I have the beginner mouthpiece that came with my curved Bb saxophone.  
When I play in the community band, it depends on where our pitch it but 
just sitting with a tuner myself, I see that I'm about 40 to 50 cents 
flat on a cold horn.  I use a 3.5 Vandoren reed and I can play in the 
altissimo register even playing a super C.  However, it's my pitch that 
I'm concerned about.  I've even tried biting but to no avail of raising 
the pitch.  I even have teeth marks in my beginner mouthpiece that came 
with the horn itself.

I have used a Rousseau mouthpiece thinking this will raise the pitch but 
it's still flat.  I have put on a Rovner ligature on the beginner 
mouthpiece and some way I had it set, the pitch came up immediately.  So 
I'm wondering if the problem is the horn being curved and if I should 
get a straight Bb soprano saxophone or what?  Will I have these same 
tuning problems with the Eb Sopranino saxophone that's straight?  Have I 
heard "right" that the problems with the "soprano" saxophone is that 
they blow/play flat?

Please advise.

This type of question would be better to post on a general sax forum like Sax On The Web.  I dont mind if you post it here, but the SOTW site gets a lot more traffic and you will get more opinions there.
 
I do not think Straight vs Curved is an issue.  Both can play in tune or out of tune.
 
I would recommend you seek out Paul Coats' fine article on playing the sop sax.  It helped me work out my sop sax demons years ago by making sure I had a proper embouchure support before trying to tune the sax.  

--- On Sun, 4/12/09, Bro. Luby D. Jackson <ldjackson@...> wrote:


From: Bro. Luby D. Jackson <ldjackson@...>
Subject: [MouthpieceWork] Bb Curved Saxophone And Pitch
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2009, 3:52 PM








I have the beginner mouthpiece that came with my curved Bb saxophone.  When I play in the community band, it depends on where our pitch it but just sitting with a tuner myself, I see that I'm about 40 to 50 cents flat on a cold horn.  I use a 3.5 Vandoren reed and I can play in the altissimo register even playing a super C.  However, it's my pitch that I'm concerned about.  I've even tried biting but to no avail of raising the pitch.  I even have teeth marks in my beginner mouthpiece that came with the horn itself. 

I have used a Rousseau mouthpiece thinking this will raise the pitch but it's still flat.  I have put on a Rovner ligature on the beginner mouthpiece and some way I had it set, the pitch came up immediately.  So I'm wondering if the problem is the horn being curved and if I should get a straight Bb soprano saxophone or what?  Will I have these same tuning problems with the Eb Sopranino saxophone that's straight?  Have I heard "right" that the problems with the "soprano" saxophone is that they blow/play flat?

Please advise. 















      

You don't say what make and model curved soprano you are using...very often,
intonation problems such as you describe are caused by a mismatch of the
horn and the mouthpiece. To give a simple answer to a complex issue, think
of the neck of your saxophone as a truncated cone. The missing portion of
the cone has a volume that can be calculated. The chamber of the mouthpiece
also has a volume that can be calculated. Compare these two numbers. The
further apart they are, the worse your intonation will be.
 
Of course, this may not be the only issue, but it is a very common problem.
 
STEVE GOODSON
SAXOPHONE DESIGNER TO THE STARS
 

BASIC SHOP RATE................$100/HR
IF YOU WATCH.....................$125/HR
IF YOU ASK QUESTIONS......$150/HR
IF I HAVE TO LISTEN TO A CONCERT 
LONGER THAN FIVE MINUTES WHEN
YOU PICK UP YOUR HORN....$250/HR
 
From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Keith Bradbury
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 4:42 PM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Bb Curved Saxophone And Pitch
 





This type of question would be better to post on a general sax forum like
Sax On The Web.  I dont mind if you post it here, but the SOTW site gets a
lot more traffic and you will get more opinions there.
 
I do not think Straight vs Curved is an issue.  Both can play in tune or out
of tune.
 
