Sounds as though you've figured out the answer for yourself (which is really the way the process has to work). If it feels dead and it sounds dead, it IS dead.

Reed life expectancy depends greatly on how long and how hard you play, but a very soft reed like a Rico 1.5 will tend to go pretty quickly. It doesn't have any room to soften further, unlike a harder reed. The floor is simple unplayability.

 

(...) If it feels dead and it sounds dead, it IS dead. (...)

Yes, like the proverbial parrot... But sometimes it may just be pining for the fjords!

 

cool, thanks. Was a frustrating lesson, but one learnt. I assume a harder reed has a longer life expectancy then?

 

Harder reeds tend to have a longer playable life expectancy. That is, assuming they don't crack or chip, they will get softer without becoming completely dead. However, that may not make any difference if the player insists on the original strength. The point is just that if a 3.5 dropped down to about a 2.0 after much hard use, it would still be playable by someone even if the guy who bought it and wore it out had no further use for it. But if a 1.5 lost the same amount of strength (roughly speaking; who knows if these measures are actually linear?), it would have nothing left. Dead.

 

gotcha, thanks. I think my blowing is still on the, erm, unsubtle side, I need to develop some sensitivity to the tools I am using.

 

You might want to try some #2 reeds.

After that, you are clipping the tip to make the old one stiffer again.
They make trimmers for that. And then you need to be able to scrape to soften.
Tools for that too, or just use a pocketknife.

Some folks like being able to fine tune the reeds. I do.

Or you can just toss the old ones and spend your time playing of course.

dsm

 

I tried soaking an old reed in H202 until it stopped fizzing then clipped the end but alas, it was still dead.

 

teehee, I always like to leave room for a python quote.

 

" ... i'm not dead yet!..."

 

FWIW - it's taken me about a box and half of reeds to get to the stage where each plays about the same each time I use it... ie all the other things are getting more stable; and I'm only just getting a hint as to what "plays well" means.

 

Yep, reeds die. And sometimes they come back to life! Reeds can be really unpredictable. Things like changes in temperature and humidity can have a big impact on how they perform. But if you've been playing a reed for a while, and it has sounded good, and suddenly just has no life in it, it's probably worn out.

 

Using Reed Guards or a similar holder allows the tip of the reed to stay flat as it drys. This can help add to the life of a reed. There are cases where the player is using too much pressure from the jaw and the reed begins to bend up towards the tip and stay there. The result is that the reed becomes unresponsive. To diagnose this, take a business card and insert it between the reed and mouthpiece and leave it there for about 30 seconds. Then play the reed again. If it has come back to life you know you have been putting too much pressure on the reed. Another way to diagnose "biting" is to check the pitch of the mouthpiece and neck apart from the saxophone.

Also, the fibers of a reed after extensive playing can swell in the area of the window of the mouthpiece so that the reed no longer lays flat on the mouthpiece table. Scraping with a "Reed Geek" or a single edge razor blade a few times from the back to the tip on the underside of a reed will often bring a stuffy playing reed back to life. On the other hand, if you see buzzards circling in the air above your case, it is a pretty good sign your reed is dead and needs to be replaced.

 

The only way to tell if a reed is dead or not is to take the butt firmly in your left hand, grip the shaved section between index finger and thumb of your right hand — reverse this procedure if you're left-handed — and snap it smartly at right angles. If the reed breaks cleanly into two pieces it is dead. If it doesn't break cleanly, it was still good. Too bad.

 

The only way to tell if a reed is dead or not is to take the butt firmly in your left hand, grip the shaved section between index finger and thumb of your right hand - reverse this procedure if you're left-handed - and snap it smartly at right angles. If the reed breaks cleanly into two pieces it is dead. If it doesn't break cleanly, it was still good. Too bad.

I may try this method in shops, I'm sure they'll be OK with it.

 

I am not sure if my method for testing read is correct. The moment the sound I produce on the same set up becomes dull or not the same when I first use the read, I assume that it is already worn out.

 

I think that's how most of us look at it: when it sounds dead, it is dead. I think it's important to try repositioning the reed a couple of times. Sometimes just a little difference in placement can make a big difference in sound. Also, it's sometimes worth it to retry a "dead" reed a couple days later. Sometimes changes in humidity or temperature can have a big impact on a given day. But all that said, yes, it's all about the sound I'm producing, and if the reed isn't giving me what I want, it's dead to me.

 

Alive/dead is too crude a measure. It's a continuum. That's why I've created my new, patented Reed Coroner. Simply put the reed in and it will tell you if it's alive, dead, moribund, comatose, only playing dead (so to speak), or is a candidate for a fiber transplant. Only $59.95. I accept PayPal.

 

Great question and only you will know... I agree that reeds are similar women. One day they are super sexy mouth watering hot and other days they are dragons. Save-clip-try again-pray-and have fun...

 

So after I give my reeds last rights. I go buy that rabbit brand? ....”takes a blowing and keeps on going”. Synthetic??
like pads,reeds are a natural product. It’s been my experience anything natural has character to any given environment. Myself included lol. I like things with character....let the buzzards fly ! I’ll give the pile CPR when needed.

 

A reed is dead when 1. it doesn't respond correctly. It's completely a feel thing. There is a huge difference between a reed that doesn't want to play today and a reed that is dead, but I am having trouble putting that in words.

So...if it feels dead, it is dead. Sorry, this post was useless.

 

There is a huge difference between a reed that doesn't want to play today and a reed that is dead, but I am having trouble putting that in words.

