Learn: The SopranoPlanet Blog

This will be quick- not because it isn’t an important topic, but because the reason is simple and, for anyone who thinks about it for a minute, pretty obvious. Whether a vintage or modern mass market mouthpiece, it has been … Read More

English jazz saxophonist John Surman has sent me short audio samples of him playing his Metropolitain and his Open Sky 2 mouthpieces. John uses # 4 reeds and plays a Yanagisawa 9930 soprano. It is very rewarding for me to … Read More

 The talk about the soprano saxophone being so difficult to play is, well, just plain wrong. It’s a myth and although some people believe it, it is pure nonsense.   WHY DO PEOPLE MAKE THAT CLAIM?   The reason is … Read More

Grouping Soprano Sax designs by Style Soprano saxes come in all flavors and it’s a good idea to have a feeling for each. It helps to be able to put the styles on some kind of scale or continuum. The … Read More

When it comes to playing soprano saxophone, we are all equal. How can that be? I’ve had the same response from beginning players and from seasoned pro players: This balanced mouthpiece is a revelation It makes playing soprano a joy … Read More

There is no mystery about how to get a beautiful sound on soprano sax. So, if you’ve read through Parts 1 and 2 of this series, you know where we are now and how we got here. We’ve taken a … Read More

Playing on a good mouthpiece makes a big difference for sax players, regardless of whether it’s on alto, tenor, baritone or anything else. But on the small horns, it is even more critical to success, and here is why I … Read More

A lot of mouthpiece problems originate here- on the table. Sometimes it is easy to spot, as with this high-end soprano mouthpiece from one of the well-known makers. Look at the picture. What do you see? Well, you see the … Read More

We all use the term “response” in speaking about how an instrument plays and particularly about how a mouthpiece performs. So, what exactly do we mean by the term “response”? For me, the best way to approach such a subjective … Read More

The amazing Steve Lacy mouthpiece. Actually there were 3 or 4 of them. The Link factory made them especially for Steve and when he departed this world in 2004, there was only one left. This is it. I played this mouthpiece … Read More

Learn the truth about intonation on soprano. You’ll be glad you did. Many players make all kinds of claims about the supposedly “inherent” intonation issues of the soprano sax and pronounce that it is somehow much harder to master than … Read More

Much too little attention is paid to the topic of “how” the air can be delivered when playing soprano saxophone. It is not easy to discuss but it is very easy to experience for yourself. Then , you can draw … Read More

There is this unending myth that the soprano sax is a beast, but it isn’t. Play a well balanced mouthpiece on a soprano and you will know it very quickly. But most players have never played on a good soprano … Read More

Instead of randomly buying new mouthpieces, better to learn something about your soprano mouthpiece. I’m writing this because I see too many bloggers and forum posts about playing soprano saxophone that are just wrong, and that tell newer or less … Read More

Getting Your Sound If you’re around players in person or online, you’ll come across folks who claim that all mouthpieces sound alike, all reeds sound alike, all setups sound alike. They’ll tell you that “there is no difference whatsoever between … Read More

It’s no mystery how to get a beautiful sound on soprano sax. Of course, we all have different ideas about “beauty” and what it may be for us. The same is undoubtedly true about a “beautiful sound”. We know it … Read More