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Saxophone Mouthpiece Numbers & Variables

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Vandoren V16 T9The mouthpiece can make a huge difference in your sound!

Using the mouthpiece that comes with the horn is fine initially, but after 2-3 years you may want a new one.

Different players will give varying advice on what sounds the best and the discussion could probably last for days. The main thing is to try them out and see what you like.

The Search– Once you have been playing for a while it may be a good idea to look for a new moutpiece. Paul Contos says that it’s a good idea to bring another musician with you when you try one out too, since they can also hear the differences in tone quality.

Number-The number assigned to a moutpiece refers to the tip opening, which will making it necessary to use more air to make the reed vibrate, thus making the mouthpiece more powerful. You should also use softer reeds for more open moutpieces, as I said in the article about reeds. And while a powerful sound is cool when you’re soloing and such, it might not work as well in an orchestral setting. Some people solve this dilema by getting multiple mouthpieces, but I wouldn’t go overboard and buy way too many.

Metal vs. Rubber vs. Crystal?– The material that a saxophone moutpiece is made out of also makes a difference. Plastic is usually the material for stock moutpieces, and is not really the greatest. More professional mouthpiecs are made of hard rubber and metal most times. However, some nontraditional moutpieces are made out of crystal and other materials. The metal moutpieces are said to have a “brighter” sound, but it is harder to control them.

After the stock moutpiece I would recommend getting a hard rubber moutpiece.  I have Vandoren V16 and a Meyer 8*, which may be a little bit too open for some people. I also have a metal Selmer 7*. On a really basic level you will want a rubber mouthpiece for orchestral or concert band types of groups. They also work for jazz, but metal will give more power and a brighter sound.

Brand– One of my saxophone teachers had a plan to get all of the same brand mouthpiece with exactly the same specifications for all his saxophones. Unfortunately the plan didn’t work perfectly. He seemed to like one thing on tenor, but it might not work on alto or soprano. Just try out some different types to see what you like on a particular horn.

Cost-Some moutpieces, like guardala, cost insane amounts of money (over $1200 for some models) and do play pretty well, but I do not think they are worth the cost. Also, if you want to sound like Michael Brecker, don’t necessarily get the Guardala brecker mouthpiece. He needs an unusual moutpiece because he hurt his throat from excessive playing in his earlier days. Someone asked me if I was playing a Guardala the other day, I had played one before, but my Selmer metal feels and sounds fairly similar.

My setup-Right now I am mostly using my Vandoren V16 T9- that is the V16 mouthpiece for tenor sax with a 9 tip opening.  A size 2.5/3 reed seems to work well with it.

saxophone mouthpiece

Herman Riley Tribute

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About Herman Riley, Lavay Smith said, “The way he played was everything I love about jazz,” Smith said. “He was so unbelievably soulful. When I listen to the record he recorded with us, I love it. It’s just as good as it gets.” (Stewart article)

I knew him through the Monterey Jazz Festival, since Herman Riley taught at the summer jazz ‘camp’ connected to the Monterey Jazz Festival for several years.

When I was about 12 years old, I went to him and asked about sound on saxophone.

He told me that you need to know “what to practice, and how to practice” and “what to listen to, and how to listen.”

That has always stuck in my head.

Herman Riley was a great sax player. Unfortunately he passed away a few years back.

His “hard-driving, soulful playing as a sideman and accompanist with artists such as Count Basie and Jimmy Smith earned him critical acclaim” (Stewart article)

Herman Riley was born in New Orleans on August 31, 1933.  As he told us in saxophone class, he tried sports in high school, but when that didn’t work out, he took the discipline he learned from athletics and transferred it to music.

In New Orleans, Mr. Riley saw jazz from early on.  He went to Southern University and played with the marching band before his draft call came and then he played with  a military band in the army.

Herman Riley played saxophones, clarinet, and flute.

“His primary goal was to attain that level of spontaneity that comes from building the vocabulary in jazz,” Jackson said. “He loved Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane. We talked about the dues that they paid, and our willingness to pay dues like that to get to that level.” (Stewart article)

Herman Riley had one album as a leader, “Herman,” in 1984.

Here is a clip of Herman Riley on tenor sax, live at Giannelli Square on April 30, 2006

Herman Riley – tenor sax
Roy McCurdy – drums
John Giannelli – bass
Llew Matthews – piano

Source: Jocelyn Y. Stewart, Los Angeles Times  | April 26, 2007

How to Play Salsa on Sax

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To play salsa on sax, you need to understand the rhythm of the music.

It starts with the clave and builds from there- you need to know whether you’re in 3-2, 2-3, or rumba. Then there is the cascara pattern on timbales, montunos on the piano, the timbao on bass, and much more.

Check out the music of Tito Puente, Hector Lavoe, Paquito D’Rivera, and listen a lot.

The chords, generally, are more simple than jazz.

Being able to dance salsa can help.

Check out Salsa Latin Jazz to try it out!

