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Mouthpiece Works
Mouthpiece Facts, Terms, and Sound Terminology
Mouthpiece Facts and Terms:
Back Chamber: The internal area from the throat to the back end of the mouthpiece.
Baffle: The inside area of the mouthpiece that runs from the tip to the floor between the side walls. Baffles come in all shapes and sizes and have a tremendous impact on sound, resistance, response, and tuning. A high baffle is a baffle where the baffle is closer to the reed. A low baffle is a deep design where the baffle material is farther away from the reed. Generally, a lower baffle is darker, softer, less resistant, and gets a bigger sound. A higher baffle is brighter and/or more powerful (depending on design and location). Even though a higher baffle is more resistant, it may give the impression of less resistance because less effort (the player doesn't have to push as hard) is required to generate as much volume. A baffle that’s too high or uneven right behind the tip can cause squeaking.
Beak: The top area of the mouthpiece where the teeth are placed.
Bill: See Beak.
Bite Plate: An area of softer material placed on a metal mouthpiece to cushion where the teeth are placed.
Body: The middle part of the mouthpiece, i.e. everything except the bill and shank.
Chamber: The internal part of the mouthpiece. Originally, saxophone mouthpieces were designed with a single conical chamber which gradually increased in size to the shank. Rascher and Buescher mouthpieces are two more modern examples of these. Eventually double chambered mouthpieces evolved which increased focus, power, and projection. A double chamber may simply stop expanding before the shank at the throat. These are called round double chambered pieces and usually have a large front chamber. Links, Lawtons, and Meyers are some current examples. Most double chamber pieces get smaller at the throat and then expand again at the back chamber. Most modern pieces like Selmers and Bergs fit in this category.
Double Chamber: A mouthpiece with a front and back chamber (see Chamber).
Facing: The curve of the siderails from the table to the tip. This curve has a large effect on the reed’s vibration and should be smooth without flat spots. Often the side rails are uneven, causing the reed to vibrate inefficiently, leak air, or even squeak. On most brands, the facing curve is not consistent from piece to piece, hence the biggest reason why every mouthpiece plays differently. The facing curve is measured using a glass gauge and specified thicknesses of steel gauges. The curve can be recut using a flat surface and sandpaper. This is an important part of a refacer's job. It takes a great deal of knowledge, much practice, and a good touch to get the curve right while removing the least amount of material possible.
Facing length: The distance from the tip, usually measured in millimeters, to where the side rails begin to curve up away from the reed. Longer facings generally have less resistance, get a bigger, fuller, louder, livelier sound, have quicker response, and make playing the low notes easier. Most jazz facings are medium to long facings. Shorter facings are more resistant, get a smaller, purer sound, take more pressure to respond, are a little easier to control, and usually make the high notes fuller. Most classical saxophone mouthpieces have a short or medium short facing.
Floor: The part of the front chamber running from the baffle to the throat.
Front Chamber: The front part of the mouthpiece underneath the window from the tip to the throat.
Refacing: The art of working on the table, side rails, tip rails, and baffle (as necessary) to maximize a mouthpiece’s playing potential and tailor it to the desires of the performer.
Shank: The part of the mouthpiece from the body to the back. Sometimes the bore of the shank is too small to go far enough on the neck to tune properly. Often this can be fixed by sanding the neck cork, but occasionally the best solution is to enlarge the back bore. This is relatively easy to do and has no noticeable effect on how a mouthpiece plays. The shank can also be made smaller to fit a smaller cork by filling with any hard, permanent material. This also has no effect on the sound.
Side Rails: The two flat areas that extend from the table to the tip where the sides of the back of the reed contact. These rails should be symmetrical, at least to 3/10,000ths of an inch. They must also be free from scratches, chips, or anything else that keeps the reed from getting a good air seal when closed.
Side Walls: The sides of the mouthpiece extending from the tip rail to the baffle/floor of the mouthpiece.
Single Chamber: A mouthpiece design which expands conically all the way to the shaft, resulting in a mellower and fuller sound.
