Learn: The SopranoPlanet Blog

CUSTOM FITTING FOR A SOPRANO SAX MOUTHPIECE Part 1 There have been a lot of players through my small shop over the last 10 years, players that have come from as far away as Brazil and Japan to work with … Read More

Fiction. So, we are supposed to believe that there is something about the soprano sax that  requires a tighter, firmer embouchure than an alto, tenor or baritone sax?  I hear this nonsense quite often from players that believe it. Of … Read More

(Note: It is always imperative that you know that your horn is in good adjustment and, most importantly, that your soprano mouthpiece is correctly set up. Failure and trouble are inevitable if either is amiss) Part  2 / BLOWING AND … Read More

SOUND AND SAXOPHONE REEDS:  A Little Clarity I have been planning this article for a while and just kept putting it off. Why? Because it seems like it should be simple, which it is in some respects, but is gets … Read More

Steve Lacy is regarded as a category of one on the soprano saxophone. Here is a PDF of his music notebook from 1965, when he was 31 years old. It is fascinating to examine and to actually play, too. MAY … Read More

We are all living in a new world these days, with normal activities curtailed indefinitely. No performances, no rehearsals, no or limited formal studies, limited musical interactions. It is likely that few of us have ever experienced anything like it … Read More

In a previous post, I wrote about delivering air on soprano saxophone. To sum up what I said : solid air support from deep in the body goes a very long way to solving lots of typical playing issues, like … Read More

I’ve never endorsed or recommended any modern soprano saxophone- until now. The first time I played this titanium alloy, one piece soprano sax, I knew it was a pro-level horn. Then I learned it is a pro-level horn at intermediate … Read More

There are a handful of common problems for soprano players that show up all the time in my correspondence. If you’ve been playing soprano for a while, these issues may be familiar to you, but if you are relatively new … Read More

Probably the most difficult thing for many players to realize is that they really have little or no idea about why a soprano mouthpiece doesn’t play well for them. It’s just as likely to be true about the other saxophones … Read More

So, great discussions have arisen from the first post on this subject. It has prompted me to continue down this road a little further. To briefly summarize the general responses asserting that concavity is preferable to a flat table and … Read More

This will be short. The whole idea that some manufacturers of sax mouthpieces actually design their pieces to have concave tables is ludicrous, both in theory and practice. Let’s start with the theory: the concavity is there so that the … Read More

Lots of well-intended advice about “taking more mouthpiece” seems to pop up all the time on various saxophone blogs and discussions, but rarely try taking LESS mouthpiece on soprano sax, and I think this is a very overlooked and important … Read More

Free evaluation of your mouthpiece. This is as simple as it gets. Before you buy yet “another”  saxophone mouthpiece, send me yours. I will inspect and measure up your mouthpiece , and report to you what I find regarding table, … 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

I’m writing this because I have noticed how many players, whether beginners or long-time players, do not seem to know about using reed & ligature placement to vary tone on soprano sax. REED PLACEMENT Where you align the tip of … Read More

The fact is that almost all folks who play soprano are doublers on that instrument, meaning it is not their primary saxophone. Typically they are tenor players but there are many altoists and baritone sax players who double on soprano. … Read More

  Why does a mouthpiece shut down? The causes are known and they are fixable. An amateur player wants to know why his highly regarded alto mouthpiece just “shuts down” suddenly while he is playing. The responses, all well intentioned, … Read More

Check your own mouthpiece for problems. If you want to really “know something” about your mouthpiece, here is a simple and safe way to find out. It will not affect your mouthpiece if you do it as I instruct in … Read More

Learn the truth about mouthpieces and intonation. There are two types of “experts” on how to improve as a saxophonist. The first type declares that ALL problems are solved only by practicing. In other words, the problem is “always you”. … Read More

Here’s one that came to me a while back. I called it the Case of The Flat Top End. I have a client who could not play his Sopranoplanet mouthpiece in tune on his soprano. The top end would be … 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

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

The title says it all. This new series of articles is about one subject:how to get a beautiful sound on soprano sax.. And you can take a major stride toward just that by having a mouthpiece that doesn’t fight with … Read More

  Specifically, how much specific control can a player get for creating tonal variation in their soprano sound? The flip side of that question is this: how much of the tone achieved by a player is dependent on his equipment … 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

The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization is one of the most important books about the musical universe. It is also one of the most needlessly confusing books ever written. I’ve devoted a lot of time to finding my way … 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

  This is a great time to be buying a soprano saxophone. There are so many good ones and it is a buyer’s market. So, take a few minutes to get the knowledge you need when buying a soprano saxophone. … 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’s a lot to know about large chamber soprano pieces. Like all soprano mouthpieces, the tables need to be flat and the facing curve needs to be crisp. But then the fun begins with the chamber itself, its size … 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

