Saxophone Mouthpiece Explained
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- Опубликовано: 6 июл 2024
- Learn about the individual elements of a saxophone mouthpiece and how they effect the tone and reed performance.
This video covers the mouthpiece Tip Opening, Lay, Chamber and Baffle
Backing tracks created by:
Alistair Parnell / saxman999isax
0:00 Intro
0:44 Welcome
1'19 Mouthpiece overview
2:24 3 Mouthpiece elements
2:51 Tip Opening
3:38 Lay
3:59 The Chamber
4:11 The Baffle
4:19 Baffle Comparison
4:28 A House Is Not A Home
6:27 Mouthpiece Materials
6:56 Zen Notes
8:25 Outro
In this video I’m going to take a closer look at the different parts of the saxophone mouthpiece and how they affect the tone. By the end of this video you will have an understanding of the mouthpiece tip opening, chamber, lay and baffle.
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#Saxophone #Saxophone Lessons #Beginner Saxophone Lesson
#Saxophone Tone #Saxophone Embouchure #Saxophone Mouthpiece
You have changed my life!! Struggling with Note Splitting, in 500 hours on Baritone, prompted by this video I tried an old MP which I got with the horn, but never bothered trying. Perfect! It is baffle-free unlike a Rico 9* which turns out a Note Splitter. Now, I fully trust my Baritone, on this anonymous MP, which I never did before. Many, many thanks! I will watch all your other Videos now, please!
Great news Chris!
Excellent, very didactic. Thanks!
Thanks! Glad you liked it 😊
That was a great demonstration of dark vs bright sound.
Thanks Mathew!
Thanks for the amazing education 🙌🏻
My pleasure! Glad you found it useful.
great lesson
Thanks :)
A fascinating lesson Paul, and a great insight into the technical characteristics of the mouthpiece. I learned a lot! I'll now pay a lot more attention to the tip, the lay and the chamber! My mouthpiece is the standard Yamaha one, so I guess it's made from the hard plastic composite, but I'm intrigued to know what a metal one would sound like for example. I'm going to be working on that 'Zen note' technique as well.
Thank you Andrew, The material adds another element to the features that affect the tone. I have spent a lifetime looking for the perfect combination of Lay, Chamber, Tip opening and material , not to mention the correct reed to compliment these elements:) As sax players we will always be tinkering but that’s part of the fun! Enjoy the zen notes Andrew, they will really help!
Why not take my simple 5 Step Basic Blues Challenge: saxexpress.mykajabi.com/offers/SaiqXorA
You're awesome brother
Thank you!
Hi, Paul could you explain how can I make big tip opening smaller by myself? Is it possible
Hi, It is possibly but not advisable unless you know exactly what you are doing. I have never done it and would only trust someone who is properly qualified. Good luck if you have a go 😊
It's very difficult, and the more you need to close it, the more difficult it is. Remove some of the table, the facing is no longer a smooth arc. You fix that, and the facing contour and cause other problems. It is much easier to increase a tip opening.
Why don't we ever hear much about altissimo and mouthpiece traits? And is it possible for a darker mouthpiece also suited well for altissimo?
Hi Ron, Altissimo is definitely helped by the presence of a baffle in a mouthpiece but a good player with experience of Altissimo will have no problem on a darker M/P
@@saxexpress thanks! and how important is facing-length in this altissimo equation?
isn't shorter better?
You didn't mention the bore diameter? Is this referred to as the 'chamber'? What difference in sound and playing feel does this have?
The bore past the neck and cork is part of the chamber. It doesn't make much difference in the tone. The smaller it is, the less volume it contributes and the mouthpiece must be pulled out further. A larger bore/chamber must be pushed in further to play in tune. All the volume, bore plus chamber, past the cork must be equal to the missing conical section of the instrument. The volume of the bore/chamber tunes the lower register, but the upper register is also influenced by length of the mouthpiece past the end of the neck. A mouthpiece with a small chamber will have to be pulled out a lot to tune the low register, but then the palm key notes of the upper register go flat. The opposite happens with a large chamber, the mouthpiece pushed in to tune in the low register, then it is too short and the palm key notes are sharp. What mostly affects tone is the contour of the baffle, that is, the roof of the mouthpiece just behind the tip rail, especially the first 1/2" or so. You can experiment with poster putty in the chamber and on the baffle, see what happens as you add more and more material. Make sure to tune the low register each time you make a change.
Hi Zenik, Yes, the chamber and bore are one of the same. A lager chamber will darken the sound which will also be affected by the presence of a baffle if the mouthpiece has one. The larger chamber may feel slightly harder to play. This is where experimentation with reed strengths can help. Which mouthpiece are you currently playing on?
@@saxexpress Thank you. Using a Yamaha alto 4C mouthpiece. Also have a 35 year old Vandoren A27 (narrower bore (chamber, is the word I think) and smaller tip opening, not sure about the face) and its a huge increase in resistance and the amount of air required. Compared to the 4C, I run out of breath and the lower notes are harder to get, the higher notes are little easier and more stable in pitch. Suffice to say I only use it occasionally. (recently restarted after 30 year break)
@@saxmusicmail Thank you very much for this info. I couldn't find much on this anywhere. It explains the difference I feel using a Yamaha alto 4C mouthpiece and my 35 year old Vandoren A27 which has a narrower bore (chamber, is the word I think) and smaller tip opening, not sure about the face. The A27 is a significant increase in resistance and the amount of air required, and compared to the 4C, I run out of breath and the lower notes are harder to get, but the higher notes are little easier and more stable in pitch. Suffice to say I only use it occasionally. (recently restarted after 30 year break)
@@saxmusicmail You seem to know a lot, perhaps you can clarify some points (rarely fully detailed in various articles).
Is the presence of a baffle always as obvious as shown in the video? Can a low baffle (restricts airflow/speeds it up) simply be a low roof of the m/p? What about the throat of the m/p, full bore or square...warm/broad Vs bright/focused? I have tried a number of m/p, all of similar tip opening, but very different resistance, probably due to the baffle, chamber, throat and lay. My rudimentary assessment of them is as follows. Does it appear logical?
Yamaha 4C:
Plastic, medium chamber, high flat baffle, square throat.
Good balance of warm and bright, very versatile, easy blowing.
Lawton 5B:
Stainless Steel, medium chamber, subtle roll over baffle behind tip, circular throat. Good balance of warm and bright, open sound, not too bright, versatile. Some resistance.
Yanigasawa 5:
Brass, silver plated, small chamber, subtle roll over baffle behind tip, square throat. Bright sound, edgy, not so versatile. Some resistance.
Selmer S80 C*:
Ebonite, medium chamber, high flat baffle, square throat. Full, warm. Some resistance.
Otto Link Tone Master 4:
Ebonite, open chamber, open sides, subtle roll over baffle behind tip.
Smooth, warm, easy blowing.
Otto Link Super Tone Master:
Bell Metal (Bronze), Gold Plated.
Open chamber, open sides, open throat, subtle roll over baffle behind tip. Warm tone, good dynamics, easy blowing.
Edit: Baffle descriptions updated.