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by joesax
(10 posts)
16 years ago

sax quartet mouthpieces

what mouthpieces/reeds do you guys recommend for soprano, alto, tenor and bari if we want a bright sound on alto and bari and a warm sound on tenor and soprano? the horns are antigua winds sop, yamaha 23 alto, armstrong tenor (late conn shoting star stencil) and The Martin Baritone (committee)

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  2. by CountSpatula
    (602 posts)
    16 years ago

    Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

    S: Super Session A: Beechler Diamond Inlay T: Otto Link Tone Edge B: Berg Larsen :)

    Reply To Post AIM


  3. by JBTSAX
    (364 posts)
    16 years ago

    Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

    Are these mouthpieces for a sax quartet to play "classical" music? If so, why would you want a different timbre or color of sound for different instruments in the group? I would think that having the voices blend as much as possible would be important to achieving a good ensemble sound. John

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    1. by MarkLavelle
      (300 posts)
      16 years ago

      Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

      'I would think that having the voices blend as much as possible would be important to achieving a good ensemble sound.' I would think that would depend on how you wanted your ensemble to sound! 'Blend as much as possible'='mush' to me...

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      1. by chalazon
        (547 posts)
        16 years ago

        Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

        blend as much as possible is what we're looking for here. it's a quartet..not a collection of four soloists.

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        1. by JBTSAX
          (364 posts)
          16 years ago

          Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

          I agree with Chalazon. When ensembles are adjudicated at music festivals and contests one of the categories they are judged on is Blend and Balance. Balance means that in tutti passages all voices are equal, and when there is a melody with accompaniment, the melody slightly predominates. Blend means that each instrument's tone blends with the rest and no individual sound sticks out. Playing "good ensemble" means that the unified sound of a group gets more emphasis than the individual sounds of the players. John

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        2. by haduran
          (52 posts)
          16 years ago

          Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

          On the other hand his question was not, "What do you think of our plan?" but a specific on which mouthpieces he ought consider to achieve the sound that his quartet has decided upon. The original choices seemed pretty decent to come up with what he desired- though pretty expensive if he guessed wrong. If "Joe" wants to experiment on the cheap the Rico 'Graftonite" pieces are ridiculously cheap and actually of quite decent and consistent facing quality. You could experiment with having different degrees of edge from a similar tone base with relatively little expense/risk.

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        3. by chalazon
          (547 posts)
          16 years ago

          Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

          you're certainly right about the expense..and, yes, they are all fine pieces..and the graftonite pieces are pretty cool..it's a tough call..my teacher in college had us all use Meyer 5's...we played different reeds 'till we each came up with what worked for us..I still have the alto ,piece..but I don't use it. /these sound like student horns for the most part..maybe some good basic pieces, and some exploration with different reed types/strengths..

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        4. by JBTSAX
          (364 posts)
          16 years ago

          Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

          A "sax quartet" strongly implies a classical ensemble. To recommend 4 mouthpieces that are designed for a jazz or rock sound is inappropriate IMO. This is why I asked about the style of the music. If the original poster had inquired about mouth pieces for a sax section in a jazz ensemble it would be a different question altogether.

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        5. by MarkLavelle
          (300 posts)
          16 years ago

          Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

          'A "sax quartet" strongly implies a classical ensemble.' To *you*, maybe ... *I* assumed it meant original and/or transcribed music (style unknown)! joesax didn't say a word about what type of music his quartet wanted to play, but he *did* ask for suggestions for mouthpieces to help a particular SATB ensemble sound a (relatively) particular way. All I really know is that now I'm hot to try out a Super Session mpc on my curved soprano... ;-)

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        6. by chalazon
          (547 posts)
          16 years ago

          Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

          I play a super session mpc on my yani curved soprano, and find it to be just dandy..

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        7. by chalazon
          (547 posts)
          16 years ago

          Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

          do i detect a certain tone of animosity?

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        8. by MarkLavelle
          (300 posts)
          16 years ago

          Re: sax quartet mouthpieces

          No animosity here - just trying to encourage people to open up their minds...

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