How do I choose an alto saxophone mouthpiece?

The Saxophone Mouthpiece (and Clarinet Mouthpiece) Tip Size, or Tip-Opening, is the distance between the reed and mouthpiece tip. This number is usually on the side of the mouthpiece body, or on the table. The smaller the tip size the more narrow the opening; the larger the tip size the larger the opening.

Do saxophone mouthpieces make a difference?

Some people feel mouthpiece material has a direct impact on sound and some feel otherwise. The result is that there is no significant difference in a listener’s perception of saxophone sound when steel or hard plastic mouthpieces of similar dimensions are employed in playing long tones on a saxophone.

How can I make my alto sax sound better?

On Saxophone Tone:

1. Bottom lip position is important. Think the word “Victory”, or the letter “F” to see how much (or little) bottom lip is placed over the bottom teeth.
2. “Hot air plays the Saxophone; Cool air plays the Flute.”
3. Keep your throat open – same way as when you burp – and push the warm air through.

What is a free blowing saxophone mouthpiece?

A lower baffle will need more air volume. A very high baffle will result in a much more “free-blowing” mouthpiece, i.e one where the sound comes out directly without any resistance when the saxophonist blows.

What makes a good saxophone mouthpiece?

Some people sound good using a mouthpiece with a wide tip opening in combination with soft reeds; some people prefer using a mouthpiece with a narrow tip opening in combination with harder reeds. Similar to saxophone reeds, saxophone mouthpieces have numerous options to choose from.

What size reed is best for alto sax?

The best reed for beginner saxophone is a size 2 or size 2.5 reed. Most beginners start with Rico, Rico Royal, or Vandoren Brand Saxophone Reeds. Your teacher will usually recommend one of these types of reeds to start with. Reed sizes vary in half measures from 1.5 to 4.

Why are mouthpieces so expensive?

All of these factors have an impact on the price causing many to be much more expensive than what we find with the so-called student line instruments. Good mouthpieces are precision made items.

Are Bakelite mouthpieces safe?

Bakelite itself doesn’t contain asbestos, and bakelite components don’t necessarily have asbestos added to them. Even if a specific piece did have asbestos added to it, it’s perfectly safe as long as the asbestos isn’t floating around in the air so you can inhale it.

What is a rollover baffle?

The Roll-Over Baffle: A Roll-Over Baffle has a short high section right behind the tip rail, which rolls over into a Flat Baffle which extends to the chamber. This adds more overtones because the air stream goes at many different rates of speed. This is heard as extra edge and growl in the sound.

How does sax mouthpiece affect sound?

The saxophone is a wind instrument, so from an acoustic point of view, the material of the different components (including the mouthpiece) has no effect on the sound.

What is a good saxophone mouthpiece?

A good saxophone mouthpiece for beginners is made of plastic, and they are inexpensive. However, plastic mouthpieces warp over time, plus they swell and shrink due to changes in temperature. This produces tonal problems and squeaks. Hard rubber mouthpieces are the most popular and are used for classical music.

What is the best alto sax for a beginner?

Saxophones are brilliant musical instruments and the best saxophone for beginners depends on a number of factors. First off there are many different types of saxophones in the saxophone family available for a new musician, and these include sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone saxophone, bass, contrabass, and sub contrabass saxophone.

What are the best alto saxophone brands?

Yamaha YAS-280 ​. The amazing,most beautifully sounding woodwind instrument Yamaha YAS-280 student saxophone.

Which is better alto or tenor sax?

The Alto is higher pitched and plays higher notes than the Tenor Sax. Smaller instruments play higher and larger Instruments play lower sounding notes. The smaller size of the Alto Sax also makes it a better choice for younger students of the Saxophone.