Choosing the right saxophone mouthpiece can make a huge difference to your sound, and your progress on sax.
So, I’ve asked Jody Espina of Jody Jazz, to answer YOUR sax mouthpiece questions.
Why is your saxophone mouthpiece important?
Mouthpieces are a super important topic. We all need to learn more about sax mouthpieces so we can make better choices. It’s one of the best ways that we can upgrade our sound and make our saxophones more fun to play. And Jody has so much great information to share to help us choose the right saxophone mouthpiece.
Jody is a legend. I love his mouthpieces. We’ve got a bunch of questions to get through in this quickfire session, so stick around!
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Q #1: What are the different parts of a sax mouthpiece?
This first question came from Lisa.This is a tricky question to answer quickly.
Jody says: Here’s a quick run-down of the parts of the saxophone mouthpiece:
- Tip Opening of the mouthpiece: Affects how much air and how much muscle you have to put in
- The Facing Curve is the most important part of the mouthpiece. It’s what makes the sax mouthpiece blow great. It can start closer to the tip of the mouthpiece or further away – that’s a long curve or a shorter curve. That can affect how much mouthpiece you’d have to take in, to optimise that mouthpiece.So that’s one reason why you might like a particular mouthpiece. Maybe it’s a shorter curve, so it fits you better, or has a longer curve. Any change here really changes the way the mouthpiece plays.
- The Tip Rail: the thicker the rail, the slower the response of the mouthpiece.
- The Side Rails: the thickness of the side rails is not as important as a lot of other things, but a thin inside rail can equate to quicker articulation.
- The Baffle is a very important part of the mouthpiece. The air enters at the front of the baffle. So any little change here by the mouthpiece maker, can change the response to the mouthpiece.
- The Floor of the Baffle affects the tone of the sax mouthpiece. The closer it is to the reed, so the smaller space in there, the brighter the mouthpiece. And the more space, the darker the mouthpiece.
- Table: This table is flat. And then at a certain point, the facing curve starts. We want the facing curve to start at the same time and to be even, so that it’s the same curve on both rails.
- Beak: This is where your teeth rest
- The Shank: where the bore starts.
Lisa also asked for some cleaning tips. I think soap and water for me is the best way. And I use a Q-tip inside of the mouthpiece sometimes to get in the little crooks and crannies. Some people use a swab, but use a small swab that’s made for a mouthpiece like the BG swab, so you’re not running too big a rag through your mouthpiece every day.
Q #2: Does the thickness of a bite guard on the top of a mouthpiece affect the playability or the sound?
This question came from Lloyd.
Jody says: The short answer is, it barely affects it. It’s a 0.5-millimetre difference between the thick black patch and the thin clear one. So just play the one that’s most comfortable for you.
Q #3: How can I stop my Power Ring ligature coming off when I am tuning my sax?
This questions is from Wolfgang. He’s got several of Power Ring ligatures he likes them, but they tend to come off when he’s turning his sax.
Jody says: I put so many mouthpieces onto my cork, that I can tune by the shank and moving it. But what I usually doI put my hand on the reed and the ring and move it like that. But if it does move, then yes, you have to readjust. And that readjust for me can be quite quick. But most ligatures, even the ones with screws, might move a little bit if you have to tune so you do have to readjust.
Q #4: How can a beginner knows when it’s time to upgrade from a beginner mouthpiece?
This is a great question from Jan-Willem Jonker.
Jody says: If you get a chance as a beginner to play several mouthpieces and you can already tell, wow, this feels a lot better than the mouthpiece that came with the case, or the beginner mouthpiece, then it’s time to upgrade. I think at any point you can upgrade to a professional mouthpiece, but it doesn’t have to be a big tip opening.
So the Yamaha 4c, the Selmer C*, are both number four tip opening. If you’re practicing enough, you could probably upgrade to a five tip opening.
But I think life is short! Don’t play a beginner mouthpiece for a year. Try after the first three months. If you can, if you’re into it, maybe you’ll be a lot more into it, if you get a great mouthpiece.
Q #5: Are there different positions for the Power Ring Ligature?
This question is from George and again, it’s about the Power Ring ligature. I love those Power Ring ligatures of yours. And George is asking if there are different positions for the Power Ring Ligature on a mouthpiece.
Jody says: There are not. It is all dependent on the reed. Some reeds are a little thicker than others, but you need to pull that Power Ring down and put it firmly. And then it’s in place. For 90% of reeds, that ligature goes right in the right place on the Power Ring. If you use the Légère Signature reeds, they are thinner, so the ligature is going to go down and it plays fine there. It plays, it gives you a little longer facing curve. If it’s high, it gives you a little shorter facing curve, but essentially it plays quite well in both positions.
