sxpoet

Day Five – VENN SYNTHETIC REED – Excellent, i can’t believe it, the 1st synthetic reed that works on my Alto. Crystal clear notes in all major scales. It’s definitely a buzzy jazz sound, more suited to jazz than classical. very quick responding and lively – i’m completely blown away. i’ll to order another one to make they are similar.

(Designed…[Read more]

The terms dark and bright is rather vague, dark sounds like evil and foreboding and looks like gloomy dark clouds in a grave yard, whereas bright looks like the sun has come out, the clouds have cleared away and everything around is alive.

Bright and dark sounds can cross over, and both are pleasant to listen to. You can’t say they are the…[Read more]

i’ll put that in a separate topic

experienced sax players can use their lung control to mimic the behaviour of a dark or bright mouthpiece, which is where playing long tones vastly helps in playing a long smooth note, you’re getting better at playing a note by holding a smooth note and also getting more control in delivering a steady speeded up air stream note. Giving a stronger…[Read more]

This is probably a better comparison

small chamber smaller than the bore – bright
large chamber larger than the bore – dark

high baffle – bright
low baffle – dark

straight baffle – dark sound
roll-over baffle – dark
curved baffle – medium bright
step baffle – bright

the bright mouthpieces tend to look like a metal pipe , whereas the dark mouthpieces look very fat – you need different size ligatures. My dark mouthpiece ligature is way to big for the bright metal one. In general a manufacturer website will tell you which is suitable for classical music (most selmer mouthpieces are classical pure tone sounding),…[Read more]

Hi Leo,

here’s a description of my bright and dark mouthpiece, most of the dark mouthpieces are ebonite or rubber.

Guardala King Alto Gold plated

Laser trimmed and handfinished
Brass gold-plated 4µ (thickest gold-plating on the mouthpiece market)
Tip opening 085”
For Jazz and Fusion
Guardala mouthpiece with ligature, cap and leatherb…[Read more]

Hi Leo,
my local store is a tiny store, it only has a very small selection of saxes mainly yamaha’s and Yani’s in the student price range, they do stock most of the vandoren and d’addario reeds, as well as sax accessories and a good repair shop, but it also sells clarinets and flutes – but again it’s mainly the price range for students.

However…[Read more]

Day Four – The Organic Select Jazz Filed Reed – Very good, giving me a firm buzzy jazz sound, not suitable for a classical sound, but great for a more jazz effect. The reed was too weak for strong altissimo G sound. I’ll keep this reed for playing jazzy tunes, as it works with my dark mouthpiece.

(Offers great projection, clarity, and a vibrant…[Read more]

I’ve ordered a D’addario synthetic VENN reed, which i shall try out on my Dark mouthpiece. The hemp reed isn’t suited for dark classical mouthpieces according to Hartmann’s website, but they do have two other reeds suitable for classical music.

I tried several Hartmann reeds on my Bright metal mouthpiece and they just didn’t work for me, so i…[Read more]

I’ve ordered a D’addario synthetic VENN reed, which i shall try out on my Dark mouthpiece. The hemp reed isn’t suited for dark classical mouthpieces according to Hartman’s website, but they do have two other reeds suitable for classical music.

I tried several Hartman reeds on my Bright metal mouthpiece and they just didn’t work for me, so i’m i…[Read more]

Well played Leo.
you’ve got a clear sounding setup, the fiberreed sounds great.

unfortunately i just can’t get on with them on my Alto, i’ve tried several types of them with no luck. But i’ve ordered a D’addario synthetic VENN reed to test out, so i haven’ given up yet.

I been playing along to Johnny’s Michele backing track using the Bb Clarinet, and the classical tone from the clarinet sounds very close to the way it was sung, so the type of reed i’m looking for to use on my Dark Sax Mouthpiece has to sound close to the clarinet tonal sound.

Also looking for another reed that can get me nearer to a clear buzzy…[Read more]

Day three – ORGANIC SELECT JAZZ UNFILED – it’s playable, responds better than the La Voz, but the tone is too hard for a classical sound, compared to the Organic Reserve. Also the reed was too week for a strong altissimo G sound. Not suitable for my dark mouthpiece.

(Offers great projection, clarity, and a vibrant sound.
IDEAL FOR: JAZZ, ROCK)

i’m now retesting a different reed out of the 11 reeds i bought, one day at a time.
I’ve started with the D’addario reeds as everyone worked, compared to the Vandoren.

Day one -The La Voz – i’ve ruled out, it’s playable, but not responding as well as i would like, and the sound isn’t suitable for my dark mouthpiece

(Jazz musicians choose these…[Read more]