Reeds How do you know when to change a reed?

When should you change a reed?​

Cane Reeds are extremely annoying. They are sent here to try our patience in more ways than one:

• You buy a box of reeds and it’s often the luck of the draw whether all, some, or even any of them will work well.
• Once you get a good one, it doesn’t stay good. There is no immortal reed (not even synthetic reeds can make that claim) and sooner or later (usually sooner) it will die, sometimes without any warning.

Before you think about determining when a reed is no longer any good, it’s important to establish that any possible defective performance is incurable. In other words is it dying or just feeling a bit under the weather? (Literally if it is due to low humidity).

You may have noticed that sometimes a reed seems to get worse (less responsive or stuffy) after playing on it just for a few minutes. But after taking it off and then coming back to it a bit later it seems fine, only to deteriorate again after a while. If this is happening it could mean the reed is swelling and distorting, in which case it can probably be cured using the method describe in the Cane Reeds page: Conditioning a Reed

How long should a reed last​

So let’s assume we now have a reed that we know is nicely run in, and is playing well so this is definitely a reed we can use with confidence. However we are aware that reeds don’t last indefinitely (even synthetic reeds) but how do we know how long that is? We know when to change the ink in a printer because either there is a warning indicator or else we print a page and we can immediately see there is something wrong. Obviously we don’t know when that is going to happen as it is dependant on how much printing we have done, not how long the cartridge was in the printer.

Same with reeds: unfortunately we can’t say whether a reed will last two weeks or three months. It all depends on the amount of use it has been getting. And not just the amount of use in terms of playing hours, but in many cases the type of playing. getting back to our printer cartridge analogy, if you were printing pages of double spaced light grey text you would expect to get more pages per cartridge than if you print single spaced bold black text.

How do we know when to actually change the reed then?​

It would be nice if we got a warning indicator, so we know to go out and buy a new reed, or start running one in. But sadly we don’t and the worst of it is that a reed can suddenly either die all of a sudden, or (more often) die a slow and horribly painful death possibly along with all the coughing, spluttering, rattling and squeaking you may expect form something dying.

This is the reason it can be a good idea to have several good reeds that are nicely run so that there is always a spare if the reed dies just before an important performance. Many players like to uses these reeds in rotation, but as long as you have one or two ready that is the main thing.

The biggest problem is of course knowing when it is about to happen, as opposed to knowing that it has just happened in the middle of an important solo in front of an audience or a panel of judges. This is not such a problem for experienced players and professionals who know their abilities and so are generally confident that various issues are not their fault. Also they very aware of subtle changes in the response of their equipment.

It may be a bit harder for beginners to know when they are struggling with a dying reed, as opposed to struggling with the saxophone in general, so here are some general words of advice.

• Keep your saxophone in good condition, don’t scrimp on servicing – if in doubt about leaks take it to a good tech
• Get the tech, or a good teacher, to check that the mouthpiece is not damaged, the ligature fits securely.
• Learn to look for visible signs of reed wear: a dirty appearance, splits and divots, taking on a permanent bend (due to the mouthpiece curve contour)
• Make notes about your progress in regard to tone, range and response. Is there a high note you could get a couple of days ago but can no longer sustain? A low note that you could play quietly but now you have to honk it out? These are al tell tale signs the reed is “on its way out.”
• Always make sure you have some back-up reeds ready to go. For important performances use a reed you have confidence in, one that is quite new but comfortably run in.

 

[Colin the Bear]

I unwrap it. Mount it. Play it till it goes flabby and bin it. Some light adjustment may or may not happen.

I play all ten out of a box. I have binned reeds because of a lack of regulation. Doh!

I used to get the odd duff reed but that stopped happening when I had a go at levelling the table, dressing the rails and finding a good fitting ligature.

 

[wakyct]

I ponder this question probably more often than I should. Mainly because I play on my reeds for a really long time (like over a year -- though I rotate eight reeds at a time) and don't notice much of a difference. I guess that could say something about my abilities. What I've settled on is that I'll play the reed for a long time and then decide I might as well put a new one in. I don't throw any of the old reeds away though.

