How to Use a Baritone Saxophone Mouthpiece

The baritone saxophone's mouthpiece must be properly maintained to produce the right tones. The mouthpiece holds the baritone saxophone's reed in place to put it simply, but in actuality the mouthpiece is the key to proper baritone saxophone playing.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Align the reed correctly on the plate with the flat section at the tip of the mouthpiece. The reed has to be positioned so that a little bit of black shows through where the reed is attached to the mouthpiece.

2. Put on the ligature. The ligature is the band that tightens to hold the reed in place on the mouthpiece. The ligature slips around the mouthpiece and is tightened using either one or two screws. The ligature needs to fit snugly to keep the reed from buzzing.

3. Check for wear on the cork where the mouthpiece attaches to the baritone saxophone's neck. The cork should be intact and not worn down to the metal. Worn out cork lets the mouthpiece slide around and thus produce bad musical tones.

4. Moisten the end of the mouthpiece slightly before playing. The mouthpiece can stick to the lips and prevent the fine lip movements required to play smoothly.

5. Adjust the mouthpiece so that the center is perfectly aligned with the octave key on the neck. An imaginary line drawn from the octave key should symmetrically bisect the mouthpiece.