Dotted Notes

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A dot after a note shows that the value of the note is to be half
again as great as it would be without the dot, i.e., the value is to
be three-halves that of the original note.

dotted notes

When two dots follow the note the second dot adds half as much as
the first dot has added, i.e., the entire value is seven-fourths that
of the original note.

double dotted notes

When three dots follow the note the third dot adds one-half the
value added by the second, i.e., the entire value of the triple-dotted
note is fifteen-eighths that of the original note.  You will unlikely see this however.

triple dotted notes

dotted_notes

Notes and rests notation

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whole note Whole-note. An open note-head without stem.
half note Half-note. An open note-head with stem.
quarter note Quarter-note. A closed note-head with stem.
eighth note Eighth-note. A closed note-head with stem and one hook.
sixteenth note Sixteenth-note. A closed note-head with stem and two hooks.
32nd note Thirty-second-note. A closed note-head with stem and three hooks.
whole rest Whole-rest.
half rest Half-rest.
quarter rest Quarter-rest.
eighth rest Eighth-rest.
sixteenth rest Sixteenth-rest.
32nd rest Thirty-second-rest.

Circle of fifths for alto sax

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The alto saxophone is in the key of Eb, a fourth above the tenor.

So a concert Eb is C on an alto sax.  To get from concert pitch to the tone on alto sax, you can either go down a minor third from the concert pitch or up a major sixth from concert pitch, personally I think going down the minor third is easier.

If you were in a room full of saxophonists, a concert Eb would be C for alto saxophonists and baritone saxophonists, and F for tenor saxophonists and soprano saxophonists.

Circle of Fifths

Starting with any note if you ascend by fifths you will reach all twelve keys. Descending by fifths is the same as ascending by fourths. If you begin with C major there are no sharps or flats. F Major has one flat. G Major has one sharp.

Enharmonic equivalents, such as G# sounding the same as A flat, have the same pitch, but are written differently. They show relationships and one may be easier to read or think about than another.

Ernie Watts Concert and Workshop in Freiburg

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I play a Keilwerth tenor, got it about 10 years ago and have really dug it.  The company is based in Germany.

I really like the sound of Ernie Watts- here is Ernie Watts on Roundabout Midnight. He endorses Keilwerth.  I also lived in Freiburg Germany for a month in the summer of 2006, so a press release on the Keilwerth site caught my eye.

A lot of their website is in German.  So here is my translation of a press release about Ernie Watts giving a workshop in Freiburg, followed by the original version.  In some cases it is not a literal translation, but conveys the meaning of what was said.

Ernie Watts Concert and Workshop in Freiburg

Julius Keilwerth endorsed artist, Ernie Watts, weighs in as one of the best saxophone players in the world and has played onstage with many famous musicians, from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa.

In October, he is playing a workshop and a concert at the Jazz & Rock School Freiburg.

On Sunday, October 9 at 8:00 PM there will be a concert with Ernie Watts and his quartet.

On Monday, October 10, Ernie Watts will give a workshop from 10:00 – 12:00.  Ernie describes his workshops as melodic methods for learning improvisation gives technical exercises for learning this approach.  At the workshops you can obtain knowledge of harmony and scales and their meaning within the improvisation.  It is accompanied by the well-known pianist Christoph singer.

In addition the Workshop participants have the opportunity to try, without obligation, Julius Keilwerth saxophones.  And the “Neusilber” and  “Shadow” saxophones will be highlighted.

Ernie Watts Konzert und Workshop in Freiburg

Der Julius Keilwerth Endorser Ernie Watts gilt als einer der besten Saxophonspieler der Welt und stand mit vielen bekannten Musikern auf der Bühne, von Cannonball Adderley bis Frank Zappa.

Im Oktober ist er anläßlich eines Workshops und eines Konzertes bei der Jazz & Rock Schule Freiburg.

Am Sonntag, den 9. Oktober findet um 20.00 Uhr ein Konzert mit Ernie Watts und seinem Quartett statt.

Am Montag, den 10. Oktober gibt Ernie Watts von 10.00 – 12.00 Uhr einen Saxophon-Workshop. Ernie beschreibt seine Workshops als „melodische Lernmethode zur Improvisation und wie diese aufÜbungstechniken anzuwenden ist“. Bei den Workshops vermittelt er Kenntnisse über Harmonie und Tonleitern und deren Bedeutung bei der Improvisation. Dabei wird er von dem bekannten Pianisten Christoph Sänger begleitet.

Die Workshop-Teilnehmer haben außerdem die Gelegenheit, unverbindlich Julius Keilwerth Saxophone auszuprobieren, darunter natürlich auch die Highlights
Neusilber-und “Shadow” Saxophone.

Sax Man Jack Black with Lyrics

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Well, he was the Sax Man from the state of Tennessee
First sat in with the band at the ripe old age of three- weeks old,
And when he blew into that horn all the people gathered ’round


Club manager jumped right up he said, “Boy, I gotta have that sound!”

Scream “Hallelujah Lord!”, I said the Sax Man’s got my soul
Everybody gotta move their feet when the Sax Man started to blow
Now blow it Sax Man!

* (weak saxophone noises)

Nnnn, ‘kay, he’s a little shy, but his genius cannot hide
Cause when the Sax Man starts to wail he gonna take you on a ride
Take it Sax Man!

*

Oww! Take it Sax Man!
He’ll be right with you folks!

*

All right, Sax Man, that’s my fault, I put you on the spot
But now you’re all warmed up and this-a next one’s gonna be hot
Kick it Sax Man!

(Come on!)

*

(What the f%&$ are you doing?!)

*

Haha, okay! Why don’t we have a little inspiration now.
You know this game, Sax Man!
Repeat after me, here we go, and!

Shibidi bop bop buda bop bop

*

Bip bip bipbip bip bip bipbip bip

*

Aridididi bop bududidadi

F&*&kin’ play something, Sax Man!

*

Okay, move it on!
Sax Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan,
Sax Man!