 

[skeller047]

I have used both the “play a reed till it’s dead” method and the rotation method. I now use rotation, primarily because of the experience of playing a new one after a 6 week, 6 night a week, 2 shows a night affair with a really fabulous reed. When it finally gave up the ghost, the new one, from the same box, felt like trying to vibrate a popsicle stick. Playing in rotation, all the reeds are about the same strength, so it’s really noticeable when one starts to die.

@wakyct how much playing do you do daily? 8 reeds in rotation, that’s about once a week for each one, assuming daily playing. So 50-ish services per year. About average for me if you play 1/2 hour a day (25 hours). Way above average if you play an hour a day, the most I get is around 35-40 hours per reed, and some as low as 20 hours. Note that jazz gigs are counted at half their length, due to not playing while others solo, and also the lengthy discussions between tunes regarding what to play next.

 

[kamak]

I was just thinking about this today as I pulled my original Legere Signature Alto reed out today when I went to play. It's over 2 years old now and still plays great. I also have a Select Jazz Alto reed that's a year and a half old and also still plays well.

Ive tossed quite a few reeds though. Mostly Vandoren, come to think of it. A few for tenor have died out and had to get tossed.

 

[wakyct]

40ish hours per reed sounds close. I aim to play every day for about an hour but life gets in the way so I probably average more like five days a week.

But I can't say I've ever had a reed "die" per se. I try to keep track of which ones don't play as well but usually I just replace the oldest at a somewhat arbitrary time. My main concern is if I play a reed for too long my embouchure will adapt to a weaker reed.

 

[Pete Thomas]

Do guitarists ask the same question or just play until the string physically breaks. I knew a guitarist who put on a new set for every gig and I think that is completely over the top.

 

[Pete Effamy]

Do guitarists ask the same question or just play until the string physically breaks. I knew a guitarist who put on a new set for every gig and I think that is completely over the top.

I’m not a guitarist of any ability. No, really; no ability at all. But my mate is - he talks about brightness of new strings, though he doesn’t change them so often.

 

[dexdex]

Do guitarists ask the same question or just play until the string physically breaks. I knew a guitarist who put on a new set for every gig and I think that is completely over the top.

I'm only a home studio guitar player, but you can notice with steel strings how they progressively become difficult to tune. Tuning sounds fine on open strings, but becomes weird once you play over the fretboard. Once you replace them, you also notice how the upper unwound strings did sound thinner. I never experienced a string breaking, as I don't play out there at Wembley or the Budokan.
Sidenote, there is a HUGE difference in lifetime depending on brand and type.
No real experience with nylon strings.

 

[etc-etc]

It is time to change when the reed does not last long after "unbending" - gentle bending in the opposite direction of the mouthpiece rail curve to bring the reed back to straight condition.

 

[teen37]

I ponder this question probably more often than I should. Mainly because I play on my reeds for a really long time (like over a year -- though I rotate eight reeds at a time) and don't notice much of a difference. I guess that could say something about my abilities. What I've settled on is that I'll play the reed for a long time and then decide I might as well put a new one in. I don't throw any of the old reeds away though.

Oh wow!.... 😅 It's so good to know I'm not the only one who does this 😅😉😁

 

[teen37]

I was just thinking about this today as I pulled my original Legere Signature Alto reed out today when I went to play. It's over 2 years old now and still plays great. I also have a Select Jazz Alto reed that's a year and a half old and also still plays well.

Ive tossed quite a few reeds though. Mostly Vandoren, come to think of it. A few for tenor have died out and had to get tossed.

So, are those reeds that have lasted so long been cane or synthetic? I've never tried a synthetic one. Is it very different to cane in feel or sound?

 

[skeller047]

So, are those reeds that have lasted so long been cane or synthetic? I've never tried a synthetic one. Is it very different to cane in feel or sound?

Legere reeds are synthetic. Many players use them. They are different in feel (all synthetics are, not just Legere). Sound, harder to say if there is a significant difference. Most folks who play synthetics say they have to play a little bit differently.

The only synthetic I’ve played that sounded good to me, is one for bass clarinet that came with my new Backun bass a little over a year ago. But it does feel different to cane.

