Training with a more strength reed

[Christian Bernard-Guelle]

Hi Johnny
I use to play with a vandoren v12 reed and I’m confortable with it. Sometimes ago I bought Vandoren strength 3.5 ; I’m not confortable at all with them.
My question is : is there any advantage to train with them to progress on breathing and embouchure ?
Thanks for your answer.
Christian

[john]

No, not at all. as I was working my way up the reed strengths many years ago I stayed with a #3 for a long time. everytime I tried a 3.5 I hated it because it made me work too hard. you stay with what feels right for you. there are professionals that use a 2 or 2.5 and some a 3.5 or 4.
we are all different and the reed size is very personal and does not mean you can have a better sound with a harder reed.

[Martin Pavíček]

Johnny, I think the question is rather this: I play comfortably with reed 2.5 for example. So normally I play with reed 2.5. But: it will help build / maintain the embouchure muscles when I exercise sometimes with 3 (I do not plan on going to 3 at all times) or can it hurt my embouchure?

[Anonymous]

i’m not going to answer your question,
but just provide some of my insights to reeds,
which you are welcome to agree or disagree on,
in fact i may be misinformed…

The main function of a reed is to vibrate to produce a pitch, and a low numbered reed is easier to vibrate than a high numbered reed, which is why beginners start on a low number reed.

The numbering of a reed is just the thickness a reed is machine cut to, and reeds of the same number can vary in strength. So you could pick a number 3 reed that is as easy to play as a number 2 reed, or you could pick a number 3 reed that plays like a number 4 reed, or you could pick a number 3 reed that plays like a number 3 reed. This is reason why players may file down a reed, to reduce the strength of a reed to make it easier to play.

There are lots of things related to a reed choice or type.
1 – your embouchure (combination of lip muscles strength, jaw strength, size of area inside your mouth). The only thing that changes with practice is your lip muscles strength. So for a stronger strength reed (which can vary in the same reed number range), you need stronger lip muscles. This is why your lips get tired very quickly with a higher numbered reed. And with lip muscles, there is your limit as to how strong they can become, so you will find at some stage you wont need to go any higher in a reed number. Likewise, less practice, and your lip muscles become weak again, so you have to drop down in reed numbers.

2 – your mouthpiece. When you go up a mouthpiece size, the same embouchure wont work the same. What you may find is the reed suddenly becomes harder to play and lip muscles tire very quickly. This is the reason why some players drop down a reed number size (So don’t throw away those old reeds, you may need them later on). Gradually over the weeks, you can get back to using the higher numbered reed.
But mouthpiece sizes are like reed number sizes, you will find you can only go so far up a higher mouthpiece choice.

3 – the number. The numbering of a reed just gives you a rough idea of its strength when you buy it. File it down if its too strong.

4 – How you store a reed when not playing. This is a can of worms. From my personal experience if you can keep a reed damp while it is stored, i find it a lot easier to pick up and play straight away. Some people live in a hot climate, some live in a cold damp climate like i do, so the way you look after a reed will vary from region to region.

5 – your lungs. Strength of how hard you can blow, and more importantly how well you can control the constant rate at which you exhale. Also how fast you can fill up your lungs is crucial while playing. Reed strengths are related to your lungs.
With lung practice over the years, you get better control over your air flow, this why players practice long tones. This is where going up a reed strength will give you a stronger tone and pitch.
You really need another musician to listen to your pitch and tone, to give you advice on when to go up a reed size, it’s more obvious to a listener watching and hearing you play at the same time. My teacher new straight away when i needed to go up a size in reeds the same thing also applies to mouthpieces.

finally, if i dropped down a reed size, i start getting a lot of squeaks while playing, and find it difficult to not squeak.

[john]

yes some good points sxpoet. Basically, the stronger our embouchure the harder the reed we can handle, that’s true. I have a very strong bite and well developed embouchure but I can barely play a 3.5 (get tired quickly and can’t produce my normal sound) and a 3 is perfect for me so I don’t ever bother with the harder ones.

@Martin, in your case, this may help you in your development because you haven’t been playing as long and you are comfortable at a 2.5. how can you know that this will be your perfect reed for years to come? you can’t know until you give the 3 a chance, I think this a a good idea for you.

what may happen one day is that after some time with the 3 you go back to the 2.5 and it now feels too soft and you find you’re getting a better sound with the 3… this may or may not happen for you. This is how it happened for me.

But whatever way it happens, you must try and experiment or else you’re not being a good and progressive student.

[Alice Browar]

I use a #3 reed now because when I used a #2 I would be flat to the point where I my mouthpiece was as far down the cork that it wouldn’t go any further and I’d still be flat. When I switched up to a #3 it was hard at first because my mouth was so tired. Then I learned how to file down the reeds and am happier with better tone and don’t have to push the mouthpiece so far down the cork now.

[john]

yes sometimes filing a harder one down a bit gets it just right cause it’s somewhere in between.

[Author]

Posts