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Thread: Would learning Baritone Saxophone destroy my euphonium embouchure?

  1. #1

    Would learning Baritone Saxophone destroy my euphonium embouchure?

    Title.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
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    2,368
    I've been waiting for someone with experience to answer this, and I think it deserves some kind of answer. I think the lack of response to your question is equivalent to "Why would you think it would negatively affect your euphonium embouchure?"

    Personally, I believe that concern about playing one instrument and having it negatively affecting how you play another is (so far as I can see) entirely speculative and without empirical foundation. There may be something to it in individual cases (depending on physical attributes and problems of an individual player), but that would have to be determined in the individual case. There are just too many people who play multiple instruments (and do it well) to give much credence to this sort of fear. I know of at least a couple of people who are primarily tuba players and double on Bari sax (it's a great double).

    It's kind of like asking "Would learning to throw the javelin destroy my performance with the discus?" Uh, no.

    At least that's my two cents.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  3. #3
    Thanks, Gary. The reason I thought answers may be suppressed is the one-word body text of "Title." It took me a while to figure out what this post was up to. I actually thought it was a mistake when I first saw it.

    Once I figured out what was going on, I was pretty sure that someone would speak up based on actual experience. It would be an unusual double, but we have a pretty diverse group here with lots of different experience.

    As for me, I don't think it would interfere, but I am really just guessing.
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  4. #4
    This isn't really going to answer the question, because the experience was a long time ago, and it was really short-term. In high school band at the end of the school year, when we weren't really working on anything significant, my friend (bari sax) and I would swap axes for the day. I liked playing bari sax, and more significantly I didn't experience anything about the set of my mouth around the sax mouthpiece that felt like it would damage my euph embouchure.
    David Bjornstad

    1923 Conn New Wonder 86I, Bach 6 1/2 AL
    2018 Wessex EP100 Dolce, Denis Wick 4ABL
    2013 Jinbao JBEP-1111L, Denis Wick 4AM
    2015 Jinbao JBBR-1240, Denis Wick clone mouthpiece of unknown designation
    Cullman (AL) Community Band (Euph Section Leader)
    Brass Band of Huntsville (2nd Bari)

  5. #5
    (non serious answer)
    In some ways it might be able to enhance it!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4jpkXDfzo8

    And vice versa:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3scUVYmiSxg
    Adams E3 0.6 with SS Bell
    K&G 3.5D
    ---------------------------------
    Founder and Solo Euphonium
    San Francisco Brass Band

  6. #6
    That's fun! I have tried the first method one day while we were in an endless wait for a parade to start. It was an awesome sound, but I think I used a tenor sax. I'll have to check with Adams, but Brian may have voided the Adams warranty!

    One could argue the second method improved the sax's sound
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    Quote Originally Posted by davewerden View Post
    [snip]

    One could argue the second method improved the sax's sound
    My thoughts exactly. Maybe the bari-sax has been using the wrong mpc all these years. Using this approach would DEFINITELY not interfere with one's euph embouchure.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

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