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Mouthpiece pitch

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  JL 
#1 ·
Hi, I read an article about mouthpiece pitch (without sax and neck) and it said that you must get a G concert (in tenor). I get a D. On the other hand when I play with mouthpiece and neck (no saxophone) I get an E, which is what I am supposed to get (according to Bergonzi). I play with a relaxed embochure (no embochure embochure). I'd like to know if this is normal or if I am doing wrong.

Thanks.
 
#4 ·
Hi, I read an article about mouthpiece pitch (without sax and neck) and it said that you must get a G concert (in tenor). I get a D. On the other hand when I play with mouthpiece and neck (no saxophone) I get an E, which is what I am supposed to get (according to Bergonzi). I play with a relaxed embochure (no embochure embochure). I'd like to know if this is normal or if I am doing wrong.

Thanks.
It's normal. You should be able to play a 10th on the mouthpiece alone with a relaxed embouchure. In actual playing you'll want to vary it some as you go up and down the horn. But for your 'standard' embouchure to play a D on the mpc alone is in the right neighborhood for a jazz player. That you MUST play with an embouchure that produces a G on the mpc is bad advice IMO. For the classical idiom I can see why you would want your standard embouchure to be there, but I believe you get a better and more consistent sound if you have some flexibility w/r/t voicing, regardless of where the 'center' of it is.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, forget the mouthpiece-by-itself pitch, this will just confuse you. The mouthpiece acts very different when no horn is attached - or let's put it the other way round: the mouth has to act different, when the horn is attached to the mouthpiece. Also, the range you can play with the mouthpiece alone depends a lot on the style of mouthpiece - bore, baffle, tip opening.

Nevertheless, practicing on the mouthpiece alone will help your playing, particularly if you practice to change pitch without changing lip/jaw pressure (happens in your throat), if you work on expanding the range of tones you can play on the mouthpiece, and if you practice to sustain pitch while changing dynamics.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the answers.

MrBlueNote: Yes, I can play all the notes.

Jazzaferry: I can play from B4 to Bb5/B5.

mfry: I read about the 10th on the mouthpiece alone in Dave Liebman's book "Developing a..." and I am beginning to practice this exercise.

Giuseppe: Yes, It seemed confusing for me but now I think I am on the right track.

By the way, which range can you play with your mouthpiece alone?.
 
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