Reeds

[Ricky Trigg]

Are you supposed to remove the reed from the mouthpiece after playing, because I dont usually bother. Also, how do you attain the right amount of moisture in the reed without putting it in your mouth, because I've found that it turns a bit smelly after a while!

[Sid]

Take the reed off, dry it flat. You have to put it into your mouth to play it... or at least I hope thats where you're putting it!

[RickBusarow]

Ricky, when you leave the reed on your mouthpiece, you leave saliva (and all the particles of food in your saliva) and condensation on the underside of the reed and inside your mouthpiece. That smell is mold.

Buy new (non-moldy) reeds. If you can spare the money, buy a reed case like a LaVoz or one of the blue Vandoren cases which holds for reeds. Every single time you're done playing, take the reed off the mouthpiece and put it either in one of these cases, or the little clear plastic case it comes in. It also doesn't hurt to get excess saliva off of the reed, either by sticking it in your mouth and using your lips like squeegees, or by wiping it off with your fingers. At all times, be careful to avoid damaging the tip.

As for your mouthpiece, you should wash it regularly using warm (not hot!!!) soapy water and a soft towel or paper towel. Just like with your reed, be very careful not to damage the tip.

Before putting your reed back on to play, stick it in your mouth and wet both ends. The portion which mates to the table of the mouthpiece - the part underneath the ligature - should also be wet, so that the reed seals properly to the mouthpiece.

[John Kasaian]

I remove the reed after each session, wash both the reed and mouthpiece in running water, gently towel dry and let them air out before putting them back in the case. The reed always goes in a guard or case of some kind (I have a LaVoz IV)to keep it flat, its never left on the mpc. Before playing I lick the reed a few times. I learned this routine from my Dad who played in a few bands in the 30's and 40's. There are probably other routines, but this happens to work for me---and my reeds/mouthpiece/case never smell!

[fballatore]

:sign5:

[mpsax]

Leaving the reed on the mouthpiece after playing it also can warp it. Several times where i have left the reed on for even just a few hours, when i come back to it the tip is out of shape... is this something to do with it being wet? or just not in a case?

[TSpyrison]

As for your mouthpiece, you should wash it regularly using warm (not hot!!!) soapy water and a soft towel or paper towel. Just like with your reed, be very careful not to damage the tip.

Drudging up an old thread..

What bad thing will hot water do to the mouthpiece?

[JusJop]

If the water is too hot, your mouthpiece can melt! I've heard stories of people boiling their mouthpieces to clean them. Sounds like a good idea, until their mouthpiece is turned into a liquid!

[saxymanzach]

From the makers of Superial reeds:

Q: What is the best way to store my wet, played reeds?
A: There are several schools of thought on this subject but the end, whatever works best for you is what you should use. Some players take the reed off the mouthpiece after every playing session, put it in a reed guard and wipe then mouthpiece clean. From our experience some "reed guard" type of holders may exert a kind of unnatural pressure over the natural tendencies of the reed. Forcing the tip flat when it dries may make it look good, but we feel it might take out some of the natural resilience and "life" of the reed if the tip is clamped down too tightly. However if your holder works well for you, fine...

One observation we've made is that keeping the reeds always a little moist and ligged on the mouthpiece may work well. Using a Ziplock bag with a little water in the bottom of it and putting the reed either ligatured on the mouthpiece, or just single reeds in seems to work well for some. While the drawbacks of this method could be mold and a bit of sogginess, there are some players who like the way the reeds feel when stored this way. We don't claim that everyone will prefer doing this, but the reason it seems to work well is that both the reed tip and table never completely dry out. So there are no "bacon tip" or warped reed table problems, both real hindrances to good response and for some that may outweigh any mold problems. If the reed table does not mate well with the mouthpiece table because of warping, or if the tip is not flat, your setup can feel quite sluggish. However, this "always moist" concept is not necessarily recommended for metal mouthpieces whose table plating has worn off. While we can't guarantee that all of you will like this method, you might try experimenting with it as we know several pro players who use it with positive results.