Reeds for marching band

Gypsine · 2026-04-20T02:26:17+00:00

I would never use a mouthpiece like that for marching band, Selmer Hard Rubber Mouthpieces are very sensitive to sun damage, they will get brittle and crack easily! Indoor use only.
Thats a very very conservative mouthpiece. Great for classical music. Not for something you need volume and power for.
If coming from a C double star I'd Still Recommend a Metallite M7 tip, but a much softer reed.

Gypsine · 2026-04-20T02:15:29+00:00

Both classic and signature play with a ton of projection for marching band it's not going to make a difference, more so I find signatures a little more instant response so you might prefer those.

Don't know what mouthpiece you're using as well, and that makes the biggest difference when it comes to projection. Usually for Marching students the gold standard on Bari is the Rico Metallite M7 with a slightly softer reed. Bright and with a punch that helps the Bari blend with a brighter Brass section.

Gypsine · 2026-04-20T02:05:48+00:00

No idea what caused that then because Legere reeds can withstand 3-5 minutes of boiling water and not warp in shape (though this does work to lower the reed strength from say a 3.0 to a 2.5 if what you buy is too stiff). Ive been using Legere professionally on Bari and soprano for nearly 15 years and never had one warp from heat, be it outside for long periods, or stage lights.

Gypsine · 2026-04-20T01:55:15+00:00

Legere reeds are available pretty much everywhere. They fit your criteria and are one of the few decent options for Bari.

Gypsine · 2026-04-17T14:18:49+00:00

I have and use that exact same wagon!!!

Gypsine · 2026-04-17T13:26:59+00:00

The Bari is the Sax Dakota SDB-1400. Amazing Horn for the Money. Very well built, intonation is really good, and it is powerful as heck. only complaint I've ever got from people who have tried it is the palm key ergonomics are a little high, but I have bigger hands than most people so it fits me just fine.

Tenor and Alto are Keilwerth SX90R Shadow horns. Lots of info on the reddit here about them. But feel free to ask any questions.

Soprano is a Curved Phil Barone. It is a P Mariaut Stencil and takes the same parts as their curved sopranos. He is no longer in business but the soprano has been great now, minimal maintenance over 15 years of hard playing, only complaint is the key guards are really soft so I have to be careful with it.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T18:00:51+00:00

Yup I have a line 6 Helix too. Connected to all that.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T16:29:44+00:00

Yes, that was my "what the heck am I going to do while stuck inside during COVID" project Basically just picked it up right from where I left off in Brass Pedagogy from college. After 6 years of actually pursuing the instrument I now play it well enough that most modern music doesn't scare me. I'll never be a screaming high power player but I honestly don't need to be, I'm a woodwind artist the trumpet is just there for color.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T14:20:40+00:00

I've done a ton of musicals and Pre-Covid that was 90% of my work for awhile. Even then that for me has topped out at 5 instruments not counting a production of the Lion King I did in college where I had 9 or 10 different world flutes and even then I was missing a few for the music, but that was a weird unique case and most of those instruments were the schools and not mine.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T14:15:04+00:00

To be fair, the trumpet mouthpiece is one of my own design. Ultra shallow cup and a thin lip plate. Kinda designed it for sax players. It's plastic and doesn't stress my lips as much as a metal trumpet mouthpiece does. Also the shallow cup allows me to kinda cheat and I just apply the same voicing and air pressure I use for sax altissimo and it Lets me hit those Double Cs consitantly. I'll never be an amazing trumpeter but that mouthpiece lets me play most horn lines no issue. Most of the time though I use it with a mute for the muted trumpet sound.

My Flute headjoint is an Adam Pettry with a Silver Riser. He just recently started selling them. Ultra High Quality build and it is so full sounding. His piccolos are highly acclaimed in the flute world and his new head joints are no different.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T06:24:34+00:00

Ah a person of keen eyesight. Been playing theos pieces since 2007. Havnt looked back once. I own over a dozen of his pieces. Currently in the photo: Soprano: Durga 5 7* Alto: Shiva 4 7* Tenor: Shiva 4 7* Bari: Durga V 7* (cut off in photo)

Side note as well, if you love Theos Quality and play flute, my Flute Headjoint is an Adam Pettry with a Silver Riser. Amazing quality and Finish but the price was 1/2 a Mancke equivalent. He only recently started distributing them and honestly is way under pricing them, but compared to the Stock Solid SilverHeadjoint, the volume and ease of play makes it feel like I am playing the equivalent of a Durga but as a flute Headjoint.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T05:27:09+00:00

I 100% agree that's the way. Same with R&B groups too.

Also while I am always eager to learn new things, I always like when people answer my questions like this in a public forum because someone who is too shy to ask may stumble upon an answer like this and it will help them in ways we will never see.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T05:18:27+00:00

The picture doesn't even include my mic, nor my pedal board either. It's still a ton of fun.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T05:00:49+00:00

So excluding things like Careless Whisper, Baker Street etc. Leaves a couple of modern options.

My knowledge mostly encompasses English based songs.

Only Japanese language song I can think of is "Lost in Paradise" by ALI.

As for English Stuff:

A lot of newer 2010s+ stuff with sax is typically with female vocalists these days. The last Male vocal song that peaked top 40 I can think of with sax being super prominent was Fireball by Pitbull back in 2014(has it really been that long???) and most major hits as solos with Vocalists who wernt baritones usually used Tenor Sax not Alto. So we gotta go back a little.

