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Tenor Sax - picking out a mouthpiece and reeds


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well, it looks like i'll be able to borrow a yammy tenor (new!) to practice (I am just starting out, played one time on alto and then one time on tenor - able to make notes, but need to learn fingering and everything else).

 

it may or may not come with a mouthpiece, but generally, what differences are there in mouthpieces and reeds (what do the numbers mean)?

 

Coming from guitars I realize that it makes no sense to ask what gauge strings I need, but at least if I could have "most people start out on .10's and .09's are easier to play, but .11's sound a little fuller" - something along those lines for the sax?

 

I just know that it's a personal matter, so i'm willing to try several sizes, but want to know what to look for.

 

Thanks!

 

P.S. Maybe I should say that I won't be playing any classical music - I'll be learning scales so I can improvise (slowly :) ) and also try to play big-band like riffs. Our band currently has trombone/alto sax/trumpet. So we're talking rock/blues/rockabilly/swing (sort of). And yes, I like that sound of a pushed (buzzed?) tenor sax like you hear in rock/blues, but I also like (sometimes) the melodic tone that almost sounds like a clarinet.

 

Sorry, I don't know much about them (yet).

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Oh my.

 

ahem.

 

First - find out if there's a Mouthpiece (MP) floating around in the case that you can use.

 

MP's can be very expensive, and come in all sorts of styles. Some are metal, others are hard rubber or plastics. The main thing about MP's is that the sound is shaped by the chamber and tip openings (this discussion has filled books).

 

Generally, the wider the tip, the softer the reed you'll want to use (by tip width - I mean the gap between the reed and the MP). Sax players with highly developed embrouchures can play hard reeds with large tip openings.

 

You will not want to do that.

 

If you have to buy a MP - tell the guy at the store you need a beginers MP - and try not to spend too much now. Yamaha actually makes a decent MP.

 

Buy some single reeds - several each of 2 and 2-1/2. Also get a 3 for kicks. Reed numbers go from soft (1) to hard (4). If the MP you end up with has a very closed tip - the #3 reed may work well for you.

 

gotta run - Good Luck!

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thank you, that definitely sheds some light on it! so i understand:

 

for a wider gap a softer reed makes playing easier

 

but is it easier to play a wide/soft or a narrow/stiff?

 

And for me (i think) the important part is being able to have the note START when I start blowing (so, in real time, at tempo) because most likely i'll be playing with others almost from the start, even if it's simple lines.

 

What is the difference in MP playability between plastic, rubber and metal? I mean, I've seen prices vary from $25 to over $100.

 

For me, metal is probably out anyway, because my skin (including lips) is allergic - i get irritation, as i found out when i tried harmonica.

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I now actually own a used Bundy tenor sax! Got a great price and couldn't be happier. I am learning an A-blues scale (which on the tenor horn is "B-blues") and when the notes come out, it sounds pretty good (other times I either get the wrong (higher) octave or squeaks). Thinking in "B" while playing in "A" seems to be no problem so far, since I tend to think in terms of "root", "third", "fifth", "blue note" anyway. I am thrilled, but also humbled at the same time - this is rewarding from day one, but also will take much work.

 

I watched a video explaining how better mouthpieces let you play easier without choking the reed - how long should it be before I need one of those? When I play just the mouthpiece without the horn I can get a fundamental tone and an octave, but that's about it.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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been playing alto for 8 years. I wouldn't worry about a new mouthpiece for a while. As you play developing your embouchure, etc. will improve your tone alot. Personally I have never bought a new mouthpiece separately as I have always been decently satisfied with the tone I'm getting from the stock one that came with the sax. You can also buy a new ligature (the thing that holds the reed on the mouthpiece) and that will help the tone alot for (usually) less money than a new mouthpiece, although that is a whole separate discussion!

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thank you! can't believe i've already been playing for about a month! found a local teacher (2 lessons so far), so he's helping me with embouchure, etc. also bought some books and started learning to sight-read - reading is not my goal, but looks like if you go through the silly kiddie songs a few times, the fingers start going to the right key as the eyes see the notes on the staff, so that should prove helpful in reading excercises/ideas I'll get from the more "bluesy/jazzy" books I ordered.

 

I must say: if I'd known, I woulda started 10 years ago! For some reason it just didn't occur to me that you can "pick up" saxophone the way you "pick up" guitar or bass (meaning "self-taught", without being in a school/program). But now I realize: Adolf Sax was self-taught, many sax players since then are self-taught, so it's quite possible and rewarding, although it will take a strong determination and effort. But so does guitar, even just to get your basic bar chords. Recommend to ANYONE!

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