Reeds…

[Mark Loosemore]

Hi Mark, yes, Art is right, I've written a bit about quite a few well-known and popular reed brands.

The thing about reeds is they are a very personal matter. I can tell you I love Rico Royals and yet you might get along better with regular Rico's. The best thing to do is try them both and see what the differences are that you notice, if any, and if they're worth the extra costs, if any, etc.

Regarding reed strength… after playing a 1.5 for a while slap on a 2 (or a few different ones in case you get a bad one) and you'll know if it's time to make the switch or not by the way it feels. If it feels like you can get a better tone without a lot of hard work things are good, but if it feels too hard to control the harder reed strength it's not time yet.

Moving up to the next strength has nothing to do with getting better faster, everyone is different so don't feel pressure to move up for any reasons of that nature. There are pro's that play 2's and 2.5 reeds, not everyone likes 3's and 4's.

If you can afford it, buy several boxes; 2 Rico and 2 Royals each in 1.5 and 2, then start experimenting and you'll soon discover which is best for you.

[art dubois]

Hi Mark
I think Johnny has some good information for you – go to the Home page, and on the RHS there is a box entitled "Saxophone Stuff". Scroll down there to "Saxophone Reeds" and voila!! All of your questions/concerns are answered!
Good Luck/Bon Chance/Suerte
Art

[john]

Hi Mark, yes, Art is right, I've written a bit about quite a few well-known and popular reed brands.

The thing about reeds is they are a very personal matter. I can tell you I love Rico Royals and yet you might get along better with regular Rico's. The best thing to do is try them both and see what the differences are that you notice, if any, and if they're worth the extra costs, if any, etc.

Regarding reed strength… after playing a 1.5 for a while slap on a 2 (or a few different ones in case you get a bad one) and you'll know if it's time to make the switch or not by the way it feels. If it feels like you can get a better tone without a lot of hard work things are good, but if it feels too hard to control the harder reed strength it's not time yet.

Moving up to the next strength has nothing to do with getting better faster, everyone is different so don't feel pressure to move up for any reasons of that nature. There are pro's that play 2's and 2.5 reeds, not everyone likes 3's and 4's.

If you can afford it, buy several boxes; 2 Rico and 2 Royals each in 1.5 and 2, then start experimenting and you'll soon discover which is best for you.

[Mark Loosemore]

Thanks Johnny. I have taken the plunge and bought some Rico Royal 2's. At the same time I have upgraded my original mouthpiece to a Selmer S80 C* with a Rovner dark ligature. This package arrived today and although I have only tried the setup for a few minutes so far, the difference in tone is amazing.

The 2's do take a little bit more 'blow'. But I am getting a much better sound than previously.

I will stick with these now and am grateful for your advice.

The various areas of your website are proving invaluable.

Many thanks

[john]

Mark, sounds like you're progressing along nicely. The 2 will feel harder at first but keep using it and your tone should get bigger and stronger for it.

[art dubois]

Why is it that my reed always has a tiny "nick" in it after I've plractised for an hour or so? And always on the same side – the left side. Should I continue to use this reed or should I change it? It's almost as if I'm biting on the reed, but I'm certainly not cognizant of that.

[john]

That's a new one on me. A nick could only come from your teeth (I think)

[Clive Betts]

Hi everybody, thanks Johnny for all your advice, I just have one question about reeds.
Your site and others say about reed care but do you keep a reed on your mouthpeice or do you
put them back into the tray (to hold them) and soak them in water each time you use them.
Sorry about the simple question but I am 57 YO and just brought a Sax with no prior knowledge.

[Alan Sizer]

Hi Clive,

For what it's worth, in my limited experience, leaving the reed on the mouthpiece is not a good idea. I've found that, if you do, the tip tends to warp as it dries out after playing. I's far better to remove it, wipe it to remove surface moisture and store in its holder.

Moistening it before playing is a good idea. Whether you use a glass of water or just pop it in your mouth is up to you.

Of course Johnny or someone else more experienced might have some better advice. I'm all ears!

Cheers

Al

[john]

The best advise regarding this is to properly care for the reed by taking it off after playing and putting it on a reed guard, this will keep it straight and probably make it last longer.

This is what most people do and I did it for the first few years of playing, then one night while sitting in with a local favorite sax player friend of mine who I admired and respected, saw him just put the cap on the mouthpiece at the end of the gig and put it away. I asked him if he always did that and he said yes. Didn't worry about it or have a problem with the reeds etc.

I have been doing the same eve since, from sometime in the 1980"s. I always just leave the reed on. When I go to play it the next time it is pretty warped and basically unplayable at first so what you do is just give it a few blows anyway to get it a bit wet, then put the cap back on and leave it for a few minutes. Now when you come back to it again it is all straightened out and good to go.

This works perfectly for me and I'll always do it this way but it may not work as well for you, you have to try it out, but for real beginners I think it's probably a bad idea.

[Author]

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