How to choose a mouthpiece?
The Mission
Often choosing the right mouthpiece that works for you seems like an almost impossible mission. There is an almost infinite amount of makes and models, and finding YOUR among them all, without being able to try them all and without the most basic knowledge about the role of a mouthpiece on the saxophone or what really makes a mouthpiece good for you. , makes this task very difficult.
The problem is not knowing the slight differences between the mouthpieces or saxophones and even saxophonists, because what may be very good for you may not be for your friend and vice versa. Therefore, we invite you to visit our Mouthpiece PARTS link, where we will explain each function in detail and thus, by the combinations in each mouthpiece you will have an idea of how it may sound without even trying it.
Choosing a Beginner Mouthpiece
Anyone who has started his saxophone studies could realize that he had to invest a large amount of money in equipment such as: Instrument, Methods and Teachers. But… what about the Mouthpiece ???
Why is the mouthpiece so important?
Let's say you're choosing a car for your 18 year old, and you have three choices:
• Fiat 147
• One
• Camaro
What would be most appropriate for our young and inexperienced driver?
The Camaro is clearly the most attractive and appropriate for the road, while the Fiat 147 will take you around the neighborhood, but getting on the highway with it will be a life and death experience no matter who is driving! < / p>
A beginner's mouthpiece should be like a UNO:
• Easy to control;
• Efficient;
• Reliable;
• Fully meets your daily needs
So what should I expect from a good mouthpiece?
Without getting too technical, a beginner's mouthpiece has to have these characteristics:
• Must respond quickly and consistently to all saxophone records.
Nothing is more frustrating for a student than an instrument that will just "not work" on one or more notes (problem mostly with bass notes). Although it takes some time for the saxophone to sound with relative ease with a 2 1/2 reed.
• Must articulate cleanly and without "squeaking".
The mouthpiece must respond without squeaking or leaking, and learning these tricks can be difficult (especially at the beginning of studies), but for many students, a poorly designed mouthpiece is a huge and especially UNLESSING obstacle. In our experience, the vast majority of students who have difficulty learning or experiencing significant improvements in their sound are struggling to use poor quality mouthpieces.
• The mouthpiece should produce a complete sound and without excessive effort by the musician.
What would be most appropriate for our young and inexperienced driver?
The Camaro is clearly the most attractive and appropriate for the road, while the Fiat 147 will take you around the neighborhood, but getting on the highway with it will be a life and death experience no matter who is driving!
A beginner's mouthpiece should be like a UNO:
• Easy to control;
• Efficient;
• Reliable;
• Fully meets your daily needs
So what should I expect from a good mouthpiece?
Without getting too technical, a beginner's mouthpiece has these characteristics:
• Must respond quickly and consistently to all saxophone records.
Nothing is more frustrating for a student than an instrument that will just "not work" on one or more notes (problem mostly with bass notes). Although it takes some time for the saxophone to sound with relative ease with a 2 1/2 reed.
• Must articulate cleanly and without "squeaking".
The mouthpiece must respond without squeaking or leaking, and learning these tricks can be difficult (especially at the beginning of studies), but for many students, a poorly designed mouthpiece is a huge and especially UNLESSING obstacle. In our experience, the vast majority of students who have difficulty learning or experiencing significant improvements in their sound are struggling to use poor quality mouthpieces.
• The mouthpiece should produce a complete sound and without excessive effort by the musician.
The internal geometry of a mouthpiece is very important - it has to be well designed to use air more efficiently than one with a poorly designed design. The biggest reward for the student is the ability to produce complete sound with relatively little effort. Proper breathing, posture and air column are the most important factors, but bad mouthpiece can sabotage even a beginner who is doing everything right.
Important: Stay tuned:
• Your clamp should hold the vane firmly in position.
• Your clamp should hold the vane firmly in position.
To produce a sound, the mouthpiece uses the vibrations of a vane fixed in place by a clamp. An improperly adjusted clamp will cause the vane to fall out of alignment with the tip of the mouthpiece during execution, and this will result in many of the problems discussed above.
• Be very careful not to get SABSF.
There is a syndrome in the music community known as SABSF (Endless Mouth Acquisition Syndrome). Usually this syndrome gives the saxophonist the illusion that acquiring a mouthpiece like that worn by the musician he admires will give him a mystical musical ability and will no longer have to work on his studies. There are thousands of SABSF patients lurking in the internet forums. Avoid them as this disease is contagious. The great saxophonist and legendary Wayne Shorter was playing a student-level Selmer Bundy saxophone until just before joining the Miles Davis band in the 1960s. He only gave up on the instrument because Miles insisted that it “looked” bad… Repeat with us: "No musical equipment will improve our sound until we do an hour of study daily."
Thoughts apart:
Learning any instrument is a difficult endeavor and having equipment that doesn't make your job easier can make this experience a frustrating thing.
Do yourself a favor:Invest in a good mouthpiece.
Your family,neighbors,and teacher will thank you