Is your saxophone mouthpiece giving you the sound you want?

Why you should consider an upgrade:

1.     Playing Concert Band or Classical Music? You need a smaller tip opening and a larger chamber (What?? – we’ll get to that in a minute!)

2.     Playing Jazz or Rock? Go for well, something else, maybe with a baffle……..

3.     The mouthpiece you play right now may be only giving you part of what you need!

So you see, you need a mouthpiece to suit the kind of playing you do.

There are dozens to choose from, but you tell us what you want it for and we’ll get you started trying a few.

And if you are out of town we can let you try a few at home.

Here’s a guide:

Look at the picture below:

The chamber is the bit above the reed when you are playing. Generally, the bigger the chamber the warmer the sound. If the mouthpiece has almost no baffle and a smaller tip opening you will get a more classical sound.

Change to a mouthpiece with a big (higher) baffle, small chamber with a medium tip opening and you will probably have a screamer on your hands! 

So there is an awful lot in between these two extremes for you to find the sound you are looking for.

What about plastic, metal and hard rubber mouthpieces?

Plastic - Typically what comes with your sax if you bought it new. They are cheap to make, but can warp and crack over time causing tonal imbalances. They will also tend to expand and contract during temperature changes, causing intonation problems. Good to start with, but move up to make progress.

Hard Rubber – A very dense material which needs more care and maintenance. Many models of professional mouthpieces are made of this because of the sound quality they can produce. Good for Classical to Jazz depending on the model you choose.

Metal – You can only play jazz and rock on metal mouthpieces, right? Well, not necessarily….. It all depends on the shape of that chamber, the baffle height and the tip opening. They look pretty cool too! They can be made of bell brass, stainless steel, bronze and other metals. Oh, and they can be plated in gold and silver too. Some of the big, aggressive, rock sounds can probably only be made with a metal mouthpiece. But yes, they generally produce a brighter  sound.

They all add up to different sounds - so you need to try some to find out what you like.

What now?

Ideally, come in to KBB Music and play a bunch of mouthpieces, spend as much time as you like – set aside a morning or afternoon just in case. Generally you will narrow down your choice quite quickly, but take your time and you will get what you want.

If you are out of town, give us a call (It’s free: 0800 775 226) we can choose some that might suit you and send them out for you to trial at home.

Call in or call up, tell us what sound you are after and what music you generally play we can get you started on your new future in sound!