Saxophone Mouthpieces

THE MOUTHPIECE

Choosing a Mouthpiece for your sax

It sometimes takes me about 2 weeks to really know if a mouthpiece is right or not and so it is not always a good idea to make that decision in a shop, however most retailers let you try out a mouthpiece at home, as long as you use a mouthpiece patch. This is usually a sale on approval with the option to return rather than a loan. They need a credit card number or payment which you agree with them can be refunded within a certain time provided the mouthpiece is not worn or damaged.

However a useful strategy can be to try out a large number of mouthpieces in a shop - spend a whole afternoon or a day and narrow the choice down to a few and ask for a home trial on just those ones. Make sure you have several different reed makes and/or strengths to try them with.

After the player, the mouthpiece is the most important part of shaping the saxophone sound. More so than the saxophone itself - getting a new mouthpiece will have a much larger impact on your sound than getting a new saxophone. Most saxophone players I know have a drawer full of mouthpieces.

Recommendations

For beginners, I recommend a Yamaha or Vandoren mouthpiece. Yamahas are quite cheap and usually far superior to the mouthpieces that come with student model saxophones. The entire range of Vandoren mouthpieces are very high quaility and consistent. They are good enough to last well beyond the early stages into intermediate level and for advanced professional work.

Some players after a while want to get something a bit more special. I recommend the new PPT which I have developed and is hand made and finished by world renowned mouthpiece expert, Edward Pillinger. I like these mouthpieces as they have a tremendous dynamic range. The baffle (see below) allows you to play very loud and bright, but unlike most mouthpieces with fairly high baffles, you can also play quietly and with a warm dark tone. They are the most versatile mouthpieces I have found, they allow the player to develop his/her own sound rather than imposing the sound which I find many modern mouthpieces can do.

Naming the Parts

Table

This is the part that the reed is clamped onto by the ligature. The table must be extremely flat or the reed will distort and cause squeaks etc.

Chamber

The cavity inside the main body of the mouthpiece. The size and shape of the chamber can have an important effect on the sound. More modern mouthpieces often have a smaller chamber which can achieve a brighter tone.

Rails

The sides of the mouthpiece along the vibrating part of the reed. The thickness of the rails has an effect on the sound. They should be symmetrical.

Tip

The tip of the mouthpiece. This should line up with the tip of the reed when looking at the reed side of the mouthpiece.

Lay (AKA facing Curve)

The curved part of the mouthpiece. This curve allows the reed to vibrate.

Shank

The part that joins onto the neck of the saxophone. There must be an airtight seal between the inside of the shank and the neck cork

Baffle

A relatively modern innovation. Some mouthpieces have a wedge shape built up inside which causes the airstream to flow faster, resulting in a brighter, more cutting sound.

Ligature

I have now started a whole page just for ligatures

Dimensions

The length of lay and width of tip opening are usually the most important considerations for the player when choosong Saxophone Mouthpieces. Wider tip openings can be harder to play, though it is the combination of lay length and tip opening that really determines this. A long lay can make a wide tip opening easier, and a short lay can make a narrower tip opening harder to play. Generally the wider the tip opening, the softer the reeds required. I like to use a fairly wide tip and medium soft reeds on tenor (Rico Jazz Select, Vandoren or Alexander), but on alto soprano and baritones I use relatively closer tip openings, but still with fairly soft reeds.

Material

This is quite a controversial subject, I’ve now dedicated a whole page to the effect of saxophone mouthpiece material on the sound