Yamaha Saxophone Mouthpiece Patch
Yamaha Custom Series saxophone mouthpieces are sculpted out of choice ebonite, a high-quality hard rubber which offers a deep resonance and tonal qualities similar to those of natural wood. Every step of the production, from the initial shaping of the mouthpiece ‘blank’ to the final hand crafting of the facing, is done by Yamaha’s experienced artisans for complete control ensuring consistent high quality.Yamaha has spent years working together with many of the world’s greatest musicians, studying their mouthpieces and discovering ways to improve them. The Custom Series incorporates this experience in the design and manufacture of every mouthpiece in the series.
Yamaha mouthpiece patches prolong the life of your mouthpiece by preventing tooth indentations. The patches are clear and.5mm in thickness. Choose Small for Soprano.
The Custom Series mouthpieces are characterized by a warm rich tone with exceptional clarity. Their accurate intonation and comfortable playability have made them popular with many leading artists.
The Standard Series are made out of high-quality phenol resin (plastic) and feature a design based upon the top grade Custom Series. They are extremely consistent in specifications and playing quality, and offer excellent value for their price. The facing of this series is slightly shorter than that of the Custom Series making them easier to play, and easier for beginning students to achieve a rich characteristic saxophone sound. They also are available in a variety of sizes, to suit the needs players of many different styles.
There's something very important to think about that hasn't been mentioned yet. The beak of a mouthpiece needs to vibrate as freely as possible. This is especially true of a Ralph Morgan mouthpiece. Ralph has described to me the great care and precision that goes into the design of his mouthpieces - including the beaks.
I remember one conversation where he talked about the beak of his clarinet mouthpieces. There are, I think he said, around 20+ points (just in the beak) where the measurements have to be just right in order for the mouthpiece to play at its optimal level. If a thick black patch is used on one of these mouthpieces it dampens the sound and response to a noticable degree. I've experimented with this and found that there is a BIG difference in sound between using a thick patch and not using one on a Morgan mouthpiece. My mind was completely blown when I did this trial on a Morgan L alto mouthpiece. Big difference - not just in my sound but also in the horn's response. I wouldn't have believed that just a patch would have made such a difference.
Frankly I'm not sure how important this is with other mouthpieces. But, it makes sense to me to experiment with whatever mouthpiece you're using to see if there is a difference in the sound in using or not using a patch. One of the best ways to check this out is to RECORD your playing and see if you can hear a difference in the playback. If you don't hear a difference in your sound and if the comfort of a thick patch is important to you then it's probably okay to use a patch. It's your choice. To my ears, there is not as much difference in my sound with a thin clear patch. In particular, when I cut the clear patch so that only the necessary amount is used.
My ideal choice would be not to use a patch. But, I have one front tooth that is sharper than the others and it will do a serious scratch job on a mouthpiece in no time. For this reason I use a clear patch. It's the best compromise that I've come up with so far. quote='Roger Aldridge' I've experimented with this and found that there is a BIG difference in sound between using a thick patch and not using one on a Morgan mouthpiece. My mind was completely blown when I did this trial on a Morgan L alto mouthpiece.
Big difference - not just in my sound but also in the horn's response. I wouldn't have believed that just a patch would have made such a difference.
Did it make a big difference in YOUR ears while playing - or to others, too? I notice big differences in sound playing different reeds, ligatures or mouthpieces that other persons have troubles hearing. And I have somewhat the same problem when I hear the different setups recorded on tape! Toni, The answer to your question in THIS particular case is both.
The point raised about what we hear in playing versus what others hear is definitely a good one. There have been times when I've tried certain changes in my set up and I clearly heard differences in my sound but others didn't. Thus, either the tonal changes were too subtle or they were just something that came through my ears.
HOWEVER, there have also been times when I could heard a change in my sound and others could as well.and commented on it. So, this is something that can cut both ways. Personally, the approach that works for me is not to be concerned whether others hear a difference in my sound or not. I mean, I listen to my recorded sound closely and strive to get the sound that I want out into the room.
But, as a player, the sound that I hear in my own ears is the sound that I focus on. Thus, if I make a refinement to my set up and hear a difference that I really like I go with it - even if others don't hear it. Hi, first let me throw my two cents in. Some of us just feel more comfortable getting a better grip without slipping and for that I have found over the years that a nice thin clear patch such as the Vandorens are great but pricey.
Before addressing the cure for that I would just like to say that given the collective items that actually account for your own personal sound and the vibration of the reed and mouthpiece in your mouth (oral cavity) that the addtion of a patch when heard from the business end of the sax makes hardly an iota of difference in the actual sound coming from the horn. It may be percieved as a tad muffled by the player because of the very slight (with a clear thin patch) cushion (more with the thick rubberized patch) because of the lessoned teeth to mouthpiece carrying of sound to the inner ear but it is really almost totally unaffected at the bell where the sound comes out. So if you are more comfortable with the patch then by all means use it.
Mouthpiece Patch
Now how to save a bundle on buying them. Go to your local motorcycle shop. Ask for a package of the clear windshield stick on film (this is the stuff used for motorcycle windshields to make and stick on racing numbers.
Comes in colors, paper backed, same as the patches, most of it made by 3M but for around $12.00 you get about 4 sheets of it that are around 18' by 24' which is easily cut into pieces as you need them and one purchase will more than likely last you a few lifetimes. They also come in colors other than clear for those of you that like that kind of thing. The thick black ones. I've done sound tests with thick black vs.
No patch and heard no difference on a recording. Also other musicians listening heard no difference.
Yamaha Saxophone Mouthpiece
And I myself really noticed nothing other than the weird feel of the other two as compared to the nice n' comfy thick black rubber one:) So I stick with those. I think the brand is something like mouthpiece magic or something. They're ovular, I cut them in half and place them about an inch up from the tip of the beak on tenor (3/4' on alto, 1/2' on sop. I use Meyer 5, 6, and Selmer E respectively on those horns as well).
Saxophone Yamaha
This seems to be the spot for optimal tooth placement, really opens up the oral cavity, and I guess IF the rubber patch deadened the sound at all, this would lessen that effect to some degree.