Table: The flat part of the mouthpiece where the reed clamps down. Some mouthpieces are made with a slight curve (concave) to allow for reed warping and any particles on the back of the reed. Others are manufactured to be flat. Either way, the table must be flat from the point where the facing begins to the back of the window in order to achieve a good air seal.
Throat: The internal point between the front and back chamber of a two chamber mouthpiece. The throat may be the point where the mouthpiece stops expanding or, more commonly, narrows down significantly. The size and shape of the throat does have an effect, sometimes significant, on both sound and the way a particular mouthpiece brand matches up with a horn.
Tip: The thin, flat end of the mouthpiece above the tip of the reed that is perpendicular to the table. Many refacers will shape the curve of the tip to the curve at the tip of a particular brand of reed. I will do this but prefer not to unless the mouthpiece is misshapen. I generally don't recommend recutting the tip for two reasons. First, it has no effect on playability. Second, there is not a standard shape for reeds. If the player changes reed brands, the new brand may not conform to the tip curve exactly. Tips are often scratched, chipped, broken, or, with metal mouthpieces, bent. In almost all cases these problems can be fixed.
Tip Opening: The distance from the tip rail to the tip of the reed, usually measured in thousandths of an inch. Usually, players will use softer reeds on larger tip openings. Smaller tips get a more focused, compact sound while larger tips get a bigger, fuller sound. A larger tip takes more air and is less resistant. For less advanced players, smaller openings are usually easier to control. More advanced players often prefer bigger tips for their increased flexibility in sound. Almost all classical players use fairly small tip openings. Different mouthpiece brands use different numbering systems to express tip openings as there is no industry standard. Even the companies that use the thousands tip opening notation as their numbering system are often very inaccurate in measuring their own mouthpieces.
Tip Rail: The flat part of the tip facing the reed where the tip of the reed contacts. This must be flat so that the reed seals evenly, otherwise a distorted sound and even squeaking will result. The tip must also be free from any scratches or chips which will keep the reed from sealing well. A thin tip will be brighter, freer blowing, more responsive, and easier to tongue. A thick tip will be darker, more resistant, easier to control, and more difficult to tongue. Most jazz mouthpieces have a medium thin to thin tip. Most classical pieces have a slightly thicker tip.
Wedge: Another term for a high baffle, either built into the mouthpiece or added later. A wedge gives more volume, response, and power with less effort. Depending on the wedge design, it may add a little to a whole lot of brightness. A wedge may also cause tuning issues.
Window: The opening into the front chamber that extends from the tip to the table on the bottom of the mouthpiece. A larger window will give a livelier sound. Thinning the side rails effectively enlarges the window.
Sound Terminology - (Note: You won’t find some of these definitions in a musical dictionary. They are my own based on 30+ years as a professional musician and 20+ years as a mouthpiece technician. Examples are given of saxophone players because words just can’t do some things justice. Thelonius Monk said, “Writing about jazz is like dancing about architecture.” Words are inadequate to fully convey all the wonderful parameters of sound, but, hey, we’ve got to try. You may not agree with some of these definitions, but if you’re trying to describe the sax sound you want to me, we’ll both be best served if these are the terms you use. )
Body: A term combining a sound’s size and fullness. A sound with a lot of body will be large and full (Sonny Rollins). Body in a sound will absorb brightness so a large, full sound needs to be very bright to sound bright (Lenny Pickett).
Bright: A catch-all term that can refer to many sound characteristics. Because of this, talking about brightness can be confusing. A sound with a lot of high partials is definitely bright (David Sanborn). A sound with a lot of mid partials is often referred to as bright, but really is more live (John Coltrane). A sound with a lot of reed noise (buzz) is also called bright (Lou Marini). Finally, a gnarliness to a sound (almost a mid range growl) that comes from a fast air stream or particular mouthpiece or brand of horn (Selmers in particular) can also be called bright (Jan Garberek). Note that most bright sounds contain a combination of these different types.
Buzzy: A sound with a lot of reed noise (same as reedy).
Clear: In classical saxophone, a sound without reed buzz or usually brightness. In jazz, a sound that isn’t stuffy.
Color: General reference to a sound’s characteristics. A colorful sound is usually live and rich in overtones, the opposite of a pure sound.