Q #6: How long should you stay with a mouthpiece before you know it’s “The One”?
This is a great question from Robert, who asks how long should you stay with a mouthpiece before you know it’s “the one”?
Jody says: Robert, I think you have to have played several mouthpieces to know when you really like one. So play 4 or 5 mouthpieces if you can. And then you’ll feel one [is best for you].
Now stay with it for three months maybe, and see how it’s going, and if you feel great.
You’ve got to match the reed to it. A great mouthpiece without the right reed it’s not going to do anything for you.
So it’s a one-two punch. It’s a really hard question. All I can say is when you’re feeling good with the mouthpiece, you’re fine. But you might be okay, and there’s something much better [available]. So try mouthpieces when you can. Don’t always be searching, but once in a while, it’s not a bad thing to check stuff out.
Q #7: How can I find out the tip opening for my existing mouthpiece?
Our next question, is from Stuart. Stuart’s recently changed his saxophone and his new saxophone came with a Rousseau Classic 5R mouthpiece. How can Stuart find out the tip opening for that Rousseau Classic 5R?
Jody says:You can find a mouthpiece facing chart on the Rousseau website. And you just look for your mouthpiece. So on the alto chart, we can find the The classic R series, then find the 5R.
So you can see that this mouthpiece is comparable to the Jody Jazz HR 5M. It’s 0.072 inch. For Meyer it’s.a 5M, which is 0.071 inch. It’s virtually the same, because the difference between them is a thousandth of an inch. That tip opening is between the reed and the tip.
You can also find a chart for tenor sax, or baritone or soprano on the Rousseau website.
Q #8: How do you choose between a larger tip opening or a harder reed for your mouthpiece setup?
Jalmari Raippalinna asks our next question. How do you choose between a larger tip opening, or a harder reed, for your mouthpiece setup?
Jody says: On our website, under “Resources” you can find this facing chart.
If you practice for 4 hours or less a week, it’s not good to go up to a bigger tip opening because you’re going to get too tired in your embouchure.
So pick a mouthpiece from the purple zone on the chart.
If you practice for 5 to 7 hours or so, you can go into the green zone.
Don’t go to the orange zone, unless you’re already in a big tip-opening mouthpiece, and you need that, because you know that’s what feels best for you.
So pick the mouthpiece for your practice regime. If you practice 8 hours and you like one in the purple zone, go for it. But once you pick that mouthpiece, with that tip opening size, that’s not too big for the amount of time you practice, then get the reed that feels the best with it.
Q #9: How does tip opening vs baffle vs chamber affect the tone? Which should I look at looking at when choosing a mouthpiece?
These are from Scott. And first of all, he’s asking, how does tip opening versus baffle versus chamber affect the tone, which of these things should he be looking at when he’s choosing a mouthpiece?
Scott also asks, which part of the mouthpiece affects the altissimo and how well it play?
Jody says: The chamber affects the tone the least. The chamber is where part of the mouthpiece meets the bore.
We’re looking through these shanks to see the shape of the chamber. A mouthpiece could have a small chamber, but still, be dark. And that’s what the baffle does. So chamber shape affects how it shapes the tone, but it doesn’t affect the brightness and loudness that much at all.
Tip opening does not affect the brightness and loudness too much. There’s very little difference. If I’m doing my job right, then from one tip opening to the next, the mouthpiece won’t change that much.
What changes the mouthpiece is the baffle, and how high it is. The higher it is, close to the reed, the brighter and stronger the mouthpiece.
So on the top in this picture , you see the Superjet that’s the brightest loudest mouthpiece. The DV is a little darker and then the DV New York on the bottom is nice and deep. That’s going to be a dark mouthpiece.
Then the last part of this question was about parts of the mouthpiece affect altissimo. The main part that affects altissimo is the facing curve. A shorter facing curve helps altissimo. A higher baffle also helps altissimo.
I can play altissimo on any mouthpiece, but it’s easiest on the Jet and the Super Jet in our Jody Jazz range because they have a shorter curve and higher baffle.
Q #10: I play a HR 7* on tenor with a Power Ring ligature. But do you have any reed suggestions for me?
The next question, is from Arne Haukland: and he’s asking for some reed help. So he plays the Jody Jazz HR 7* on tenor saxophone with a Power Ring ligature. But do you have any reed suggestions for him?
