Klarinet Archive - Posting 000336.txt from 2009/02

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Alto Sax Mouthpieces (again)
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:23:37 -0500

At 05:04 PM 2/16/2009, you wrote:
>I am going to be playing for a musical (Wizard of Oz) in a few months.
>So I had my alto sax, which has hardly been played in the 38 years since
>I went into the Air Force, fixed and have been doing some practicing. It
>is a Selmer Mark VI which I bought new in 1967.
>
>I really like the classical sound quality (and intonation) I am getting
>with the Selmer C* mouthpiece that came with the instrument. However,
>volume has always been a problem for me with this mouthpiece. When I was
>playing it, I eventually got a Brillhart 7 for dance band work. This can
>peel paint off walls, but I don't care for the quality of the sound.
>
>Does anyone have any suggestions for a mouthpiece that would enable me
>to play at higher volume levels but retain much of the sound quality and
>good intonation of the C*? My budget limit is around $120.

You could try a Meyer 5M Medium Chamber. Usually called a "jazz"
mouthpiece, I find it to have a nice neutral tone quality. I will be
playing mine Saturday when I perform "Harlem Nocturne" at the
Southwestern Illinois College Jazz Festival. I decided to use it
instead of my usual Soloist-style C* because of the increased
output. We sell them in our store for about $85, I believe, but even
list price should make your limit.

I recently sat in for one night on Wizard of Oz locally, on sax and
clarinet (I could have played bass clarinet, too, but since the guy I
replaced was playing it all on Bb, why should I knock MYself out,
especially outdoors?) Not an especially hard show, but it was most
useful to be familiar with all the tunes!

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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