Tech/maintenance Saxophone Mythbusters

[jonnie]

How do you tell the difference?

Second reply - first was possibly a mis-understanding.

You probably cannot tell the difference (imaginary vs real but player only - head resonance and so on) good point.

 

[Jeanette]

I am not alone there are players who will not touch a reed once in place and performing well.

My tutor reckons leaving it on gives it a better seal 🙂

Jx

 

[aldevis]

My imaginary friends can always tell the difference.

 

[aldevis]

My tutor reckons leaving it on gives it a better seal 🙂

Jx

No marine mammals jokes, please.
On the other hand removing the reed prolongs its life.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Yes I do.

I am not alone there are players who will not touch a reed once in place and performing well.

The only time I've ever left a reed on after a gig (accidentally) it destroyed a good proportion of the mouthpiece plating on the table.

 

[Targa]

No marine mammals jokes, please.

 

[ProfJames]

I knew you were waiting to pounce @Targa ! Couldn't help yourself could you?

 

[Jeanette]

No marine mammals jokes, please.
On the other hand removing the reed prolongs its life.

We have this though 🙂

Jx

 

[nigeld]

My tutor reckons leaving it on gives it a better seal 🙂

If the seal is improved by leaving the reed on, it's presumably because any holes are getting blocked up with gunk.

 

[ProfJames]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ateQQc-AgEM

 

[Jeanette]

If the seal is improved by leaving the reed on, it's presumably because any holes are getting blocked up with gunk.

Yep that's exactly what he said, well I think crud was the word used 🙂

Jx

 

[Nick Wyver]

I've taught plenty of kids who used to leave reeds on. Removing them in a lesson was often an interesting experience - if you're a mycologist, that is.

 

[jbtsax]

A reed that has been played for an extended period at one setting will sometimes exhibit a bit of swelling in the portion that covers the "window" of the mouthpiece due to the moisture it absorbs. If this reed is then moved back a bit on the table, it may not seal as well. A quick an easy solution to bring a reed in this condition back to playing its best is to take the "Reed Geek" and scrape the back of the reed a few times to make it flat again.

 

[Colin the Bear]

I use a swiss army knife

 

[Jeanette]

My tutor reckons leaving it on gives it a better seal 🙂

Jx

Honest @Colin the Bear that's what he said 🙂

I dont BTW well not unless I forget....

Jx

 

[richardr]

Yes I do.

I am not alone there are players who will not touch a reed once in place and performing well.

This makes sense to me because there are so any tiny variables such as the positions of the read and ligature, the pressure of the lig and so on that one can't necessarily repeat the same setup next time.

 

[Colin the Bear]

As every reed is slightly different, it needs setting slightly differently to get the best out of it. Setting a reed more towards the tip will make it feel harder and so further back will make it feel softer. Within a movement range of 2mm or so for alto. Moistening the back of the vamp will help it seal. Leveling the table and fine tuning the tip and rails will help also. I play for long periods, four hours or more when busking and the reed needs several adjustments over such a period as it changes, including a quick scrape and sometimes a clip. I can't imagine leaving it on over an extended period because it's playing right. They never play right imo. It's always the best of a bad job.

 

[Alc.]

Leaving a reed on after extended playing where the apparatus has become nice and juicy would sound like the beginning of a mushroom farm. Yuck. After even the shortest of practices my crook, mpc, reed and lig part company and are swabbed until dry, then left to the open air. The body of the smaller horns are given attention with the pad-saver and is likewise left to dry. Leaving the nasty thing to fester is...barbaric, lazy, inconsiderate, and, well, something I might have done when I was 15. At 15 I was barbaric, lazy, inconsiderate and couldn't be bothered with the mundane. My horn suffered and I still regret not giving it first priority. Sorry, must be my personal advanced stage of decomposition.

 

[Targa]

At 15 I was barbaric, lazy, inconsiderate and couldn't be bothered with the mundane. My horn suffered and I still regret not giving it first priority. Sorry, must be my personal advanced stage of decomposition.

Stick with your 15 year old self but clean the sax.

 

[Guenne]

This makes sense to me because there are so any tiny variables such as the positions of the read and ligature, the pressure of the lig and so on that one can't necessarily repeat the same setup next time.

What if somebody in the audience is leaving or appearing? How do we manage this dramatic change in acoustic?
Makes no sense IMHO to even think about "perfect" reed position or the like.
Listen and adjust your playing.

Cheers