hey Neal…question…I have a meyer’s with a 5 tip opening. I’ve been using rico 3 reeds with it. Would it be better to use a lower reed # for my mouth piece?
-Persol
That sounds like it would be okay, but try out a 2.5 or 2 and see if it feels better.
Right now I’m using a Vandoren V16 mouthpiece with a 9 tip opening. At first I was using V16 size 3 reeds, but they were too hard, so I went down to 2.5 and then 2.
On alto I have an 8 tip opening and size 2.5 reeds.
It takes some experimentation.
I’ve been using a Vandoren V16 9 with a small chamber and playing Vandoren Java 3 1/2 and having no problems with it.
Then again, I’ve always used a hard setup and manage that it doesn’t sound that hard. I’d stay away from subscribing to the formula of “open mouthpiece/soft reed, closed mouthpiece/hard reed”.
It all depends on what you’re looking for in a sound. Don’t bother differentiating “classical” and “jazz” mouthpieces either.
Joe Henderson had been using a Selmer C* (a so-called classical mouthpiece) for ages. I’ve once played a classical concerto using a Otto Link 5 hard rubber – a so-called “jazz mouthpiece”.
I did that after trying a Selmer CS*80 and hated it! The intonation was awful and I got so much resistance due to the square chamber.