I`m a seventh grader in middle school jazz band (tenor) and regular band and my mouthpiece leaks most of the time. Does this happen to anyone else? I use Zonda reeds, a Premium by Hite, and a Rousseau Jdx 5 jazz mouthpieces. I think it might be my ligature which is a newer type (not made of metal). Any suggestions would be appreciated.

It sounds like you have gotten ahold of some bad equipment, try a claude lakey, it`s good for jass and concert band, try java or Rico Royal reeds, and a rovner ligature, i used that until about 2 months ago, and it worked fine, now i am on a Yanagisawa size 7 metal mouthpiece.

Are you crazy? Whatever you do, don`t ever buy Rico reeds! They suck. Try Vandoren. They last so much longer than Rico and produce a better sound.

-Britt-

Hmmm, I used to love java-vandoren, then i refound rico royal.....they`re only good after you`ve established your sound and if it fits it.

Yeah, same here, I used to look down on the inexpensive Ricos and only use Javas, but when my tone wasn`t what I wanted, my teacher suggested i try something different, a Rico Royal, only size 2.5. I had been playing on a Java size 3. But they play much better for me...remember, don`t turn your nose up at everything, each mouthpiece, each individual mouthpiece is suited towards a different type of reed, and sometimes it takes awhile to discover which is the best reed. Ricos work best for my mouthpiece.

J&D Hite Premier, very nice choice. I`ve been using one since 8th grade & I`ve been told they`re the best plastic mouthpiece ever. As far as a leak, are you sure there`s no holes in your mouthpiece? I would try to play a different mouthpiece on your sax & see if that makes a difference. If it is the mouthpiece I would get another Premier, they only run about $40. Otherwise, you might want to check your cork. They only cost around $10.

And I forgot, the ligature is probably fine but you might want to check it too. The non-metal ligatures usually produce a better sound. As far as reeds go I usually use a LaVoz hard; I like the smooth sound of a harder reed and the ability to play louder without the reed taking too much of a beating.

you all sound like ur really advanced!!! iv only been playing 4 a year. (tenor) and may-b u can help me........ im not an x-tra ordanary perfect player or anything but im pretty good. and i was wondering...... for some reason i can get a good sound out of my instrument, but it sounds to quiet & mellow. my band director keeps telling me to play louder. and i can but the sound doesnt really come out pure. do u think its my reeds?¿ cause i use rico. HELP!!!
*lil ms. saxophone*

You`re lucky. All I ever hear is to play quieter. Ok, what you need to do, is get a mouthpiece with a larger opening, try a rubber claude lakey size 6 or 7. Then try using about a size 2.5 rico royal reed. This will produce a bright, loud tone.

kk tanks, but wat is a rubber clause lakeuey?¿ cause i already use rico royal. should i ask my band director. i go 2 east naples middle skool.

Just search online for a claude lakey online or at local music stores. They are a brand of mouthpieces. They are good at producing a loud bright tone, as opposed to the closed standard concert band mouthpieces. You might want to go to a music store and ask if 1.) They have any and 2.) if you can try any out. Also ask about what other jazz rubber mouthpieces they have, and try them all out. You might just want to try to pick the best one out of them. Remember, when going from a closed mouthpiece to an open, it`s going to be very hard to get a sound out at first, and you`re going to squeak like crazy. Just keep that in mind.

tanx again ill hav 2 remember that. but wats the difrence between a closed mouth piece & an open 1?¿

An open mouthpiece has a bigger opening between the mouthpiece tip and the reed. This makes it require more air, but the sound is much brighter and loud.

oh oh!!! tanks!!!!! im soooo bord im in 6th hr. language arts. oh by the way......... does any1 know where i can find any challenging sheet music?¿ cause the skools is soooooo easy & pathetic!!! tanx! CHOW!!!!

Good advice on claude lakeys silscio, except one thing, Claude Lakey`s give you a dark and warm tone, not a bright tone. It`s other equipment and personal playing that gives you bright tone.