Compact: A smaller sound that’s very focused and solid is said to be compact.
Core: The elements of the sound that don’t have to do with brightness: i.e. body, solidness, and focus. A sound with all these is said to have a solid core.
Dark: The opposite of bright (duh). Actually, this can be just as confusing as brightness. Many players will think a sound is dark as long as it doesn’t have a lot of high partials. I don’t consider a sound truly dark unless it is pure, one that is devoid of all 4 types of brightness.
Focus: Another confusing term dealing with resonance, solidness, and size. Many players confuse brightness with focus. A focused sound will be one that is resonant, solid, and not spread. In more technical terms, it’s a sound that efficiently converts the player’s energy into sound.
Foo Foo: The effect of playing subtone over the whole range of the horn, a very soft, mellow sound. Very often, air can be heard in a foo foo player’s sound.
Free blowing: A mouthpiece that lets a lot of air through without backing up, the opposite of resistant.
Full: A sound with a lot of body is said to be full, but it’s more than just that. It’s a large sound that seemingly fills out the horn.
Harmonics: This refers to the overtones present in the tone. Every tone is made up of a fundamental note and a series of overtones. Brass instruments use one fingering for many notes, thus every higher note they play above the fundamental, known as pedal tones, is an overtone. Even though they usually can’t be heard distinctly, these overtones are present in almost every sound. It’s the balance of these overtones that make each sound different. Clarinet is the instrument with the fewest overtones, hence the “square wave” sound. Saxophone is the richest in overtones, along with the oboe, violin, and human voice. It is the presence of these high overtones (significant up to the fourteenth partial) that not only gives the saxophone its unique sound but also keeps it from blending easily in a classical setting.
Heavy: A big, solid, live sound is referred to as heavy (Grover Washington, Jr.)
Large: A big sound, usually one that’s full with a lot of body (Tony Coe).
Live: A sound that’s rich in mid overtones is usually called live (Paul Gonzalves), although some also use this term in describing any bright sound.
Power: Another oft-confused term, many people equate power with brightness. The two are separate. A powerful sound is one with a forceful body and dynamic resonance that projects regardless of brightness (Don Menza). Often, though, powerful sounds are also bright, especially with high and/or mid partials (Michael Brecker).
Projection: The ability of a sound to carry over distance or be heard above a group. Usually brighter, powerful, solid, and more focused sounds will carry the best.
Pure: A sound without much brightness or color in which the body is the dominating element (Paul Desmond).
Reedy: A sound with a lot of reed noise (same as buzzy).
Resistant: A mouthpiece that is hard to push air through, where it almost seems as if the mouthpiece is pushing the air back.
Resonant: A sound with a natural sonority that efficiently turns air into sound. The whole horn seems to vibrate with the sound when it’s really resonant.
Responsive: When the notes seem to speak easily or even almost jump out of the instrument, it is said to be responsive.
Small: A sound that isn’t large, usually but not necessarily a compact sound.
Solid: This can very bright or dark, large or small, but it’s always a sound that’s focused. The core seems so palpable that you can almost touch it. (Cannonball Adderley)
Spread: A sound that lacks focus and usually resonance. The air stream is not effectively turned into sound.
Subtone: The art of playing, especially low notes, with a soft, fluffy sound by muffling the reed's vibration or by only letting part of the reed vibrate. This can be accomplished two ways, either by pulling the jaw away, squeezing tighter with the embouchure, and opening the throat for a slower air stream or by taking less mouthpiece.
Stuffy: A sound lacking resonance and usually brightness. Some players also refer to a resistant mouthpiece or horn as blowing stuffy.
Thick: A solid, heavy sound (Dexter Gordon).
Thin: A sound without much body. Just a little brightness goes a long way with a thin sound. Many players struggle with their sound getting thin (losing body) in the high register.
Tight: A compact sound where all the sound elements seem fused together.
Timbre: All of the elements of sound combined make up an instrument’s timbre, or tone. This is sometimes used interchangeably with color.
Voicing: Using the throat and tongue to taper the air stream for certain notes or registers.
Warm: A sound that’s rich in mid partials but not overly so in higher partials (Phil Woods).