Jody says: Arne says he has already tried the Vandoren Green 1½ and it was too soft. He says Rigotti Wild 2, was too hard. I’m not sure what “wild” means, but the Rigotti 2 was too hard and it was probably equivalent to 2 ½ of a Green box Vandoren, or it could even have been a 3.
If you only tried one reed out of the box, they can all be different strengths. That’s why they don’t all play well for you, because they’re all different strengths. You could have got a hard Rigotti 2.
So if Vandoren Green 1½ was too soft, try Vandoren Green 2, and see how that is.And then go up until you get that right.
I also like D’Addario Select Jazz. They come in third strengths. So I would recommend for you about 2 medium or a 2H in that strength. And again, you have to try some reeds, and be ready to learn how to shave reeds.
Reeds are so important. It’s just as important as the mouthpiece. To get the right reed, be careful of off-brands. I’ve been into a lot of schools and when I hear kids struggling with their sound and I’m helping them with their embouchure and everything, and they can’t seem to get it, I check the reed, sometimes it’s an off-brand and they’re not going to ever succeed with that. So the reed is super, super important.
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Q #11: Why is there such a difference between Custom Dark 7 and 7*?
This question is from Marieke and it’s about the Jody Jazz Custom Dark 7. She says she this mouthpiece because it was easier to play on her tenor sax, but she prefers the sound of the 7*. And she was just asking why there’s a difference, and also whether she should choose a similar mouthpiece for a soprano.
Jody says: Marieke, there’s not such a difference for me when I play 7 to 7*. But there is a little adjustment on the embouchure. You need to take in a little more mouthpiece with the 7*. And I think you probably did the right thing because the 7 felt better. So you’re going to adjust, and you’ll get the same sound, ultimately, on the 7 that you would have on the 7*. And it felt better, and that, to me, is more important. So for me, go with the mouthpiece that feels the best and you’ll be more comfortable, because the mouthpiece is sound and feel.
You also asked will it be the same for soprano? In general, I would say, go about one number down on soprano. Soprano is the hardest saxophone. So instead of a 7, I would recommend you play a 6 on soprano.
Q#12: What is the best way to overcome tuning issues with a new sax mouthpiece?
Question 12 is from Susanna, and she asked a great question. Susannah wants to know how to overcome any tuning issues when you first change to a new sax mouthpiece.
Jody says: Basically, the tuning issues you have with your old saxophone mouthpiece are going to be similar to the issues with your new mouthpiece. So the basic approach is to get in tune on a good note – that’s not too high or too low.
Get in tune, get the right reed that makes this sax mouthpiece feel comfortable. And then it’s all from there, it’s good habits. So, don’t getting too loose on the bottom jaw, which makes the notes go flat. Don’t get too tight on the top, which makes them go sharp. We want to get one embouchure and play with the proper air, and your tuning will be better.
Use a tuner to some degree. Also, use your ear without the meter, so you’re listening. Because as musicians we’re listening while we play. The instrument is not perfect. So we have to adjust here to keep everything in tune. Just getting comfortable with the mouthpiece will help you a lot.
Jody Jazz 6 Questions
If you do have more questions, on the Jody Jazz website we have the six questions button, that’s on any saxophone mouthpiece page. We’ve been doing this for 22 years. We love to get your six questions and we give you a personalised answer that can help you with issues when you’re choosing a sax mouthpiece.
These are the questions we ask:
- What mouthpiece do you play now?
- What make and model instrument do you play?
- What style of playing do you do?
- What are you looking for in a mouthpiece that you current mouthpiece does not do?
- What is the brand and strength of reed that you currently play?
Knowing what you want to change about your current sax mouthpiece can really help us. You might want to be louder, or brighter, or whatever.
And the reed strength is really important. Because if you have a beginner mouthpiece or a classical mouthpiece, the reed that works, is probably harder than what you need when you change to a jazz mouthpiece, with a more open tip.
Get FREE saxophone resources – inside Locker
Tone Comparison Chart
This Tone Comparison Chart on the Jody Jazz website is a great resource to help you find the right sax mouthpiece for you.
Final Thoughts
We had loads of great questions on this session. I hope that helped you.
There’s loads more free resources here on the blog to help your playing, whatever level you’re at.
But if you’re ready to take the next step in your playing, then I’ll encourage you to go and check out what we’re doing is Sax School.
Click here to Get started with Sax School, or you can go to the Courses page of our website. It’s a really easy way to come and see what Sax School is all about and to see if it’s the right thing for you.
But whatever you do, I hope you have loads of fun on your saxophone and keep practicing hard and I’ll catch you next time.
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