I am fortunate to know this beautiful musician and have made a few mouthpieces for him over the years. Recently, Jean Yves required a change and I determined that the Metropolitain was likely to provide the right response and tone … Read More

I’m writing this because I have noticed how many players, whether beginners or long-time players, do not seem to know about these subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle aspects of getting the sound and response they are seeking. REED PLACEMENT Where you … 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

The amount of misunderstanding and pure nonsense surrounding saxophone mouthpieces is staggering, and it has consequences for students and players. First, there are consequences in performance, but there is also consequences in expense and in satisfaction and joy. In short, … Read More

The short answer: most commercially made mouthpieces (I’d say easily 80 % and likely far more) are just a mess in some way or other, and that means they do not play correctly. Practice all you want on them. You’ll … Read More

This is one way to think about just how important a well-balanced mouthpiece is for a soprano player. I started considering soprano saxophone and fuel injection while designing the OPEN SKY 2, but the idea applies to all soprano mouthpieces. … 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

Resistance and stuffiness on soprano sax is an important topic because so many players encounter it, using almost every mouthpiece and almost every horn. Almost always, too, they conclude that the tip opening is too small. So they get what … 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

If you want a dark soprano sound, just ask. Now, you can chase all the esoteric ideas that a million players who have played 20 soprano mouthpieces in their lives and maybe 20 different horns (of course, not close to … 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

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

It ocurred to me that I should start taking some photos of brand new soprano mouthpieces that come my way that clearly show how bad quality control is from major mouthpiece makers. Names have not been changed to protect the … Read More

There are a very few things that go into making a truly well balanced soprano mouthpiece, and here they are: A table that allows the reed to rest firmly in place A facing curve that allows the reed to vibrate … 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

Sound waves behave differently in a straight conic environment than they do in a conic environment that also has a bend or curve in it. That is an acoustical fact. But, what does that mean to a player? Does it … Read More

If you’ve played enough different soprano saxophones, you already know that they can be very different, one to the next, in how they “speak” : how the sound is created. Some speak easily over the entire range; others speak one … Read More

When it comes to soprano mouthpieces, I can tell you that it is ALL about the chamber. Same exact facng and the same exact tip opening with the same exact reed on the same exact horn but with different mouthpiece … 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

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

It’s an old story- cane reeds are the bane of many saxophone players. They are, by most accounts, “inconsistent”, “unreliable”, “problematic”, and, then, “just right”. That’s the same brand, same grade, same box even! I believe what I’m talking about … Read More

So, how can one “magic” reed work where dozens from the same box have been complete duds? Well, the fact is that the “magic” reed is truly the “inconsistent” one and the rest were quite consistent. The problem, my friends, … Read More

One of the most important things I do here is to help players selecting a vintage mouthpiece for what they are trying to achieve in terms of sound and response. It is not a science , but rather more of … 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

Working long distance takes a little commitment from both of us, and I need to know as much as I can about you and your music.   Here are the questions that will help me to give you what you … Read More

Here’s what I’ve come to understand about “tip opening sizes” and soprano mouthpieces: they are more trouble than they’re worth in terms of getting a soprano mouthpiece that plays the way you want it to play. Now, that’s a big … Read More

Forget the myth that the soprano sax is ‘ a beast”. Nonsense. But…. there is a lot to know and to learn. But the fact is, the soprano is no more difficult to play than the alto or tenor or … Read More

Unless you’re new to playing saxophone, you already know that finding the right brand and strength of reed can be a tough and frustrating job. For soprano saxophone, I think it’s one of the most important things a player has … Read More

This is an important page for any soprano player who “thinks” that they may want to play a true large-chamber mouthpiece. While each piece is certainly different one from the next, there are certain things to know and certain issues … Read More

What do you get when you play a larger tip opening on soprano? What qualities does it add or subtract, if any? These are legitimate questions and, unfortunately, there are way too many myths and old wives’ tales that abound … Read More

Out of tune mouthpiece. Can there be such a thing?   Well, yes. I know because I have actually “tuned” mouthpieces for players. And if you asked me 4 years ago, I wouldn’t have automatically answered yes, but I have … Read More

French saxophonist Jean Yves Auchere plays his large tipped Missing Link on his Rampone & Cazzani saxello with a deep, rich, dark sound full of texture and warmth. Each Missing Link I make is made specifically for the individual player, … Read More

Steve Lacy’s Otto Link Tone Edge # 12 soprano mouthpiece This is arguably the most famous soprano mouthpiece ever made. It is an Otto Link Tone Edge #12, specially made for the great jazz soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy. Steve played … Read More

There is a world of fabulous and interesting soprano saxophonists, and it is always a good idea to “open your ears” to as many as you can. It’s not about “liking” or “not liking” the music; it is about considering … Read More

There’s a good reason that most players experience lots of problems on soprano: the mouthpiece they play is awful. It’s not the design that is awful. It is the simple fact that commercial mouthpiece makers don’t take the time to … Read More