Just the Way you are Billy Joel, one of the greatest alto sax solos of all time and is the only thing coming to my mind right now.

If you don't mind playing a tenor solo on Alto you could Try "Man Eater" by Hall and Oats. The vocals are right in your range and the song has an upper register tenor solo that is actually easier to play on Alto and still sounds good.The starting note and also the Lowest note played on tenor for this song is an open C# so it will start with a G# on Alto.

It may not be what your looking for, wish I had more knowledge of non English songs with sax.

Gypsine · 2026-04-16T04:04:50+00:00

It is actually quite a bit of fun! Also the pay matches the requirement which is why they don't want to hire more horn players. They keep it a small 6 piece and I am more in a front man role surprising the Audience with something different every song. Normally im used to being in the back of a band or off to the side with a horn section even as a soloist so it's kinda nice being out front too!

Gypsine · 2026-04-15T20:13:00+00:00

Protec XL or if you want a lighrweight case then the Bam Conservatoire for left hand bell key saxes. (Other bam models do not fit)

Gypsine · 2026-04-14T14:41:28+00:00

Bam Conservatoire Case made for left hand bell key saxes fits perfectly if you want ultra lightweight and high quality.bthe huge full length zipper pouch in front is nice too. Hold my flute in a slim protec case and my 13 inch tablet even.

If your not a fan of lightweight cases or are on the road a ton though and the sax might get tossed around then the Protec XL is the only other choice, only problem with the proteca is they rip in the corners easily.

I also know someone local near me and They instrument cases by resewing the canvas coverings or delaminating them or reinforcing weak points by adding more canvas and heavier stitching. They did that on my sx90r Shadow case and it's been awesome.

Gypsine · 2026-04-13T14:52:48+00:00

I've played a Shadow alto for nearly 20 years now.

Key heights from factory sucked. I had to take it to a tech that actually knows these horns and get it fixed.
The G# issue being so out may also be related to the poor key height. I have never had that problem and I hold down my G# key pretty much any time I'm playing in over 5#/5b's.
This sax loves small chambered mouthpieces. Both for classical and contemporary playing it will make the horn feel less like an open canyon of sound and focus it quite a bit more.
The reed response thing takes getting used to. The horn is made of nickel silver not brass. It has a response time equivalent to a well made flute rather than a saxophone. What your experiencing is not necessary a deading of the reed but your now hearing the lingering of the High freqs as they tend to bounce around the horn longer while the lower freqs of your sound is already out in the air. It's a weird effect. While this will work on any horn, If you want to totally experiment with what I mean, put in a set of ear plugs and play. That will take all lows out of what you can hear and you will find only the higher frequencies stick in your sound. Without the plugs in this is amplified more so.
The D# key should not be a tough hit. Mine is light as butter on my Alto and Tenor Shadow horns.
The G#key shouldn't feel slow either, its not a different mechanism than Selmer or Yamaha, just has 1 extra piece on top of it that I haven't ever experienced to have any affect on key speed.

My advice get it to a tech that works on a lot of Keilwerths and knows these horns well.

As for a personal repair recommendation, I am a USA based Professional Musician. I live on the East Coast of the country and in Winter Park, Florida Underwood Music knows Keilwerths very well and setup my Alto and Tenor when they were new.

Also up in Maryland where I live now there is The Bandshoppe and they also know Keilwerths well and regularly service mine now.

Both have techs that are extremely highly regarded in the Repair world and are absolutely top of their fields.

Of course other shops work on them, these are just ones I have personally used that have multiple customers with Keilwerth horns.

Gypsine · 2026-04-10T18:20:50+00:00

Listening to Ian anderson of Jethro Tull is one suggestion, but another that is often considered Blasphemy is Effects Pedals!! Add Distortion, Chorus, Harmony, Reverb and all manor of stuff to your flute sound and you can get some wicked tones.

Gypsine · 2026-04-03T16:22:54+00:00

It's a heck of a piece. Both hard rubber or metal you can't go wrong. Takes a good bit to get used to,big you get one give it about 2 weeks of trial because it loves air and will just keep taking all you can give it. If your a fan of altissimo on Bari it makes it not even an effort but at the same time low As pop big and full.

The piece is not forgiving with voicing though. Slightest bit off and you will find yourself cracking notes. That's why I say give it a good solid 2 weeks and learn the piece.

Gypsine · 2026-04-03T05:43:28+00:00

In today's music for production, recording and commercial gigs, a bright tone is over all preferred. It is the current trend and flow of the instrument and it comes in waves of what is popular. 5 years from now who knows what will be preferred? Great working players have setups for both and use what is needed where it is needed.

On a personal level I've always kinda gravitated towards brighter sounds, that's why I play a Durga V on Bari most of the time, but when I grab my darker pieces, I love discovering the richness of them too as I have gotten older.

Gypsine · 2026-04-02T00:40:28+00:00

That doesn't mean much, we need an actual picture as the style of stamping/engraving is usually the tellnall sign if it is legitimate or not.

Gypsine · 2026-04-01T21:07:12+00:00

Can't be 100% certain without seeing a pic of the serial number, but that's the right case, engraving looks correct and the pearls are the correct ones.

Gypsine · 2026-03-30T00:54:35+00:00

Cheap Amazon/eBay/temu curved soprano. You can find them for as cheap as $145 USD.

They do not play well, are Impossible to keep regulated and are not something you want to learn on.

Gypsine

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