The Camera of a Mouthpiece
What is a nozzle chamber, where is it and what is it for?
The purpose of the mouthpiece is to create the sound and the role of the saxophone is to amplify that sound and determine its timbre, ie its sound identity. Musicians of different musical styles such as classical, rock or jazz can play the same saxophone, but the tone emitted by the mouthpiece of each style will be very different.
The camera is the area located at the inner center of the mouthpiece, ie below the table and inside the mouthpiece.
Its function is to create the “volume” or focus of the sound. In other words, we can compare their function between the functions of a searchlight and a beacon. Both illuminate, but each projects the light in a different way.
Another way to illustrate the function of the mouthpiece chamber would be to compare blowing into a cone or tube. In either case, the air will come out on the other side, but in different ways.
What types of mouthpiece chamber exist?
• Large Chamber
• Large Chamber
This is the chamber (middle of the mouthpiece, inside) that is larger than the tudel hole (part of the mouthpiece that goes beyond the cork in the tudel).
The first mouthpieces made by Adolf Sax in 1841 had chambers of this type and it was the design used until the 1960s, until the mouthpiece manufacturers started making small and medium chambers.
The Big Cams became famous through the Otto Link Master Link model metal mouthpieces of the 1930s. The vintage mouthpieces are all Large Chamber because they have cameras significantly larger than the Bore hole. < / p>
What kind of sound does the Big Chamber mouthpiece favor?
This camera values the “dark sounds” bass frequencies harmonics and is suitable for musicians who like to value this sound region when playing.
• Medium Chamber
This is the chamber (middle of the mouthpiece, inside) that has the same diameter as the tudel hole (part of the mouthpiece that goes beyond the cork in the tudel).
This chamber design became famous for Meyer in the late 1940s and to this day many loud sax mouthpieces use a Middle Chamber.
What kind of sound does the Medium Chamber mouthpiece favor?
This camera values the harmonics of all frequencies in a balanced and centered manner, so it has its core turned to a more centered sound. They don't have as many “dark” bass frequencies as the Big Chamber mouthpieces. , but still, they are large cameras compared to the smaller ones.
These cameras are suitable for musicians who like to value the harmonics of all regions without leaving one of them more prominent than the other. An example of a Medium Chamber mouthpiece with rounded side walls is the 1950s Meyer Mouthpiece or the Barkley Meritage Alto Sax. Now, as examples of Medium Chamber mouthpieces with flat interior side are Brilhart Ebolin and Tonalin.
• Small Chamber
This is the chamber (middle of the mouthpiece, inner) that is slightly smaller than the tudel hole (part of the mouthpiece that extends beyond the cork in the tudel).
What kind of sound does the Small Chamber mouthpiece favor?
Its shape creates an extra tone of vitality in sound, and a faster, more focused response. It would be like comparing it to light emitted from a beacon… That is, a well focused light and this is the kind of sound that this camera favors.
Often, a small camera is used in conjunction with a Ramp Deflector to promote a focused sound rich in “bright” high frequencies. Remember that because of less chamber volume, the lower saxophone notes often sound “thinner” on small chamber mouthpieces.
• Extra-Small Chamber
This is the chamber (middle of the mouthpiece, inner) that is significantly smaller than the hole as it has protruding walls that protrude outside the diameter of the tudel hole (part of the mouthpiece that extends beyond the cork in the tudel). < / p>
As you look at the back of the mouthpiece through the tudel hole of an Extra Small Chamber mouthpiece, you will see a clear circle in the chamber. This is because the camera is much smaller than the tudel hole.
What kind of sound does the Extra Small Chamber mouthpiece favor?
This camera is suitable for musicians who want to generate a lot of focus on sound, because as the airflow passes through it, it moves extremely fast. Generally, the mouthpieces that have this camera have a ramp deflector. and are mouthpieces often found in Rock and Roll, Pop and Smooth Jazz style songs. Examples of this camera include the mouthpieces of the Dukoff Super Power Chamber and the Guardala King & Super King.
The soprano sax mouthpiece is an exception to this rule, because in this mouthpiece, the Extra Small Chamber is the industry standard for both “dark” and “brisk” sound. This is because the soprano sax tudel cork is large. It is not that the mouthpiece has an extra small chamber, for example the Vandoren S17 or S25 mouthpieces, but rather that the mouthpiece must have a large hole to accommodate the large cork of the soprano sax tudel.
The Barkley Meritage Shadow is a mouthpiece that we developed for soprano sax and is beyond this rule because it is a large chamber mouthpiece. In this way, the sound inside the soprano mouthpiece is created more in the "throat" of the mouthpiece than the chamber.