Brilhart Mouthpieces

[Saxamaphone336]

Are the metal Brilhart mouthpieces for Bari good for Big Band? I have one but I'm not sure whether to switch to that or stay on my Selmer hard rubber for Big Band. I like the fact that it gives a much more powerful sound than the selmer but it is harder to control it.

[MojoBari]

What size Brilhart do you have and is it an old Level Air or a newer one (Runyon made, came with little plastic removable baffles.)

What size is your Selmer? What kind of big band? School or old timers or ?

[Saxamaphone336]

I'm not exactly sure if it is a new or an old one. It is Chrome plated and it has a low baffle. This one does not have a removable baffle. I dont know if there was one to begin with, There is a 3 stamped on the mpc so I assume that is the size. My selmer is a C*, not that great. I would be using this in a high school type of big band.

[MojoBari]

It probably has a "high" baffle (closer to the reed). If the baffle falls off like a step, it is an older one. If where the baffle ends it is rounded, it is a newer one. Both are chrome plated with a black tooth deck. I would guess you have an older one.

Either way, a 3 should not be difficult to handle. If anything, it should be too small of a tip opening, unless it is really a poorly staped "8". I played a 7* Level Air on Bari in HS. Perhaps it has a defective facing? Does it belong to the school? It may have been dropped multiple times.

The Selmer C* is not a good choice for big band. No guts. But if it is the only one you can control the pitch on, use it. Guts with poor intonation is no good.

[Saxamaphone336]

so would you have any recommendations on other mouthpieces that have the guts and is easy to keep pitch. I'm constantly being told to play louder but I just can't get that loud sound without losing intonation.

[MojoBari]

This is difficult to do over the web. A good teacher should be able to observe what happens when you play loud and loose pitch control, then come up with a development plan for you.

The most common problem is your embouchure support is not adequate enough and the pitch falls flat. Another potential problem is that the embouchure is too tight or you are biting with your jaw and the pitch goes sharp. Both problems will show up more in the high notes than the low notes.

Read Paul Coats' articles on sax embouchure. Do the mouthpiece pitch exercise. Next, practice long tones. Pick a mid-range note and take a deep breath and see how long you can play a steady good-sounding note without faltering. Watch a clock or set up a metronome to track your progress. Try this on a few different notes. Also practice starting soft and getting louder, louder getting softer, and soft-loud-soft all in one breath. Pay close attention to the pitch and your embouchure as you get louder. Use an electronic tuner and your ear.

You should notice significant improvement in a week or two of doing this 10-20 minutes a day. The duration should get longer and sound fuller. This can be boring but it is weight training for your chops.

As your embouchure improves, the next area to work on is getting the mouthpiece/reed combo to match your chops. If you go for playing loud (and on pitch) and the reed closes off due to the blowing pressure, you can try harder reeds. But when you go to harder reeds, do not give up your ability to play low notes softly and with control. You may need to get your sax checked out for leaks. Even if its a school sax, get some bucks to have the leaks fixed.

If you are up to a 3.5 or so, it is time to consider a more open mouthpiece with a softer reed, say a 2.5. A mouthpiece with some baffle will help with volume too.

On bari, a Selmer C* has a tip opening of about .080". The vintage Brilhart 3 should be about a .085". Not radically different enough to cause intonation problems, so there must be some other reason I can not see across the web. You should consider going up to at least a .090" but no more than a .100" (my opinion) as a next step. A Rico Royal Metalite M5 (.100") would be great for marching band/jazz band if you can find one. They are discontinued but you may find one for not too much $.

[jjgold]

I have one for sale if anyone wants it...CHEAP. $50
jjgold007@aol.com

[MojoBari]

I've sold one for that much. The other one I donated to the local HS bari player. I dont have any more.

[Saxamaphone336]

What reeds have for found that are easy blowing but powerful? I also wanted to ask anybody for their comments on Powertone baffle thing. That piece of rubber that you put on your baffle and it is supposed to improve your tone. Does that work at all?

[MojoBari]

The Powertone changes the tone. It adds some brightness to mouthpieces with little or no baffle. You have to decide if it is an improvement in tone.