Small chamber mouthpiece recommendation needed

[Carl H.]

I finally got my soprano back from the shop and am preparing to get a playable setup. The horn speaks beautifully, no leaks and wonderful tone, however I can't get the blasted thing to play in tune.
My HR link 10 is a mile high on the top end, my Bari esprit is half a mile high. I have tried many ligs (rovners, BG's), and a plain 2 screw metal helps to keep it in control, but it is still a handfull. The shop that did the work found a Yamaha 4C to play reasonably well.
I read on here that large chamber mouthpieces will tend to go high in the upper register on older instruments. My sop was bought off a board member and has no serial number on it. It is fairly well made and engraved VEGA, but I have no guess as to its age.

Can anybody point me in the right direction for a mouthpiece which might bring the top end down a bit?

Carl H.

[Dave Dolson]

Carl: All of my sops (new, vintage, straight, curved, tipped-bell when I owned one) play in tune with Selmer Super Sessions, Selmer S-80s, Jody Jazz, metal Link, Rosseau, stock Yamahas, stock Yanigisawas, Lakeys, Bari Esprit, and assorted other pieces in my box.

If a soprano I've played/owned failed to play in tune (and I've experienced out-of-tune sopranos), it wasn't the mouthpiece, it was the horn(s). DAVE

[MojoBari]

The Runyons with Spoilers are the smallest I've measured.

Try putting some temporary putty in the chamber of one of your mouthpieces to see if helps.

[Carl H.]

Mojo, I'll give the Runyon a try. Until then, how would you go about putting the putty in, and what putty would you recommend? I have a cheap soprano piece that is workable, which I would be willing to mess with/up.

Carl H.

[MojoBari]

Play-Doh, Dental Wax, Silly Putty, Gum, or Poster Hanging putty (blue stuff) will work for a test. Start with a pea sized amount and press it into the roof of the piece. Away from the tip at the base of the reed window (the "U"). You are not trying to make a baffle, just make the chamber volume smaller. After you put some in, you should have pull out some to retune the midrange. Add some more if it is heading in the right direction for you.

But be sure to do the mouthpiece check too along the way to make sure you are not just biting the upper notes sharp. Sopranos can be a beast.

[Carl H.]

So with the mouthpiece in a "playing position" as I am looking in the mouthpiece, I will be placing the putty on the bottom inside - where the stem on a Q points?

Carl H.

[MojoBari]

That would be the floor. That's OK, but more difficult than what I was trying to describe. Put it on the other side away from the reed. If you add more, start curling it up the side walls. Its just a test. Try it in a bunch of spots if you wish.

[Carl H.]

Gotcha, I'll give it a try.

Carl H.

[Bill08690]

I have noticed that the palm keys can play flat or sharp depending on lip pressure on the reed. In fact you can experiment with lip pressure on these notes and see how far you can bend them. The bigger the tip opening the more the player can bend the note. Generally speaking, since these notes are rarely called for in written music, playing them is more a matter of academics than need.

[Carl H.]

I can make the beast play in tune, that is not a problem, in fact it is nice to have to seriously drop the jaw for the upper register instead of firming the embouchure and blowing faster air (working hard). The problem is that I am lipping almost a half step down on Eb. I have decent soprano chops. I have done many shows on soprano and been a featured soloist with a local orchestra on soprano - borrowed sopranos. I got this beast from a board member and had some serious work done to it and it plays effortlessly.
I find that the more I have to remember, the better the odds I will forget, so I am shooting for more neutral intonation. I want to try to center the pitch a bit better throughout the entire range. A few funny notes I can deal with but this is a (left) handfull.
Carl H.

[singlereed]

Runyon Custom, Jody Jazz, Yanagisawa HR, Vandoren, Selmer Metal Classic and Selmer Super Session are all small chamber. Bear in mind an open facing piece is likely to go sharp at the top if you have to bite to get it to speak - it's far more apparent on soprano than the other horns. I use a C* Soloist type and a 3.5 reed to try and keep things in check.