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Baffle effect on altissimo

3K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  shmuelyosef 
#1 ·
I've always been under the impression that larger baffles enhance or generally make playing the altissimo range easier, but I'm beginning to question that.

The Lamberson FMaj7 alto piece I recently got has no baffle, and the altissimo speaks a LOT easier than many other baffled pieces I've owned, it's very easy and one of the things I love about the FMaj7. I find the altissimo on this piece easier and more consistent than my Lamberson 6M, which has a small rollover.

A while ago I tested a Pillinger 5SL, which is a fairly closed mpc again with no baffle designed for classical playiing. The altissimo on that was by far the easiest I've ever played, it was like playing in the middle of the horn.

Comparing my Morgan Jazz 7m or 6m to a Morgan Excalibur 7e, same thing - the brighter Excalubur piece had a more difficult altissimo, although I'm not sure if the baffle was all that different between them. The Jazz 6m has a great altissimo.

I recently got a Dukoff D8 to experiment with and it plays pretty good, but the altissimo is much more difficult than any of the pieces listed above, and the Dukoff has the largest baffle of them all.

All things being equal (tip opening, reed strength etc.) shouldn't a high baffled piece generally make altissimo better, or is this just another myth? Based on my experience, I've found the opposite to be true.
 
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#2 ·
Yes, but in your case you can not detect the trend because "all things" are not otherwise equal. I suspect there are facing curve differences that you can not see.

You are not alone. A lot of participants here have concluded that this or that mouthpiece brand or feature has good altissimo. But the underlying reason is usually in the shape of the facing curve. The curve need to be responsive and not too flat near the tip.
 
#5 ·
I find that a higher baffle on the same mouthpiece definitely makes altissimo easier -- but the only part that really matters is the first half inch or less at the tip. A small chamber doesn't help, and a large chamber doesn't hurt. This means I can wedge for altissimo response without affecting overall sound so much, or vice versa (wedge for brightness without making the horn squawky).

I'm sure a well-engineered and well-executed facing can do wonders for altissimo too. If a mouthpiece is a little bit "off", those notes are the first things that will stop working.
 
#8 ·
I've only owned one mouthpiece where altissimo was nearly impossible, and the baffle has nothing to do with it.
 
#10 ·
Well, that seems to be the conventional wisdom - but in my experience it has certainly not been the case, in fact just the opposite. As Mojo stated, a correct facing curve is at least equally as important, which would explain a lot.
 
#11 ·
I have a Barone Hollywood that Mojo refaced (not for me...I bought it from SOTWer with the "Mojo" signature on it. It definitely has the easiest altissimo of any tenor piece I have ever played. It's totally scary on my Yamaha Z tenor, but just perfect on my Yani tenors, which I'm slowly migrating back to.
 
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