Is resistance of a saxophone a mouthpiece issue

[MalcolmH]

I read quite a lot on the forums about one saxophone being more 'resistant' than another, this came up on the Ref 36 vs 82Z thread. Now, I dont get this.

If you were to blow down any saxophone without the mouthpiece surely you would encounter zero resistance to your blowing. With the m/p connected the resistance is there.

So is resistance purely a mouthpiece issue? How is it that one saxophone can be more resistant than another with the same m/p.

[Henry D]

The term doesn't refer to actual "resistance to the flow of air" through the horn.

It's that feeling of notes simply popping out full and free with little effort on a non resistant sax and the more focused effort with oftimes more control on a more resistant horn. Both ends of that spectrum have good and bad points according to different players needs and desires.

Certainly a mouthpiece can contribute to this effect just as certainly miniscule leaks in a horn can cause resistance in varying degrees. This leak induced resistance is by and large not exactly desirable..... though one can get accustomed to almost anything!

[cjmdsax]

You're blowing through a vibrating reed so, yes, there is resistance. It isn't an issue, it's good, means things are working. Mouthpieces can be designed to give more or less resistance depending on how they interact with the reed and how their interior is designed.

Some people find that different saxes offer more or less resistance so there are some variables there too but the mouthpiece is probably going to make more difference. I'm not sure but guessing that neck design is the main factor there. Like the inside of the mouthpiece can have different designs, the neck can be designed with different tapers that will affect how the air moves and how the air moves affects how the horn feels to the player.

[J.Max]

The resistance is about 80% mouthpiece and 20% neck. Resistance is caused by turbulence in the airstream, which is mostly affected by the chamber and baffle. Now, the air has to go somewhere, which is where the neck comes into play.

[MojoBari]

I'm not convinced there is a turbulence issue. Away from the tip, the air velocity is too slow to sustain turbulence. I think it has more to do with acoustic properties than aerodynamic properties. Resistance is about how much effort the player must use to generate sound. Some geometries reflect sound in a more efficient way to get out of the horn and into our ears. Others do not and are percieved as more resistant.

[harmonizerNJ]

When I went to purchase a Selmer alto as a teenager, it was the first time I had ever played on a non-student horn. I play tested 3 brand new Mark VI altos that day, and they all seemed more resistant than the student Bundy horn I had played for 5 years. But one of the three felt a lot more open than the other 2, and I bought that one. I was using the same mouthpiece on all 3 Mark VI's. I did not try swapping necks (I was not smart enough to even think of such a thing), so I don't know if the differences between these three Mark VI's were from their necks, their bodies, or both.