This is a very personal choice. If I were still working a lot of show jobs that require doubles, I would be more interested in synthetic reeds. Picking up a cold horn in a low humidity environment, especially for an exposed part, requires careful planning and what we call “reed management”. A synthetic reed solves that problem. But nowadays I mostly play jazz for tips, and mostly just on tenor, so D’Addario and Rigotti get my reed money 🙂

 

[thomsax]

It's time to change the reed when the the reed is not responding well. When the tone/timbre change, hard to play larger intervals, the top tones or the low tones doesn't come out as the use to do .... . A dying reed .... you got signs before it's dying. Do some basic embouchure excercises and really listen to what's comes out from your sax.

 

[teen37]

@skeller047 ah ok, thanks for the info. I don't play in any bands now so don't have the problem of solos thankfully so I'll stick with cane 😉👍

 

[skeller047]

@skeller047 ah ok, thanks for the info. I don't play in any bands now so don't have the problem of solos thankfully so I'll stick with cane 😉👍

To be clear, I was referring to a situation, for instance in a show backing an artist, where you have to play an exposed part on an instrument that’s been sitting on its stand for an hour. In those kinds of cases, a synthetic reed makes sense.

For me, that’s the only kind of situation where it does; I have drawers full of hundreds of cane reeds. I only buy new ones if I change mouthpieces, or a new reed comes out and I want to try it.

 

[teen37]

@skeller047 hundreds of cane reeds! 😳 But they are not cheap, at least not here in the UK. I have about a dozen at best but that's from buying them a few years ago from ebay, dropping on with a reasonable price for a couple packs of 5's. I just got a new one a few weeks ago when trying out a new mouthpiece at Sax. Co but I'll make it last for a long time. I'm only working seasonally once a year at the moment so my income is extremely low. I have to make it stretch for as long as possible 😅 I'll only buy new reeds if it's absolutely necessary at the moment 🤔🤷 unfortunate but it is what it is 🤷

 

[thomsax]

@skeller047 hundreds of cane reeds! 😳 But they are not cheap, at least not here in the UK. I have about a dozen at best but that's from buying them a few years ago from ebay, dropping on with a reasonable price for a couple packs of 5's. I just got a new one a few weeks ago when trying out a new mouthpiece at Sax. Co but I'll make it last for a long time. I'm only working seasonally once a year at the moment so my income is extremely low. I have to make it stretch for as long as possible 😅 I'll only buy new reeds if it's absolutely necessary at the moment 🤔🤷 unfortunate but it is what it is 🤷

You can pro-long the life of a reed by learning how to work on reeds. You just need some basic tools to start with. I worked in a musicshop back in the late 70's/early 80's and the reeds we couldn't sell I bought. I made the reeds playable (a little bit better, I didn't testpley, I had to trust my eyes). After that I gave the reeds to the clarinet and sax teachers at public school. Young players are big consumers of reeds.

 

[teen37]

You can pro-long the life of a reed by learning how to work on reeds. You just need some basic tools to start with. I worked in a musicshop back in the late 70's/early 80's and the reeds we couldn't sell I bought. I made the reeds playable (a little bit better, I didn't testpley, I had to trust my eyes). After that I gave the reeds to the clarinet and sax teachers at public school. Young players are big consumers of reeds.

Yeah, I haven't really had to throw out any unplayable reeds so far, 🙏😂 ignorance is bliss in this instance, 🤔😂 perhaps blaming myself rather than the reed 🤷😂

 

[kamak]

My Legere that I spoke of has surprisingly been pretty good. I mostly use it now because it's a 2 and I use a 7 tip Bari Hyrbid on Alto. My other cane reeds for Alto are too stiff for me to use with that mouthpiece. But I ordered the well-known Meyer 5m copy on ebay to give that a try before going to one of the new Wabbitt Meyers. I love the Bari, but wish it was a 5 or 6 tip, it'd be perfect for me.

Personally, for synthetics, I much prefer Forestone than Legere. The Hinoki I have for tenor is excellent. It's my favorite reed of all that I've tried, cane or synthetic.

The Select Jazz I spoke of are cane, and also are very good.

What the other gentlemen spoke of regarding cane and synthetic is good advice. It's worth trying different things to see what works for you. There is no right answer.