Question:
What kind of mouthpiece for a curved soprano?
I need advice regarding your experiences playing curved sop.
I have played straight sop´s for almost 10 years, but never curved sop, just got my new curved Borgani and I´m having trouble with low B and Bb (they are flat almost 1/8 note and difficult to get without playing them as subtones). I´m using a super session J (used it for 4 years on a straight selmer III without any problems), nothing wrong with the horn, had it checked, my embouchure is ok etc...
I´ve tried different kind of small selmer mouthpieces s 90, s 80... but the best result is with my 7# pomarico wood.
What´s the most common when you play curved sop small or big openings?
I knew that curved sop had more resistence than straight sop....but this surprised me, if it´s the problem ?
I would like to know if anyone has tried Lamberson´s, Lebayle etc in wood, and which openings, chambers...
Thanks in advance
Flora3

Answer:
Flora: I've played Super Session Js on all of my sopranos since they first hit the market (straight: Serie III, two Buescher TTs, '23 Conn, Rampone tipped-bell, King Saxello, Yanagisawa S992, Antigua; curved: SC901, SC902, and a WW&BW curvy; I've sold some of those) and never experienced intonation or playability problems with those mouthpieces on those horns or any others that I've tested without buying.
True, some of the horns had intonation problems, but not caused by the SS-Js. How can I say that? Because I tried ALL of my soprano mouthpieces on all of my sops at one time or another (and I have a box full of mouthpieces, too numerous to list here, but they include models continulally discussed on SOTW). Those with poor intonation (notably the Saxello and WW&BW curvy) played poorly with any piece I put on it. Those with minor intonation problems (e.g., the '23 Conn) had similar problems regardless of mouthpiece.
I've played soprano as a main horn for about 48 years now and am comfortable with making sopranos play. I doubt that the SS-J is the problem with your curved Borgani, especially if you've played it successfully on straight sops.
I have not tried Lambersons or LeBayle pieces. When I found the SS pieces, my search was over, except that I occasionally revert to my previous favorites, the S-80 in G and J.
My SC902 with a SS-J and soft Superial or Java reed, can peel paint or play sweet, whatever I want it to do. For public performance, I favor my straight Antigua, though.
For me, tip-openings only mean one thing - small openings sound thin and difficult to play in tune; large openings give me less nasal tone, more warmth, more power, better tone, better control, and better intonation because of their flexibility, they play to pitch on any note. While we are all different, that's been my experience. DAVE

Answer:
Hi Dave
Thanks for the response :)
I´m curious, what kind of reeds do you play on your ssJ? - I´ve played DC 2,5 and 3´s, but with my Borg Í play with rico jazz select 2 med.
I assume you think that its my Borg that´s the problem, actually I myself have it under suspicion that its not quite the way it should be :?
Any suggestion what to do?
Regards Flora3

Answer:
It is possible that the Super Session cannot be pushed far enough onto the neck pipe of your new horn. There would not be an easy one to fix, the best idea if to try a different mouthpiece, maybe the SS does not suit your horn (Dave's comments noted, though!).
Just one (maybe) silly idea - there isn't anthing stuck in the bow of your sax is there? believe it or not, this happened to me once, and I was very embarrassed when the tech pulled out a wedged in mouthpiece I didn't know I had :wink:

Answer:
Hi Singlereed
No I havent anything stucked inside the horn 8)
But I think you might be right that I have to go the mouthpiece search, any suggestions, I like to play big openings regarding the same arguments Dave mentioned, and my sound preferences on sop are well :wink: Joe Lovano...
Regards Flora 3

Answer:
Flora and singlereed: While it is possible the SS is not being pushed far enough onto the neck cork, I doubt if that is it. For one thing, as I've posted elsewhere, I once had two S-80 soprano pieces shortened to allow them to push on far enough onto a vintage soprano's neck to come to pitch. In comparing my cut-down S-80 pieces and my SS pieces (I have three Js), they are all the same length. Other pieces I have are longer than the S-80s and SSs referred to here.
In MY opinion, the SS should be able to shove on far enough to at least come to pitch. But, it has also been my experience that even if the piece does not come to pitch (because of positioning on the cork), the whole horn will be flat, not just a few notes. When that happens to me, I can still play the horn, it is just not compatible with other instruments at A440.
Conversely, when I've shoved on too far, the whole horn plays evenly, but sharp, not just a few notes. I know others may have had different experiences, but that's the way it has been for me. When I find a horn has poor intonation, I truly believe it is the horn, not me.
I use Java 2 and Superial 2 (sometimes 2.5 for both brands) but I always shave them down (take some bark off the vamps) before I achieve the response and tone I want. This is also true with my alto set-ups - I always shave down new reeds - they just seem to play better for me that way. I used to use Rico Royal and Jazz selects (same strengths - 2) but did not shave them. I just went through boxes and boxes until I found one or two that played well. THEN, I discovered I could make a dull redd better by shaving them and now I do it all the time.
As to something being stuck in the bell, I guess that would be a negative but Flora said that wasn't the case. I am not familiar with Borgani horns, but I always suspect sopranos of bad intonation until I play them. Fortunately most of my sopranos have played well, but a few have been stinkers. DAVE

Answer:
Just a thought - Have you checked to make sure its not leaking?
I've never recieved a new horn that wasn't leaking. I tried a borgani from Robertos' once and despite their steller rep it was leaking badly all over the place. That's my first thought when you say the bottom is hard to play. I don't know how that would affect intonation but it seems like it might.

