Hi!

[bex]

🙂 hey everone im new here! 😉

i got a new saxophone for my birthday a few weeks ago, its a selmer prelude, im really enjoying it, and have learnt a few songs, well nursery rhymes so far!

my first question is, i only got one reed with it and i need some more, but dont know which ones to get and the price of them etc :erm:

can anyone help? anyone know a good, cheap place to get reeds????

cheers bex x

p.s great forum, im going to be annoying with lots more questions in the future, i hope you dont mind!!

 

[Greywolf]

Hi Bex,

as far as reeds go ....it all depends . Often reeds will say on them somewhere, the make and the strength, ie how hard it is to blow them.

If you can't match up with the reeds you already have then as a beginner you can't go far wrong with Rico Royal 1 1/2 or 2

I think Rico Royals are about ?2.00 each.

Many people don't like Ricos for various reasons. All reeds can vary a lot, so out of a batch of several reeds which are supposed to be the same you may find quite a variety. As a beginner you can put on a new reed sometimes and find it hard to play. It probably isn't you, just the reed. There are things you can do to make reeds more playable but unless you're really into tweaking things I should just play.

Rico Royals should be available from any half way decent music shop. I don't know where you are in the SW but if you're not near big town with a music shop there are plenty of places tobuy online.

www.sax.co.uk
is a good place

and Reeds Direct at
http://reeds.woodwindandreed.co.uk/

I expect you will get lots more advice here, some of it contradictory, some of it confusing. Always remember the important thing is to play, to enjoy it and get playing with other people as soon as you can.

Keep honking

Greywolf

 

[Bobby G]

I agree with Greywolf; Rico Royal, which are a step up friom orange-box Rico's, are a good reed and strength 1.5 or 2 should do it. I'd also advise maybe getting a few reeds at the same time so you can get a feel af what you like, preferably a minimum of 3 or 4 (of each type if you decide on more than one make or strength). Good luck and happy blowing.

I don't know where in the South West you are (I presume the UK 😉 ), but if you are in Devon I'm sure there's something in Exeter, if you're in Cornwall there's a music shop in Launceston, one in Wadebridge and one in Helston that I know of, presumably Truro as well. Also, if you are in Devon or Cornwall I am one jealous fellow 😛

Cheers, Bob

p.s. don't worry about asking silly questions, we were all starters once....!

 

[rs2sensen]

I would probably buy Rico #2 or even 2.5. I believe in starting on a 2, and then moving up to 2.5 after a couple months, if the student has developed strong enough facial muscles to insure a good embouchure.

I buy a lot of reeds off of eBay. I get the sealed boxes, they are all new, and the prices are usually pretty darn good.

 

[silentwing26]

Hm, eBay is risky. I bought some before, and the only thing I recieved for my money was a box full of Reed cases for the price of the Reeds. 😡

 

[pauloalto]

I've been playing about a year. I've tried various different types of reed. Different reeds (even within the same box) can have a big effect on playability of the highest and lowest notes, volume, intonation. To be honest I've found it a bit of a minefield.

I started on rico 1.5s and then after I'd been playing for a month or two bought some rico royal 2s and vandoren standard 2s. I found I got on much better with the vandorens. I couldn't tell you why though, I think the vandorens just "felt" right. Reed preference seems to me to be personal taste really.

Once I'd been playing a bit longer I then bought some vandoren standard 2.5s and I stuck with them for a good few months. I've since tried the Vandoren ZZs 2.5s and the Vandoren JAVA 2.5s. I haven't really noticed much difference between these, other than variation in reeds out of the same box! I've found this quite frustrating, I tried a ZZ and got on really well with it, tried another one and it felt way too hard. Then I worried that the first one I tried was too soft and I didn't have the face muscle strength necessary to play a "real" 2.5 ZZ.

Rightly or wrongly I've come to the conclusion that if you find a good reed that you enjoy playing then it doesn't matter what strength it is or what make or type. If you sound good when you're playing it then who cares! Just look after that reed well and keep playing it. Try to find at least 2 or 3 of these and rotate them so that you've always got a spare good reed if you break one.

Don't know where Bob got South West from, but if you are there I've bought reeds from www.johnpacker.co.uk based in Taunton or Mickleburgh music shop in Bristol (at the bottom of Gloucester Road). I know Nailsea music shop also sells them if you are anywhere near there.

Anyway good luck! Is sax your first instrument?

Paul

 

[Lisa]

Softer reeds are easier to start with, I use Rico Royal #2 but then when I started trying to play higher notes had to use a #1 for a while! (Maybe just me being feeble though,) until I got a stronger embouchre and could move back to a 2.

L