I would recommend you seek out Paul Coats' fine article on playing the sop
sax.  It helped me work out my sop sax demons years ago by making sure I had
a proper embouchure support before trying to tune the sax.  

--- On Sun, 4/12/09, Bro. Luby D. Jackson <ldjackson@...> wrote:

From: Bro. Luby D. Jackson <ldjackson@...>
Subject: [MouthpieceWork] Bb Curved Saxophone And Pitch
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2009, 3:52 PM
I have the beginner mouthpiece that came with my curved Bb saxophone.  When
I play in the community band, it depends on where our pitch it but just
sitting with a tuner myself, I see that I'm about 40 to 50 cents flat on a
cold horn.  I use a 3.5 Vandoren reed and I can play in the altissimo
register even playing a super C.  However, it's my pitch that I'm concerned
about.  I've even tried biting but to no avail of raising the pitch.  I even
have teeth marks in my beginner mouthpiece that came with the horn itself. 

I have used a Rousseau mouthpiece thinking this will raise the pitch but
it's still flat.  I have put on a Rovner ligature on the beginner mouthpiece
and some way I had it set, the pitch came up immediately.  So I'm wondering
if the problem is the horn being curved and if I should get a straight Bb
soprano saxophone or what?  Will I have these same tuning problems with the
Eb Sopranino saxophone that's straight?  Have I heard "right" that the
problems with the "soprano" saxophone is that they blow/play flat?

Please advise. 
 

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...> wrote:
>
> This type of question would be better to post on a general sax forum like Sax On The Web.  I dont mind if you post it here, but the SOTW site gets a lot more traffic and you will get more opinions there.
>  
> I do not think Straight vs Curved is an issue.  Both can play in tune or out of tune.
>  
> I would recommend you seek out Paul Coats' fine article on playing the sop sax.  It helped me work out my sop sax demons years ago by making sure I had a proper embouchure support before trying to tune the sax.  


Keith, I have just sent Luby these articles:

Tone Production for Beginning Saxophonists & Clarinetists
Beginner's Corner 3 and 4 (dealing with embouchure)
Soprano Saxophone Intonation
Curved vs Straight (soprano saxophones)

and a mouthpiece tuning pitch midi for soprano saxophone.

These are the same articles I have had out for some years now, and that many players have found useful for solving just the problems he describes here.

Paul

Putting on my hat as a saxophone designer, there is absolutely NO reason a
curved soprano can't play as in tune as a straight one..you just have to
allow for the curve...it's not rocket science
 
STEVE GOODSON
SAXOPHONE DESIGNER TO THE STARS
 

BASIC SHOP RATE................$100/HR
IF YOU WATCH.....................$125/HR
IF YOU ASK QUESTIONS......$150/HR
IF I HAVE TO LISTEN TO A CONCERT 
LONGER THAN FIVE MINUTES WHEN
YOU PICK UP YOUR HORN....$250/HR
 
From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of tenorman1952
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 6:05 PM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [MouthpieceWork] Re: Bb Curved Saxophone And Pitch
 




--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:MouthpieceWork%40yahoogroups.com> , Keith Bradbury <kwbradbury@...>
wrote:
>
> This type of question would be better to post on a general sax forum like
Sax On The Web.  I dont mind if you post it here, but the SOTW site gets a
lot more traffic and you will get more opinions there.
>  
> I do not think Straight vs Curved is an issue.  Both can play in tune or
out of tune.
>  
> I would recommend you seek out Paul Coats' fine article on playing the sop
sax.  It helped me work out my sop sax demons years ago by making sure I had
a proper embouchure support before trying to tune the sax.  

Keith, I have just sent Luby these articles:

Tone Production for Beginning Saxophonists & Clarinetists
Beginner's Corner 3 and 4 (dealing with embouchure)
Soprano Saxophone Intonation
Curved vs Straight (soprano saxophones)

and a mouthpiece tuning pitch midi for soprano saxophone.

These are the same articles I have had out for some years now, and that many
players have found useful for solving just the problems he describes here.

Paul