Jody jazz 5* HR Mouthpiece With Rico H Ligature

[Mel]

I played this mouthpiece with a Rovner and a Theo Wanne Enlightened Ligature. It came with a Rico H ligature. I am just totally amazed at how a ligature can make all the difference in the world because the Rico H just totally opens up my saxophone. My instructor is amazed also. They definitely knew what they were doing when they included the Rico H ligature with Jody jazz mouthpiece.

[Anonymous]

i just watched the follow lig comparison

based on the comparison, i’m tempted to get the selmar lig.

[Anonymous]

I can’t hear a difference!

Here is a very helpful video.

[Anonymous]

when i listened to the lig comparison very carefuly, to me the leather ligs sounded softer more dampened sound compared to the metal that sounded more brighter. To me the selmar lig sounded the best for a natural sound. But if i didn’t listen carefully – to be honest they all sound closely the same.

I’m sure its more of a case that the player notices the difference in sound a lot more than the listener.

I have a theo wanne lig with interchangeable metal plates – and i can tell the difference between the different types of metal plates – some plates sound absolutely horrible.

[Anonymous]

good video the 10 bad habits – just a bit long winded.

[Mel]

Those are great videos! I have seen them in the past. I forgot to mention that I am using a Vandoren Regular number 2 strength reed with this set up. My instructor and I have both agreed to not change anything on this set up for at least this next year. I am very happy at present.

[Anonymous]

Cool Mel – Sounds to me like you’ve finally got your setup sorted out.

At the end of this year i will have been playing 3yrs, and in that period, i’ve outgrown 3 mouthpieces, each one stepping up a size as recomended by my instructor when he’s felt i can’t improve any more
without going up a size.

It only became obvious to me when i asked my instructor why i was having problems with a mouthpiece, i thought it was embouchure problems, turns out, it was because i was starting to outgrow the mouthpiece, which was at that stage starting to hold me back. Without an instructor i would have completely wasted.

The current mouthpiece i use, i’ve been using 9 months, and in that period, my sound now is completely different to the sound of 9 months ago. Reeds and Ligs are easy to sort out on your own, but mouthpieces – if you are serious, you need an instructor to hear you play one, as its so hit and miss.

[Mel]

sxpoet – thanks for all the feedback and information. I enjoy reading and hearing all your posts!

Mel

[Anonymous]

Regarding the 10 bad habits I found this video really helpful. The one which really hit home for me, was taking time to just play the instrument without focusing on music. I always have music in front of me and I could never understand why I couldn’t find a particular note and match it to a sound. What this chap says makes perfect sense. I will spend time each week in familiarisation practice, by matching random notes to the sax. It may even be worth recording a DVD of random notes to match on the sax. If I can play the right note first time every time, then in time I should be able to repeat a tune as well. His video on intervals is also good.

Hi Mel – The problem I had with my standard metal ligature was discovering that the closing mechanism was being jammed by the reed. If the back of your reeds show any damage, drag marks or pinching, then you have this problem too. If the body of the reed can vibrate air will leak out of the chamber and weaken the sound. I turned the ligature around 180°, so the closing vice part slides smoothly over the rounded top part of the MP. This way there is no restriction to the vice. The ligature fastens down smoothly and firmly, ensuring a tight seal between the reed and MP. I believe this is key to producing a good tone, by ensuring a predictable leak proof connection between reed and MP.

[Anonymous]

Hi Jeff – all those improvisation exercises from my drop box are based on that principle – you have to play them without looking at the sheet, the sheet is only a guide. The reason they are so simple is to give your mind time to recognise the relation between sax key and the sound you hear in your head, and also recognise all the different intervals.

There is another type of improvisation called playing by ear, which i had a demostration of. And you start off by singing short phrases, and then playing them back on the sax – its not quite the same as memorising where to put the fingers when you recognise the different intervals.

My instructor insists that i spend 10 mins with a backing track every day and just jam along to it – no sheet, and no thinking in terms of theory – its a complete bonding with the instrument.

One interesting thing i noticed, i spent 3 months just working on the G Basic Blues scale, at the end of that period, i could switch on the backing track and go anywhere on the scale without thinking where to put my fingers – thats when you know a scale inside out

[Author]

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