[Beginner-friendly] 5 recommended mouthpieces for jazz and pop music!

Hello everyone!
This is Motomatsu from Wind Bros of Ikebe Musical Instruments Store staff.

Before we know it, it's already the latter half of April, and
the cherry blossoms in Shibuya are almost all gone...

Speaking of April! For example, for students, it's the start of the new school year, and
new students will be choosing new clubs and circles, but
the obvious choice is to stick with the brass band that you've been playing all this time! ... or not! I 'm sure there are quite a few people who are thinking, "
Maybe I should try a 'big band circle' that specializes in jazz and pop music...!" Also , not just students, but even working adults might be thinking, " It would be nice to start playing the saxophone as a hobby this spring and maybe play some jazz!" However, even though we say "saxophone," depending on the genre of music you play, such as brass band or jazz, there are things that are suitable and unsuitable not only for the instrument itself, but also for the mouthpiece ! And even experienced saxophonists who have played in a brass band for several years often find themselves wondering, "Which mouthpiece should I choose for jazz and pop music? (crying)" because there are so many types of mouthpieces, and most people don't know what criteria to use when choosing one...(^^; So this time, we'll introduce five standard mouthpieces for jazz and pop saxophone that can be played by both complete beginners and experienced brass band and classical saxophonists ! We'll briefly explain the characteristics of each mouthpiece, including differences in tone and playing feel, from super standard mouthpieces that are a must-have for jazz to mouthpieces that are more suited to pop music ! (^^)! Well then, sorry for the long introduction (lol), let's get started!

 

Here's the first one!! ↓

MEYER Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece, Meyer Rubber

Saxophone accessories > Mouthpiece > MEYER 

Our website even describes this mouthpiece as "a must-have, or rather, an essential, mouthpiece for jazz/pop alto saxophone players!"
It's such a classic that it's probably safe to say there isn't a jazz saxophone player who hasn't played this mouthpiece at some point!

One of the defining characteristics of Meyer mouthpieces is their warm and soft tone ! However, simply having a warm and soft tone might not seem any different from a classical mouthpiece. But what's great about Meyer mouthpieces is that, as
a staple of jazz mouthpieces , they make it relatively easy to produce the slightly distorted, jazz-specific sound—the so-called "subtone"—which is difficult to achieve with classical mouthpieces !

Basically, no matter what note you play, it produces a somewhat muffled tone, for better or for worse, so you can get a slightly subtone-like sound without even consciously thinking about your playing technique (゜o゜)! On
top of that, the sound tends to be bright , so I think it's a perfect mouthpiece for playing early jazz bebop-style songs!

 

Now let's move on to the next mouthpiece!
The second mouthpiece we'll be introducing is this one! ↓

D' Addario Wood Winds Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece, Jazz Select Marble

Saxophone accessories > Mouthpiece > D'Addario Wood Winds

This mouthpiece is still relatively new, having only been on the market for about three years, but it shares some similarities with the previously mentioned "Meyer" mouthpiece, and basically produces a very soft tone (*^^*)

Like the Meyer, the sound is full, but each note has a clear outline, giving the impression of a " soft tone, yet with definition !" It might be a slightly complicated way to describe it, but I think the expression " a jazz mouthpiece leaning towards classical " fits best (;^ω^).
However, one personal drawback I noticed when trying out this mouthpiece is that,
depending on the setup, the sound can feel muffled ...
Therefore, I felt that each user needs to experiment to find the reed and ligature combination that works best for this mouthpiece.

 

Okay then! The next mouthpiece I'd like to introduce is...! ↓

" Gottsu Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece, Silicone Rubber, Sepia Tone "

Saxophone accessories > Mouthpiece > Gottsu 

This mouthpiece is the most standard model among the many in the lineup of " Gotts ," a mouthpiece maker that is particularly popular in our store !
"Gotts" rubber mouthpieces were characterized by their matte appearance, but last fall they were completely redesigned and changed to a glossy appearance as you can see in the photo, and the ease of playing has also improved even further !
And of all the mouthpieces we have introduced so far, I felt that this one was the easiest to produce volume with (*'▽')
The sound is much fuller than I expected, and each note is clear and distinct !
However, the tone itself is relatively dark, so it is especially recommended for those who are just starting out in jazz and are interested in "Gotts" mouthpieces ♪ It
might even come in handy in a big band...!

 

Next up, here's the fourth mouthpiece...! ↓

" VANDOREN V16 Medium Chamber Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece "

Saxophone accessories > Mouthpiece > VANDOREN 

Many people probably associate Vandoren mouthpieces with a relatively classical sound. However!
This V16 series mouthpiece is a legitimate jazz mouthpiece, and our product page even describes it as "the new standard for alto jazz!" (^^) However, this is just my personal opinion, but I felt it was more suited to pop music
than jazz standards . The resistance when blowing into it wasn't very strong, and it had the lightest blowing feel of all the mouthpieces I've introduced in this article . And because of that, the tone is bright and light, so it has a slightly different atmosphere from standard jazz or big band music, and I got the impression that it would be more suited to pop-oriented songs... (・o・)! That being said , it's not that it's completely unsuitable for jazz standards, and if you can get used to and master this mouthpiece, I think it's fair to say that it's the most all-rounder mouthpiece in a sense (^^)v

And finally! Here's the fifth mouthpiece! ↓

Theo Wanne Alto Saxophone Mouthpiece, NY BROS 2 (Hard Rubber )

Saxophone accessories > Mouthpiece >Theo Wanne

Lastly, I'll introduce something a little unusual, or rather, a somewhat daring choice for me personally (lol), a rubber mouthpiece from Theo Wani,
a particularly well-known name in the metal mouthpiece world ! This "NY BROS" series is based on the popular " New York Meyer " mouthpiece, which is now widely available as a vintage mouthpiece! It's based on a mouthpiece that was (presumably) used during the era when standard jazz was at its peak, so I thought it would have the most jazzy sound of all the mouthpieces I've introduced so far! (`･ω･´) So I tried it out...! Surprisingly, the sound had a relatively sharp and clear tone. However, that doesn't mean it doesn't have a jazzy sound at all; depending on how you control your blowing technique, you can produce both a jazzy, deep sound and a brighter, more pop-oriented sound, so I thought it was a mouthpiece with a hybrid element in a sense, similar to the "V16" I introduced earlier! The only downside is that this mouthpiece requires considerably more breath compared to the other mouthpieces . I think it's probably a problem with the mouthpiece's structure, but you need to control both the amount of air you breath and the speed of your breath... However! Once you get used to this, you can suddenly produce a sophisticated sound , and I think you can get the closest sound to modern jazz (*'∀')

So! With that said!
I've briefly introduced some recommended mouthpieces
for those who are just starting out in jazz or pop music !
I hope this article will be helpful in choosing your mouthpiece, even if only as a reference (^^)/
See you again!