"stuffy" D on Yanagisawa sop

[oppai]

Lately the "stuffy" D has troubled me a lot... some said that the D has a natural tendency of being "stuffy"; I've tried everything that I could think of, having the Yani sop checked, using different fingerings, changing reeds or mouthpiece, but the "stuffy" D does not completely go away. Is this something that'll be stucked with me forever, or is there a remedy?

[RS]

A different mouthpiece might make the D a little more open. Maybe try a piece with a little wider tip. And you didn't mention which model Yani you have. The stuffy D may be a characteristic of that particularl model. I have the 901SC (the curved model) and the middle D pops out like gangbusters.

[singlereed]

I have never had a stuffy D on any soprano, I currently use a Yanagisawa S992 and a SC901. Maybe it is your mouthpiece/reed, or possibly the adjustment of the saxophone. Often, if you are unhappy with advice from your tech, its time to ask someone else. Or trade the horn for another one.

[ProfessorZeek]

I have the same problem on my Yani--it's a 154K. irritating as hell. i tried a yamaha and it came out like a whistle so i think i may either need an adjustment or trade up for the solid silver Yani, which i hear has no problems. i even just bought a new MP to try to solve the problem, but not completely gone away. See my new Brancher posting.

CKL

[oppai]

Yeah I play a S991 with a Yanagisawa Metal #6 and RJS 2H. This setup is quite alright for the low and high register besides the stuffy D. I'll try a mouthpiece with wider tip opening.

[sadist]

i had the same problem... cant solve... is c* wider or c**?
i cant seem to solve it as well
design fault i guess
mine's a s901

[Mike Ruhl]

Middle D is stuffy to varying degrees on all saxophones. It's just the nature of the design - we all have to live with it. Opening the palm D key in addition to the regulat fingering acts as a "vent" and clears it up on most horns.

[ProfessorZeek]

meruhl, thanks for the tip, i'll try that.

[sadist]

thanks for your help too i'll try that...

errr due to my noobitity... wad's D palm key?
I KNOW ITS A LAME QUESTION

[Straightsax]

An octave up from the key you are complaining about.

If your horn is properly adjusted the D should not be stuffy. In order for D2 to play open, have your horn checked out. Otherwise you will start compensating for the stuffy-ness and it will become part of your body memory. Additionally, the stuffy-ness will only get worse.

Opening the D3 or D palm key will help, but this only compensating for a minor leak that only may need a slight adjustment.

If you haven't had your horn in the shop for a year, take it in. It's time.

Well, back to the shed.

Straightsax.

[rrex54]

Stuffy middle Ds are a plague with tenors -- indeed, a design issue. However, sopranos seldom have the problem. While you can use the palm D work-around, I would suspect either a leak, needed adjustment, or mouthpiece problem as others have noted.

I have a vintage stubby mouthpiece that came with a Martin stencil that has a short facing and close tip opening. It produces a positively muted D on any saxophone. More open pieces overcome the problem.

In answer to sadist's question, the C** has the larger opening. Presumably current production Selmer C*'s = 0.047" while C**'s = 0.049"

[sadist]

understood...
but mine's a new horn... should not have leaks... maybe it's the mouthpiece... i'am trying to get a wider one now

[rrex54]

Sadist, I agree that a new horn should not have leaks, but many do -- if not from improper factory set up (rare with Yani's from what I have read) then being tossed about in shipping. Unless the horn has been gone over by a good tech, I would rule out neither leaks nor adjustment/key height problems.

One thing that did not strike me as strongly as it should when I first read this thread is your questions about C*/C**. While many players prefer more open mpcs, many do play quite happily and well on C* soprano pieces. I did have an opportunity to blow on a Selmer Soloist C* and found no problem with it. So, unless there is a flaw in your mpc, I am not so sure that tip opening is the answer.

One other thing: have you tried different and/or different strength reeds?

I wish I could help more. Dave Dolson plays Yanis and might have better ideas here . . . .

[sadist]

i tried comparing it with a yamaha similar type model today... yamaha was much better... i think i better go have it checked for a leakage... maybe mis handling...

however with the c* gives me a better tone

i noticed that the reed might be giving the problem, so i bought 3 reeds, namely 2 1/2, 3 , 3 1/2
vandoren
they all give me similar stuffy problems

if there are anyone out there who knows what might be the problem, please post a reply... i seriously need a solution to this stuff thing

[Paul Coats]

Most soprano players who use the C* do so for two reasons:

1) It is the mouthpiece that came in the case with the instrument.

2) They use the C* on alto, so assume it is a good facing for soprano, too.

The C* for soprano is not at all proportional to the C* on alto sax. The C* for alto is an entirely adequate and appropriate tip opening for classical playing, and I have no criticism there. However, for soprano it is far too close, and further, requires a very hard reed. This does not yield the warm tone we want for soprano sax.

Most players who have experimented any at all with other Selmer sizes usually chose the D or E facings for classical, and I have to agree that those sizes are more similar to how the C* plays on alto.

Just an observation, about 30 years worth.

Check that the low C key is opening sufficiently.

[DavidH]

Most players who have experimented any at all with other Selmer sizes usually chose the D or E facings for classical, and I have to agree that those sizes are more similar to how the C* plays on alto.

Hmm, good you said this, I was just about to pick up a C*. I'm new to Sop, and always played a C* on Alto for years, assuming that it'd work the same on Sop. I'm mainly into classical/pop and jazz right now, but would rather have a different piece per style. What mouthpiece would you reccomend for classical, if C* is too closed? I've got a little plastic POS that came with the horn, and it seems to work fine for jazz (for now), but really sucks for classical sound.

[singlereed]

I wholeheartedly agree with Paul that the C* on soprano is not proportionately similar to the alto version. I began my soprano playing with a C* and had trouble with the high notes. I tested loads of different mouthpieces and ended up with a S80 E, finding that played a lot more freely. I have used that, and a Metal Classic D for a long time now. However, as my playing developed, I have tended to use closer mouthpieces on soprano and alto and I am once again using a C* on sop, with a no 3 Vandoren reed (i.e. not THAT hard), and have no trouble generating a good sound and range - in fact I have such a big sound on soprano I needed something to rein it in a bit for classical. So, having said all that, I agree a D or E is probably the generic piece to try first, but the C* on soprano has its merits too.