Saxophone Mouthpieces

Series Summary

The saxophone, commonly referred to simply as sax, is a conical-bored musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to the clarinet. Each series consisted of instruments of various sizes in alternating transposition. The series pitched in B? and E?, designed for military bands, has proved extremely popular and most saxophones encountered today are from this series. A few saxophones remain from the less popular orchestral series pitched in C and F. When learning how to play the saxophone, it's important to learn how to use the mouthpiece and reed, and how to create tones through proper breathing techniques and posture. In this free video series, a saxophonist will teach you about saxophone mouthpieces, ligatures, and reed assembly, as well as embouchure muscles, tones, posture, and hand positioning. With these music tips and techniques, you'll be well-prepared to start learning the saxophone from a physical standpoint.

Video Transcript

"It is very important when you talk about the saxophone, after breathing, you have to talk about the mouthpiece. Very important. Mouthpieces are made of a lot of different materials. Most are made of what is called ebonite or hard rubber. They are plastic. They are metal. There are even some glass mouthpieces out there, and silver highly valuable. And, it is very important to understand that aspect of it. And, but now we got to understand different parts of the mouthpiece. It is very, very important, because there are a lot of things that can happen when you are playing. Squeaks can happen. Squeaks or bad sounds. Not the right kind of sound you want. Big sounds. Small sounds. Not enough volume. All that is determined by the mouthpiece here. So, we have to understand different parts because you got to understand where to put the reed onto it and how to adjust the reed. Which we will get to another segment. First of all, the parts, alright. Side rails. The little part, real thin part here, side rails. Real thin. Tip rails right there. The flat part, which is part of the table. Ok. The flat here on the side, the flat part here is called the tip rail. Side rails. That is where the reed goes. Exactly in between the rails. Exactly. You have the window. That is the opening. That is your window there. Ok. Those are the most important parts of the mouthpiece besides the baffle and the throat here."