The Complete Handbook of Saxophone Mouthpieces

Chapter 1: Understanding Saxophone Mouthpieces

What a Mouthpiece Actually Does

Every saxophone sound begins at the mouthpiece. The vibrating reed, the internal geometry of the mouthpiece, and the shape of the air column in your mouth and throat combine to create the initial sound wave that the rest of the horn amplifies and colors. Change any one of those three elements and the character of the instrument changes. The mouthpiece, however, is the component over which you have the most control and the one that produces the most dramatic sonic difference for the least amount of money. A different mouthpiece can transform your tone, your response, and your intonation more than any other single part.

At its core, the mouthpiece is a precisely shaped passageway. The reed is clamped onto the flat table, and when you blow air through the gap between the reed tip and the mouthpiece tip, the reed vibrates. That vibration chops the airstream into a series of pressure pulses, creating the fundamental frequency you hear. The dimensions of the cavity behind the reed, the size of the opening, and the material of the mouthpiece all influence how easily the reed vibrates, what overtones are produced, and how the sound projects into the room.

The acoustic system is simple to state but complex to tune. The mouthpiece is an air column with a specific volume and a specific opening shape, and it connects to the neck and body of the saxophone, which have their own fixed bore