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The
Source of the Sound
"Mouthpiece and Reed Infomation"
Getting
the right combination of mouthpiece,
ligature
and reeds
to suit the style of music you play and your own physical and physiological
(and some would say psychological) needs is the most important aspect
of producing a great sound on saxophone or clarinet. You will notice
that I put this before the selection of instrument in the pecking
order for such matters, although it of course comes second to PRACTICE.
Let’s
start with mouthpieces.
There are three main variables that should influence your choice
– these are the chamber size, facing length and tip opening.
The
chamber is the cavity inside the mouthpiece before it reaches the
main tube of the instrument. In short, a large chamber will produce
a warm, rich sound, whereas a smaller chamber will produce a more
focused and clear tone. The dangers with each are that if the chamber
is too large, the sound may be “stuffy” or dead; if
too small the sound may be too piercing.
The
facing is the distance from the tip of the mouthpiece (where it
opens) to the point where the reed meets the surface of the mouthpiece.
A long facing is more responsive and “easier” to blow,
but may result in a sound which is too bright. The short facing
gives a darker sound but may feel more resistant.
The
tip opening is the distance between the tip of the reed and the
tip of the mouthpiece. This will determine how much “air”
you can put into the instrument. A wide tip opening will allow for
a higher volume of air to be blown, but may be more buzzy than a
narrow one. A narrow tip opening will give a purer sound, but may
have a tendency to “close up” (i.e. the reed no longer
vibrates) when playing very loud passages. It should be noted that
the wide tip opening will not necessarily be “louder”
than the narrow one.
At Sax & Woodwind, we stock a wide variety of mouthpieces by
most of the leading manufacturers, including Selmer, Vandoren, Otto
Link, Meyer, Berg Larsen, Bobby Dukoff, Pomarico, Mitchell Lurie,
Bari, Yamaha and many others.
You
can have look at our range of woodwind
mouthpieces at this page
Reeds:
You must always ensure that the reeds you use suit the mouthpiece
you have. For classical playing, the French style of reed such as
Vandoren Traditional or V12, or Rico Grand Concert Select, provide
the shorter table and thick heart required for this kind of tone
production. For Jazz and concert band, Rico Royal, La Voz, Jazz
Select, V16 and Java will give best results. All are available at
Sax & Woodwind, along with several other brands. You may find
that if you play several styles of music, different reeds may work
on the same mouthpiece for different tones.
You can have look at our range of reeds
at this page
Ligatures:
The “soft” style ligatures made by Rovner, BG and Vandoren
have created new ease of playing and articulation. The traditional
style of metal ligature has evolved into the Vandoren Optimum (3
ligatures in one), while the advances made by Winslow and Harrison
paved the way for all these changes. Each ligature will create a
slightly different sound and resistance, further enhancing your
ability to play a broad range of sounds.
You can have look at our range of ligatures
at this page
In
summary, the first thing you need when purchasing reeds, ligatures
or mouthpieces, is the idea of the sound you wish to create. You
are most welcome to come and try ligatures and mouthpieces in our
studios at Sax & Woodwind, and the staff are more than happy
to advise you on how best to achieve the desired sound and playing
comfort.
If you have any other questions about mouthpieces, reeds or ligatures
feel free to contact
us
To enquire about anything on this page please
feel free to
contact us by clicking
here or phone (02) 9557
4588 |