Answer:
Hi Lenny
I´ve had the Borg gone through by a tech, almost all the toneholes have been adjusted (made even with a machine) so the pads closes tightly, he even put new pads on the horn, so the new toneholes fits the pads extremely acurate. :shock:
I´ve tried several Borgs and they were all leaking, maybe because they are handmade, actually I think the new Borg´s I´ve tried are in worse condition (leakwise) than new not handmade sops.
So I´m going on a mouthpiece hunt. :P
Regards Flora 3

Answer:
What you've said so far screams to me "ITS NOT THE MOUTHPIECE".
I would definitly suggest adjusting the tone holes for B-Bb, although I have no idea how or where, I have read elsewhere this "The whole horn is in tune except for [insert key]" and I know this procedure was reccomended. To my understanding, you can have someone mess with the diameter of those tone holes, which puts them into alignment with the rest of the horn. I hope someone can follow me up with some concrete facts~

Answer:
OK, I'm confused.
If Bb (all tone holes closed) is out of tune then the only thing left to adjust is the mouthpiece position or the air volume of the horn (if if were sharp you could play up against a wall to come into tune -- not convenient though...).
Did it play flat for the tech?

Answer:
Originally Posted by flora3 I´ve tried several Borgs and they were all leaking, maybe because they are handmade, actually I think the new Borg´s I´ve tried are in worse condition (leakwise) than new not handmade sops.
Sorry but all saxophones have pads that were inserted by hand. The fact that your horn is out of adjustment is too bad but it happens with many horns (of all brands) - that they need final adjustment once they reach their destination.
Regarding your intonation issue: Have you tried comparing overtones with fingered notes? That is the best clue to showing whether you have the mouthpiece in the correct place. For instance, play low Bb (Bb1) then adjust your airstream to sound the first overtone - that should match the Bb an octave higher (Bb2). The next overtone should match the fingered F (F2), etc. Of course, if you pinch or bite the reed, the intonation will be off and the test is meaningless. Once the mouthpiece is in the correct place, then it is time to compare the fingered notes to a tuner.
G'luck!

Answer:
I've played a straight sop for 40+ years and have always used large tip opening pieces-.80 up to .106 with 2.5 reeds. Never had any problems. About 8 months ago I got a curved Yani silverplate SC901S. At first I was frustrated by some of your problems until I realized that I was playing the curved horn at just slightly a different angle and my well established embrochure was not used to that so I changed the angle at which I held the horn-straighter outward,bell higher up in my face and that solved part of the problem but things still weren't right. I began fooling around with smaller tip openings,.060-.070 with harder reeds 3 + 4 and things got better. I found and old Babbitt sop piece with an indeterminatly small tip opening. I tried it with a #4 reed and I was getting everything soundwise and playability wise that I was trying for with the horn. I sent that small piece to Theo just to be straightened up and opened just enough to make it a bit more free blowing and those problems are solved.

Answer:
One place that can cause a leak that is often overlooked is the articulated G#. The horn will play well down to low C#, but since many have the low B and Bb linked to the G# key, if the lever coming off of the F-F# and Bb of the first finger RH is not keeping the G# pad closed, when you hit the bell key B or Bb, it pushes the G#lever which lets the G# leak slightly. This will show up for the bottom 2 notes and can be a bugger to find. As far as mouthpieces, I have had good luck on curvies with the Links and the old ones with the wide chamber enable the mouthpiece to be pushed on more. They help eliminate the gurggle some old ones have.

Answer:
Hi Everybody
Thanks for all the info - very informative.
The last couple of days I have tried several mouthpieces and ended up with either Pomarico wood 7# or selmer soloist F (OLD).
Especially your post Thomas was very helpful, concerning the problems with curved sops and the angle you use when playing it. I too, had to low an angle and when holding it higher I had no problem. But I have to play medium size mouthpieces with medium reeds.
Regards Flora3

Answer:
Thomas, I am very interested in your experiences with a curved soprano. Like you I have been playing a straight soprano with large tip mouthpieces (.90) for quite some time. Lately it is starting to bother me that it is very difficult to record a straight soprano as it actually sounds, and also for live amplification a curved seems much easier. I am thinking of exchanging my backup soprano for a curved one. However, I didn't like the sound nor the intonation of the ones I tried (an older Yanagisawa, a 20s Conn, and some cheap Asian horns) years ago. I'd be curious to know your experiences, and whether or not you think your curved soprano will be a keeper for you, seeing where you are coming from.

Answer:
Flora3, I, like Dave Dolson play the Selmer Super Session J on both my Yanagisawa S9930 and SC9937. I have no problems on either horn and play the full range of them including Altissimo without difficulty. I was on the mouthpiece quest with my S9930 and previous horns until I settled on the SS-J and was thankful that when I received my SC9937 I did not have to change anything.
I do pull my neckstrap all the way up to my neck when playing the Curvy but that just seemed more natural of a playing angle for me. If you try to play it with your head held high like a straight soprano, you are going to have to lift the horn up as if you were playing a straight soprano straight out at the audience.
Good Luck!