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Is it time to move to a harder reed

zannie

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Hello cafe dwellers

So I’ve been playing again for about 4 weeks after 16 years, am on rico royal 2s, playing mainly classical stuff, grade 5-6. My reeds are starting to feel softer - what are the signs I should look for as to whether it’s time to go up to a 2.5?
 
Assuming you're mouthpiece is fairly closed, pretty soon. Just watch you don't lose the low notes, or over tire your embouchure.
 
Hello cafe dwellers

So I’ve been playing again for about 4 weeks after 16 years, am on rico royal 2s, playing mainly classical stuff, grade 5-6. My reeds are starting to feel softer - what are the signs I should look for as to whether it’s time to go up to a 2.5?

Try! Chances are you need that now otherwise very soon. 2s are very soft!
 
When your reeds are starting to feel softer. ;)
 
Just considering strength? There's cut, material and brand to consider. For alto I'm carrying at the moment 3 different makes in two different cuts and three different strengths.
 
A more serious answer is when you want your higher tones to sound less "reedy". A more resistant reed will help facilitate a more "flute like" tone (for lack of a better word). Think Paul Desmond even if you are playing classical music. The trade off of course is that a firmer reed makes the lowest notes less responsive. The challenge is to find a reed that plays well at both ends of the register.
 
Interesting thread. As an absolute beginner (6 weeks) I am still using the 1.5 Juno reeds my teacher recommended. What are the pros and cons of using 2 / 2.5 / 3 etc?
 
Interesting thread. As an absolute beginner (6 weeks) I am still using the 1.5 Juno reeds my teacher recommended. What are the pros and cons of using 2 / 2.5 / 3 etc?

It may give a better tone (but not necessarily).
In general, a harder reed will make the high notes better and the low notes more difficult.
It allows you to play louder without the reed closing up, but it may make it harder to play soft if your embouchure isn't developed enough.

As your embouchure develops, you will quite likely want to change to a harder reed than 1.5, so it might be worth getting a couple of strength 2 reeds and giving them a try. If they feel better then that's good. If they don't, then leave them in the drawer for a while longer. But ask your teacher.

And in general, if you have a wider mouthpiece tip opening then you will use a softer reed.
So if you change to a mouthpiece with a wider tip opening then you will probably want to go down in reed strength. But that's in the future.

There is a macho thing in the saxophone world about being able to play on very wide mouthpieces and very hard reeds. Personally I go for the ones that feel comfortable. But I use harder reeds today than I did when I started 4 years ago. And the mouthpiece and reeds I use in the big band are more shouty than the ones I use in a quartet.
 
My setup was a Selmer MK VI, a Dukoff D-6 and Rico #5. After a few sets, there was no problem producing a low concert Bflat softly.
 
My setup was a Selmer MK VI, a Dukoff D-6 and Rico #5. After a few sets, there was no problem producing a low concert Bflat softly.

Seriously? Was your nickname Mike El Bird Parker or Mike El Deasmond? o_O

Sorry, but that's not remotely related to the OP's situation, is it?

I played 6 years and I can't play Vandoren blue 3,5 on tenor or 3.0 on alto with classical mouthpieces.

I play golf and although I played 3 over par on 18 holes once on a very good day after a great healthy vacation, I am not contemplating hitting a drive like Tiger Woods anytime soon. :rolleyes:
 
Nigeld and jbtsax are spot on with their comments. The reed is the facilitator in making tone/sound and not a measure of how advanced you are as a player. Harder reed does not necessarily = better player or more experienced. The reed simply has to work for producing the type of tone you're after over the range of the horn that you wish to play. Type of mouthpiece (especially tip opening) will cause variation, and the hardness of various brands are not universal. Be sensitive and aware of how you play which includes stamina. If biting hard or tiring easily it's likely that you need to drop back and work with a softer reed. Avoid the macho attitude of harder reed quest.
 
Seriously? Was your nickname Mike El Bird Parker or Mike El Deasmond? o_O

Sorry, but that's not remotely related to the OP's situation, is it?

I played 6 years and I can't play Vandoren blue 3,5 on tenor or 3.0 on alto with classical mouthpieces.

I think the point here is that although many people struggle to play low notes on hard reeds, it's not universal. My tutor is the same - plays 5s on a very wide berg.

So, for the op, don't treat rules as more than guidelines/majority experiences.
 
Now on a more serious note, I'm curious to understand how this works.

Is it different positions of the mouthpiece to let a much harder reed vibrate?

There must be a difference in technique that allows it to work for some while it's just not even remotely possible for others.

Any clues?

That could be very helpful. Not that I desire using harder reeds. I couldn't care less what strength I use. All I want is to find reeds that allows me to play the sound I'm after.
 
Now on a more serious note, I'm curious to understand how this works.

Is it different positions of the mouthpiece to let a much harder reed vibrate?

There must be a difference in technique that allows it to work for some while it's just not even remotely possible for others.

Any clues?

That could be very helpful. Not that I desire using harder reeds. I couldn't care less what strength I use. All I want is to find reeds that allows me to play the sound I'm after.

Good question! Very generally the smaller the tip opening the stiffer reed you'll need. If (for instance) you are playing a tenor and the mouthpiece you are using has a 80 tip opening you may be using a 3.5 reed and find it easy to play. If you then got a 110 tip mouthpiece you would find it much more difficult with the same reed and may need to drop down to a 2 or 2.5 to get the equivalent ease of play. Without knowing what someone's tonal ideal is (mine has changed several times), it's difficult to say whether a more closed or open tip is desirable, and the mouthpiece's baffle, chamber configuration, etc. It is fair to say that the more open tip (generally) can make some types of playing easier if using a reed that's not too hard/stiff. Low notes, bend, slides, and playing PPP would be easier. If trying to play loudly or aggressively and lots of high notes then the stiffer reed (generally/potentially) gives more volume and "bark". The refinements of tone (what you wish to sound like) does not have specific prescriptions (other than those generalizations above). We are all built differently and (believe it or not) your body is very much a part of what makes tone. Oral cavity, throat, tongue, all contribute to tone as well as breath control and interventions like growl and vibrato. If you have a specific tone in mind you will find that with practice and experimentation your body will develop a feedback the increases your ability to repeat the sound you like and refine it over time. If you don't have a clear picture of the tone you're after, then it's difficult.
 
Some people have a powerful embouchure. Playing a hard reed on a wide tip opening needs a powerful embouchure.

The facing curve also has a bearing on reed strength. Some wide tip openings have a long facing curve. For example Selmer mouthpieces have a longer facing on wider tip openings. So while a C* may suit a 2.5 or 3 a G or H may need a 4.

The only reason to change anything is because it sounds better. Playing with a NO band I go up half a strength. Outside too. For recording and close mic work I've taken to using an old reed that has some subtlety and colour.
 
We notice active (and [italics]) reactive forces at play on this thread, with cynicism to boot, OP's question about signs asks us all to (feel [italics]) the physics of OP's body along with him or her, and goes beyond the question of reed-mouthpiece physics due to the lapsus (4 weeks vs 16 years). There is also a problem of non-verbal signs (as if we were there), which could also yield some clues.
 

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