Archives for February 24, 2008

For many years, I listened daily to a particular alto saxophonist whose playing, for the most part, I really enjoyed. The guy had great chops. He had a good, crisp sound. To my thinking, he was a diligent practitioner of his craft.\r\n\r\nThere was, however, one aspect of his sound that I found extremely annoying. The man was the most out-of-tune player I”ve ever heard.\r\n\r\nI blushingly admit that man was me.\r\n\r\nAnd frankly, I didn”t know how to remedy my rotten intonation. Working with a tuner just discouraged me, because the physical adjustments I needed to make in order to humor notes into tune seemed way too radical to be practical. I found this terribly frustrating. The marvel is that I lived with so fixable a problem for so long–but understand, it wasn”t because I was complacent. I was simply ignorant, uninformed. I had a good appreciation for how the mouthpieces I used affected the sound and response I got on my horn, but I had no idea how much impact they had on my intonation.\r\n\r\nIn my college days, I played on a Meyer 5 with a small chamber. When that mouthpiece eventually warped to the point of becoming unplayable, I purchased a Claude Lakey 5*C.\r\n\r\nI loved both of those pieces for the edgy lead sound they gave me. The Lakey in particular could really split the high tones when I wanted it to. And responsive? Friend, when I blew, my horn jumped.\r\n\r\nWhat I didn”t realize was, both of those mouthpieces were a terrible fit for my old Conn 6M Ladyface. Finally, though, I began to suspect, and I started to do a little research. I learned that a fair number of players had intonation problems with the mouthpiece I was using at the time, the Lakey. This was enlightening news, and comforting. All that time, I had thought I was to blame, and now, suddenly, it turned out that my mouthpiece just might be the culprit.\r\n\r\nSimultaneously, I was reading quite a few glowing posts about Jody Jazz mouthpieces in the Sax on the Web forum. Players seemed to be very happy with these mouthpieces. After connecting with Jody Espina, whom I recall as being helpful and genuinely service oriented, I slapped down my $120 and ordered one of his Classic Jazz #8 mouthpieces.\r\n\r\nIt took a little while for me to adjust to the new piece. The tone is more centered, which took a bit of getting used to for ears conditioned to a very bright sound. Also, at first, the mouthpiece seemed less responsive than the Lakey. But I immediately noticed one other difference as well, and it was a huge one: I was playing in tune!\r\n\r\nJody Jazz mouthpieces come equipped with a removable “spoiler”–a wedge with a metal reed that inserts into the chamber. I was skeptical of this feature at first–it seemed a bit gimmicky–but I became a believer. With the wedge, the mouthpiece takes on a nice edge that projects well for blues and rock settings, or any lead situation that requires extra projection and volume. Remove the spoiler and you get a somewhat darker, more focused sound, not as loud, but nevertheless with a great deal of presence. The only problem I”ve encountered with the spoiler has been the rare occasions when it has come unseated inside the mouthpiece while I”m playing. This can be quite disconcerting when it happens in the middle of a solo, as the horn instantly seizes up, and I can”t play another note until I”ve removed the reed and reseated the spoiler. However, this happens so infrequently that it”s a minor concern at most, far outweighed by the virtues of the mouthpiece. Making sure the spoiler is tightly seated before strapping on the reed has proved a simple and effective safeguard.\r\n\r\nMy break-in period with the Jody Jazz mouthpiece quickly turned into an extended honeymoon, and since then, I”ve never looked back. The Jazz Classic is a wonderful piece that not only has solved my intonation problems, but has given me a better sound overall. What a difference a mouthpiece makes! Don”t get me wrong, this mouthpiece isn”t a magic bullet. The Jody Jazz doesn”t split notes for me as easily as the Lakey did, and I still have to work at my intonation. But the adjustments I make to play in tune are now what one would expect, within the realm of normalcy rather than contortion.\r\n\r\nWhat”s the moral of my story? Just this: never discount the impact your mouthpiece has on the sound you”re getting. If you”re experiencing problems that you can”t seem to correct, maybe it”s time you began shopping for a new piece. Do some research. Like me, you may just be delighted with what you discover.