reed Vandoren Java and wondering if I need a stronger reed or force more air through the mouthpiece?

I've also noticed that since I've been playing tenor for about two months now, the mouthpiece on my alto is a little bit closed for me which is a runyon #6, should I move up to a #7 or #8. When I use a #3 reed on my runyon, the reed sometimes slams shut and I get no tone at all.

I didn't know that playing a tenor can make you upgrade your alto mouthpiece to a more open one.

 

[PaulyT]

Yeah - Me too. I know it's probably me but that doesn't stop me blaming the sax/mouthpiece/reed/ambient temperature/mood/acoustics/humidity and/or the colour of the shirt I'm wearing at the time! :laugh: :laugh:

 

[jersey_mike]

PaulyT wrote:
Yeah - Me too. I know it's probably me but that doesn't stop me blaming the sax/mouthpiece/reed/ambient temperature/mood/acoustics/humidity and/or the colour of the shirt I'm wearing at the time! :laugh: :laugh:

By Jove Pauly--I think you're on to something here!!!! I've got to start keeping track of what shirt I'm wearing at the time! I just KNEW there had to be a good explanation for my intonation problems!!!!!!!!! 🙂