Alto sax: Does a thicker reed give a richer sound?!
Question: Alto sax: Does a thicker reed give a richer sound!?
Answers:
If you're looking a better sound: 1st find someone you'd like to sound like!.!.( BIRD, Cannonball, Coltrane,Phil Woods, Dave Sanborn are but a few)!. The other thing is to learn to open your throat to the fullest!. Think about when you yawn!.!.!.your throat and mouth open up the widest they can and the air goes into your lower lungs(think of relaxing your stomach muscles) now the concept of blowing your horn is the reverse!.!.!. Try this exercise!.!.!.!. Play low Bflat on your horn, then while fingering the same keys make middle Bflat come out, then try for F above middle C with the same fingers and then try for high Bflat, then go for high D and then high F!.!.!.!. This all done with movement of your throat and air support!.!.!.These are known as overtones (you can actually do this on any piece of pipe!.!.!.this is how brass players play their horns)!.!.!.the next exercise is to match the real note fingering in sound and intensity to the sound of the overtone!.!.!.!.!.ie: take middle F (this is the easy one to get out)!.!.!.Once you get the overtone,quickly change to the proper fingering for the F!.!.!.go back and forth and try to match the real note to the overtone!. Work on these for about a half hour a day!.!.!.!. Next try to learn to play your favorite solos along with the record!.!.!.!.then put the solo thru your head phones and play the solo!.!.!.!.do this a whole bunch of times and then play the solo by yourself and you will sound like your favorite player!.!.!.!.the object of the head phones is to not hear yourself!.!.!.turn up the volume so you cant hear yourself!.Next study harmony and PRACTICE!.!.!.Best of Luck!!!!!Www@Enter-QA@Com
No!. This is actually more of the player working on their embouchure and throat and such to generate the righer sound they want!. The reed is made to fit with the space between the reed tip and mouthpiece tip (a softer reed for a larger space, a harder reed with a smaller space)!. Minor changes of 1/2 a size may give a little bit more resonance that the player prefers!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Only if the cut and manufacture (so many reeds have imperfect or even warped tables) of the reed is compatible with the mouthpiece design and the player has the air stream and a well developed embouchure to make the reed vibrate in a controlled manner; otherwise, to paraphrase an above post, you are engaged in an embouchure and breathing Olympics!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
im not sure about that but a thicker reed makes it harder to playWww@Enter-QA@Com