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What mouthpiece should I choose next. Soprano Yamaha saxophone, currently got a Yamaha 4c.?
I am looking for a clean bright sound, with easy access to the upper register. I like to use hard reeds, not sure why and I like to blow hard. Have played a flute in the past and i think I am seeking a clear flute like tone that I can bend.
I have played Alto saxaphone in the past and had a nice sound on that with a selmer mouthpiece, unfortnately I cannot recall the model.
like the idea of a metal mouthpiece but it is not that important. I am an intermediate player, and have not played for a while asi don't like the current sound, which sounds "novice". Maybe I am over blowing - comments welcome.
I am self taught on sax from lesson on flute , so I guess "go get a lesson is an obvious answer", but please go beyond this. The exploration of music is as important to me as actually improving in a classical sense.
First off, we understand what you want, but how clean and how bright are very objective questions. We can't answer those for you because you may want a brightness of 6, while we may only like a brightness of 4 (on a 1-10 scale). Also, each person makes a different sound. You can take five different sax players and have them play on the exact same set up (same saxophone, mouthpiece, ligature, reed, etc) and you will get five different sounds because the throat, mouth, and chest all play into the sound generated even more than a mouthpiece or ligature. Also, what may give someone easy access to the upper register may not do the same for another.
If you want that sound, go to as many different music stores as possible, and try as many different mouthpieces as possible. Try the same model mouthpiece in 4 different stores. Unfortunately since you are looking for a soprano mouthpiece, there aren't much available. Sites such as www.wwbw.com do have an ability to order three mouthpieces to try and return for others, but this does get costly with shipping and reshipping.
And an FYI, if you plan on playing in a group, most groups do not want a bright sound from a saxophone. They want dark, mellow sounding instruments that blend easily. Also, upper register on soprano is a really bad idea. You are already an octave above a tenor and a 5th above alto to begin with. When you get up to the high natural range of the instrument, you are already playing higher than most any instrument, and altissimo on a soprano, unless done by a professional (still very rare) sound like just nasty squeaks.
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