Watch Johnny's videos & test/experiment More w/mps and reeds

[Jazz Cat]

1. Watching Johnny’s videos over & over again really helps; subscribe to his youtube channel like I did, at:

https://www.youtube.com/user/saxjohnny/videos

I watch using ps3 youtube on the sofa, on bigscreen tv.

2. Test constantly, especially reeds; be quick to ditch one reed for another. Once I find a good reed I stay with
it as long as it works. Funny story (I’ve played alto 35+ yrs, tenor 5 yrs), in my yas62 case I could still use
a 22-year old reed, one I still had on my mp, it worked fine. I use vandoren java red/green 2 1/2s.

hope that helps –

[john]

For the last couple tunes I did on soprano I used reeds that I’ve had sitting in a box since I sold that soprano well over 10 years ago and they worked fine… also Vandorens but in the purple box, at least the box was purple back then (not java green like I use for tenor).

[Anonymous]

i remember months ago i asked a question in the forums – when do you change a reed?

now i realise if you practice everyday, the sax becomes another part of your body and you soon get the feel for when something sounds wrong.

Its like driving a car – when i started out driving i wasnt often sure if the box on wheels i was driving would scrape through a tight space. Then years later i get in a car and somehow or other i know if i can fit the box on wheels through a tight space. the car has become another part of the body.

Appolgies if i have digressed from the main topic!

Only tip i can add here is i store my reeds in liquid when not playing them – the current reed has lasted months

[john]

Right, when we’re starting out we’re not so in tune to everything because of a lack in experience.
as you say, after a while we just know when that reed’s life has past because of how it feels different.
Personally, I keep my reed on the mouthpiece day to day for long periods of time.
When I look at it it’s very wavy so I just toot the horn for a few seconds, put the cap back on and after a few minutes the reed has straightened out and feels great. This is probably the worst way to look after your reeds and if I put them away properly who knows, they might last longer.

[wayne wojnarowski]

Johnnie i to have left the reed on my mouthpiece always, than some genius said don’t ,always take it off and clean it, than somebody told me DON”T EVER put the ligature on your mouthpiece and put it back in your cap! it will ruin the mouthpiece!! HOW ?? WILL IT?? I have never put my mouthpiece back in the cap without a reed in it ever since. Any comment’s ?
Sx poet I have read somewhere that there is a liquid that this Tenor Pro stores his reeds in and he gets busted by the guys at the airport for transporting liquids, in his sax case which he says he just fills up at the water fountain after the “pat down” so to speak. however he says his reeds last him LONG!! I think months, you know with reeds coming in at 30.00
a box why not try to use them as long as you can.SX poet one question about storing the reeds in water is it possible for them to get WATER LOGGED meaning too wet ?? to blow??

[Anonymous]

when i store the mouthpiece away, i leave an old reed on it with the ligature attached – read somewhere it keeps the ligature in the right shape moulded to a mouthpiece and reed. Also read somewhere – that if you start rubbing the mouthpiece rails on any surface, you can start to wear them down like a reed vibrating over a million years will. read – Even dropping a mouthpiece can twist the rails out of alignment…

but back to your question Wayne

when i read about storing a reed in liquid – rather than dismiss it out if hand, i decided to try it for a week and see what i think, anything to save on the cost of reeds.

i store them in an air tight plastic jar with 1cm of mint flavoured mouthwash listerine mouthwash and filled with tap water. Tastes nice, keeps the sax from smelling bad and kills germs on the reed that saliva stores.

When i take the reed out it is dripping wet, i squeeze out the excess water with my fingers or just wipe off the excess water with a cloth.

The funny thing is the reed does the opposite to what you think it would do – when you start playing it sheds all the excess liquid, its actually capable of controlling its own eco structure.

i also find dry reed causes your mouth to generate more spit than a damp reed.

The upside is the reed plays straight away, it doesn’t wear out quicker with being expanded and compressed from repeated dry out and expanding when wet.

Also by being wet all the time it prevents itself from splitting by being more flexible..

A lot of people who read my comments – think oh its that prat again – good for a laugh lets see what he’s rabbiting on about this time. lol

Most of the time people read comments and they can be very blinkered and have actualy made up their mind before reading comments. Won’t listen to comments from others and come back in later forums still insisting they are right. – thats me to a T .

Best bet Wayne try it on one reed and make up your own mind, weigh up the odds – is it just something more to do – like leaving the seat down for the ladies? nothing ventured nothing gained. lol

[wayne wojnarowski]

SX POET I Love Ya Man I think your crazy as a bat but that’s what makes you ..you !!

[Andrew Gibson]

I used to leave my current reed in a container of water and mouthwash like you, Sxpoet. But I did wonder, like Wayne whether it would waterlog them too much, so I keep them wrapped in a damp cloth of the same mixture; they don’t seem to get so saturated, but keeps the reed from drying out too much.

[john]

But if the reed dries out too much and then it gets wet again and used, does the fact that it dried out previously do any damage? that is the question.

[RRafael]

I have been very impressed with the Vandoren Hygro reed case: http://www.amazon.com/Vandoren-HRC20-Clarinet-Baritone-Saxophone/dp/B007WQIFUW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1456320327&sr=8-2&keywords=tenor+sax+reed+case+vandoren At first I thought maybe it was just another gimmick but it really does keep my reeds in ready to play condition. As long as the sponge is wet the humidity is almost perfect and I am able to play from the low Bb to the high F# right out of the case, no problems. The old reed protectors always left my reeds nasty and wavy on the tip but this keeps them straight and in like new condition.

[Author]

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