Hyper-specializing in Saxophone Using Acoustical Insight and Deep Listening Skills by Jonas Braasch

Author:Jonas Braasch
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9783030150464
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

5.4.3 Construction

Building a saxophone mouthpiece adapter for a cornett mouthpiece is much simpler than learning it to play. The adapter can be easily made from a wood rod. Cherry, for example, is a commonly used wood for wind instruments that is easily available. The rod should have a diameter of approximately 25 mm and have a length of about 50 mm, depending on the tuning as shown in the schematic of Fig. 5.11. At one end, a small hole needs to be drilled for the cornett mouthpiece, and, at the other end, a larger hole needs to be made for the saxophone neck. The exact dimensions depend on the saxophone neck and cornett mouthpiece dimensions the adapter needs to fit. Personally, I am using resin cornett mouthpieces made by Jeremy West, who continued the famous workshop of Christopher Monk. Monk was a pioneer in revitalizing the cornett movement in the 20th century. Jeremy West’s mouthpieces have worked well for me and are very inexpensive.8 I am not concerned about using historical materials since the traditional cornett was never made from brass either. For the Jeremy West mouthpiece, it was sufficient to drill an 8.5-mm hole to hold the mouthpiece directly, without using cork or the traditional thread. I have been using my adapter for a number of years without observing leaks. It is vital to protect the wood from moisture, for example, by using linseed oil, which is a traditional finish for woodwind instruments. Other stains can be used as well, but hazardous chemicals should be avoided since the mouth comes in contact with the instrument. For readers interested in using a trumpet mouthpiece, I would recommend either truncating the throat of a regular (plastic) mouthpiece or buying a trumpet-type mouthpiece for a cornett. The latter can be purchased from Christopher Monk instruments. Both mouthpieces can be fit into the adapter shown in Fig. 5.11 by adjusting the diameter of the smaller hole.

Fig. 5.11Construction schematic for the cornett mouthpiece adapter made from a cherry wood rod. All dimensions are given in millimeter. An 8.5-mm hole was drilled to hold the cornett mouthpiece, a wider 14 mm or 9/16 hole connects to the saxophone neck

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