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How to sound edgier on Jazz Alto Sax?
I have been playing alto sax for 3 years until the beginning of last summer which I'd switched over to Tenor. I feel more confident and I sound better on Tenor then alto (I hav a Fujiyama Student tenor, Otto LInk STM 6, plasticover 2.5 reeds). Now I play more Tenor than Alto, but I do also want to be on par with both Alto and Tenor for a jazz combo that I'm gonna join. But I sound very thin and "classical" which is NOT what I want to sound. I currently play on Jupiter 578 Alto with a Meyer 5m with plasticover 3 reeds. Is it a problem with my horn? I haven't checked in for more than a year.
I want to have a more brighter and edgier sound more like Eric Marienthal, Gerald Albright and David Sanborn.
Meyer 5M is a very, very conservative mouthpiece.
The baffle inside the mouthpiece, which is the "roof" of the mouthpiece inside, is where the edge comes from.
The more shallow that baffle (the closer to the reed) the more edge.
You can experiment and make a baffle out of a little clay and see what happens.
There are mouthpiece people who can build a baffle inside that Meyer. Or you could look into something with a baffle like a Berg Larsen.
I think Sanborn used a Dukoff.
Berg Larsen is sold as a number like 85 over another number like 0
85 is probably more open than a Meyer 5, but the 0 is what gives the edge. That's the shallow chamber.
5M basically means "medium/medium"
Keep in mind that the more extreme you get with chambers, baffles, and tip openings the harder it is to control...
Mouthpieces are manufactured from a variety of materials; most often plastic, hard rubber, or various alloys of metal. Exotic mouthpieces made of materials like glass, hard wood, copper and other metals can also be found. I've found that the internal shape of the mouthpiece, or baffle, has more impact on the tone than the material, although a material like metal will tend to sound more edgy than hard rubber. A high baffle, where the inside roof of the mouthpiece comes down close the reed, or is more shallow, will have a louder more focused tone than a mouthpiece with a deeper baffle, where the roof of the mouthpiece is deeper and not as close to the reed. The same is true for the chambers; a smaller chamber or bore will produce a more penetrating sound than a larger bore. The power and projection you get from the mouthpiece come at a price though... The lower notes on the instrument become less stable and harder to play; and after a certain point the intonation or tuning of the instrument begins to suffer. In addition to the baffle and the chamber are the tip opening and facing. The tip opening is the measurement from the tip of the mouthpiece to the tip of the reed when you are looking at the mouthpiece head on. A smaller tip opening is easier to control, but a larger tip opening allows for a larger volume of air and more room for scoops, bends and effects by the artist. Generally the smaller the tip opening the harder the reed used. Orchestral or 'classical' saxophonists favor smaller tip openings. Jazz saxophonists tend toward larger tip openings. The facing is the measurement of the tip of the mouthpiece to where the reed and mouthpiece meet together viewed from the side. A short facing lends itself to a strong upper register and fast response at the expense of the low end. A long facing is exactly opposite, less fast to respond and making the low end easier and lusher but the high end more difficult. In between is the medium facing and this is what I play.
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