So...if it feels dead, it is dead. Sorry, this post was useless.

Well actually I think you make a good point. We only care about the reeds that feel/sound good to play. The lousy ones are as good as dead to start with (unless you can work on it to salvage it).
I have had the experience of putting away a reed that was playing great when I stopped, and the next time it just sucked and seemed dead. Like, what happened? I've tried a lot of the techniques I've read about here for making reeds last longer--that is, not becoming dead--but with mixed results. Like spraying them with hydrogen peroxide (to kill germs or enzymes or whatever that supposedly eats away at them while you aren't playing them), rinsing with water, etc. So a related question is what can you do to not kill them? Lately I've been playing some old green stamp LaVoz I picked up and they play really well--but don't last long. Have not had much success in figuring out if I am killing them or not.
When you have a really great reed with a lot of vibrancy, and then it goes, then I think you're never going to be happy playing it anymore. So you're right, when the feel goes, it's all over . . .

 

For me it is when the upper register starts to become thin sounding, especially the altissimo range.

 

+1. That's where I first notice it starting to die. What I find is that most reeds take a short 'break-in' period (and some play great right away), then reach a point of peak performance that can last for some time, depending on how much and how hard you play. I tend to measure that in terms of number of gigs. I generally get 4 or 5 gigs out of one reed before it is no longer 'good enough' for a gig. By that I mean it still plays easily but can't be pushed hard without feeling mushy and, as already mentioned, the high register gets too thin. The gigs tend to be 3 to 4 hours, so that means the reed lasts an average of maybe 15-20 hours hard playing.

After that the reed may still be good for a couple of practice sessions. Once I can't stand to practice on it anymore, it's well & truly dead and goes in the trash can.

 

Great feedback guys as I’m really inexperienced. Although I can tell you one thing on storage or sanitizing. Don’t soak reeds in anything like Listerine. Tried that, you don’t wanna know what I mint flavored reed is like. And storing them in a container on a damp paper towel made a nice Petri dish sample.

 

H2O2 can extend the life a bit.

I let em soak in it, until the fizzing stops, then rinse well in plain HOH, then soak in HOH to get the peroxide out. There is still a bit of residual taste at first. Ick.

Or just get some Legeres. Seriously.

dsm

 

H2O2 can extend the life a bit.

I let em soak in it, until the fizzing stops, then rinse well in plain HOH, then soak in HOH to get the peroxide out. There is still a bit of residual taste at first. Ick.

Or just get some Legeres. Seriously.

dsm

I've done that.
Sure cleans out the crud and gets rid of fungus.
Never found much playing difference, probably because the fiber in the reed are weakened from flexing.

 

Ok that's worth a try. Will test on reed that's had some use.
Now just humor me a bit....I'm always looking for a good video and this just popped up on this very subject. Reed life

 

....I'm always looking for a good video and this just popped up on this very subject. Reed life

She mostly talks about visual cues that a reed is dead or dying. And there is some truth to that, but mostly you can tell by how the reed plays, not how it looks. This really is one of those questions that will answer itself over time as you gain some experience. Just like a lot of things, experience is the answer.

 

I could well be tempted to try a legere, however as I'm still at the beginning of my reed playing journey, I'm still on baby reeds. When I'm grown up enough to use big boy reeds, I'll investigate a legere, but the cost is quite a lot for something that I won't be using for long.

 

With dead reeds, I find it's a lack of strength often: cannot be pushed without failure (squeak or squawk, tuning failure) and/or upper range won't speak correctly.

In my mind, it's like the strength diminishes over time, and follow that logic, a harder reed can last longer than a softer one. I definitely find that I blow through softer reeds and an accelerated rate. I'd use a softer reed if I needed a new reed to be ready NOW as opposed to a bit later e.g. new reed on gig. It wouldn't be as good as a worked-in reed, but it would do. however, it would die sooner. As in my embouchure is "too strong" and "wears out weaker reeds" faster.

To prolong reed life, I rotate reeds and never throw them away. I have boxes of "dead" reeds (as long as they're not discolored). They're good fodder for reed adjustment practice.

(all comments are my opinion and perception and may or may not have any basis in reality)

 

The key to long reed life revealed....

 

JL
Very true! I will openly admit I’m not even close to having adequate experience on this subject. Learning is a great thing.knowledge is the key ingredient to experience. If you don’t know what you’re looking for you will never notice the difference until you’ve made your mistakes over and over. It was my wife who first mentioned my playing was awful one day. I was fighting the horn terribly. Even the dog left the room. And she loves the music so much she lays right in front of my daughters bass drum when we’re playing. That’s when I realized was playing on the same reed over a week! And had essentially removed it from the mouthpiece and set it on the counter each night on a napkin. I’m not that fussy about things, I just enjoy playing. I would categorize myself as the guy who just shuts up and plays with whatever I’m handed. I’m learning a lot from this group. Thank you!
Expert in the making...many mistakes to go🤪

 

A dead reed won't coast. It won't roll. It won't taper off. You put some air over it and it stops abruptly as the strength of the air column diminishes. Also, I agree with Mike S. The upper register tends to die first.

I smash the front of dead reeds to keep from trying to use them again.

 

... I smash the front of dead reeds to keep from trying to use them again.

That's funny and a great idea. I always end up with a cloud of reeds on my shelf thinking maybe they'll be better next time I try them. For while I kept boxes of them thinking how great they'd be for glue spreaders or something. Smash and chuck sounds like a better idea.