[Mando]

I've read a lot about the short life of reeds for alto saxes. But just three weeks in, three dozen other things (all MY responsibility) might be spoiling my sound. How do you know when it's time to replace a reed? What should I be looking for, other than unwanted squeaking and sqwuaking showing up?, or difficulty playing low notes that I had no trouble playing 10 minutes earlier? The reeds appear to look as they did when they were new, and they are never allowed to completely dry out. Even if my reeds are fine now, what are the signs of them coming to the end of their lives?:dontknow:

 

[nathan61]

When practicing don't just play on one reed. Keep a rotation of 3 (or more) reeds. This will give you a basis for comparison among the reeds. Also try different strengths and brands of reeds. It is amazing how much difference a good reed makes. Beginners often squeeze the reed with their jaw, which makes the reed wear out very quickly. Don't be afraid to burn through a lot of reeds. It is worth the money if you can afford it.

 

[lesacks]

Yeah, when I started I kinda assumed that the first box or so where "sacrifice" reeds for learning.

 

[musekatcher]

Without actually measuring these numbers, I'll guess an alto reed takes several (couple hrs?) hours to break-in, and probably good for at least 20 continuous hrs, many times quite a bit longer. And that's blow time, not holding/reading time. Also, the loss in performance is not that drastic, and you can play them even longer, although you loose volume, add squeeks, register change issues, they overblow much more easily, etc. You have to be on guard of damaging one from chips and splits. Even more likely than that, is warping one by improper handling and drying after play, by leaving on the mouthpiece or other issues, like residue buildup on the table.

You can read and learn how to extend reed life. I don't look at it as extending life, as much as keeping the reed in top performing condition, like a vehicle, or a kitchen knife. Removal and proper storage is important. Rotating reeds is good, I only rotate two, and use my primary till its time to replace it with the backup. That's just me. And when its time, clipping the tip, and leveling the underside with a scraper or razor blade extend life. When I was gigging, and I'm not gentle on reeds, I really think the cycling was more influential, as if the wetting/drying cycle influenced reed life a lot more than blow time.

A new, broken in, adjusted* reed is a wonderful reward. And it always reminds me I'm stingy about hanging on to reeds too long.

 

[Sigmund451]

As a new player its my guess you are playing light reeds. You should be.
I am not altogether sure keeping light reeds wet all the time is the best plan.
Ive always had luck witha simple lavoz reed guard. Take 4 reeds, soak them, break them in over a few sessions and rotate them.

Right now, its likely you and not the reed. They get softer as you playnthem and you are probably biting...which is to be expected at ths juncture. The f you dont have a teacher find one.

 

[skeller047]

Just want to add my support for the good advice you've been given

1) Always have 3 or 4 reeds ready to go.
2) Never play a reed two days in a row. Actually, if you can play longer than an hour, switch reeds.

I recommend the D'Addario Reed Guard - https://www.daddario.com/products/w...ories/reed-care-and-storage/small-reed-guard/. Cheap and good.

Rotating reeds is a good habit to get into, as it will help clue you in to your sound - changing the reed every day (or hour) will help you focus on how to make a good sound, regardless of the specific reed. It will also keep you from developing bad habits due to compensating for too soft or hard (or bad) reed. Finally this will help you develop your sensitivity to how different reeds work, and as you progress on your journey, help you understand how to manage reeds better. Something we all need help with.

 

[JohnInDenver]

Years ago I asked my sax teacher how I would know when to throw a reed away. He said "when it stops working". At the time I thought he was being a wise-guy, but over the years I've come to believe he was right. You pretty much know when the reed has stopped working. For me, the reed starts to collapse when playing high notes. It has given up the fight, and can't provide the needed resistance. I don't get squeaks from a worn reed unless it is chipped or split.

 

[Mando]

Many, many thanks for all this info and advice. I need it and I'll take it! I have been rotating between 2 reeds; this morning, I started a third reed into the rotation. Of course, NOW the question is whether the newest reed is answering my questions about the others, or only being a Bad Boy who needs to be broken in. Like all things, time will tell, I guess. I'm playing a number 3, as a partial box of them came with the used Yamaha alto 23 I bought (on the advice of this forum -- thank you very much!) I think I'm treating them very well -- I rinse the reed under the tap after playing, then dry it gently with a soft cloth, before putting it back in the plastic case it came in, so it can await its turn in the rotation. After years of taking a mandolin or fiddle off the wall and playing in seconds, I'm amazed at how long it takes me to set up the sax for playing, and then to diligently decommission it to be ready for the next session! But I'm pretty good at following instructions, esp when I know so little. So thanks again for the advice. P.S. It took me a long time to understand when my fiddle bow needed rosin. Years down the road, it is obvious!

 

[JohnInDenver]

If you are rotating 2 or 3 alto reeds of #3 hardness, I'm thinking you should be good for quite a while. Those #3's probably take a while to break in.

 

[lydian]

Get a reed guard like Skeller said and mark each with a pencil. That's much easier to manage than using the original holders. Use numbers, symbols, whatever. Personally, I put a star on my favorite and try to numerically rank the others, so my best reed gets played on the gig.

A worn out reed is dull, dead, closes up when you blow hard. Like an old spring, a dead reed has lost its elasticity and simply won't play. It's quite obvious when it happens. You probably recognize something similar when your violin strings need replacing. I usually get a couple of months of out of a reed, playing an average of 5 hours/week. If you haven't been playing that long, you may not have worn one out yet.

As for the Bad Boy, quite a few reeds simply don't work very well out of the box and never will. They'll sound too thin, too dull, be too hard or too soft. I typically get about 3 really good reeds out of 10. Another 3-4 ok reeds, and a couple that go right in the garbage (or under the knife if you're so inclined). An extended break in period usually doesn't make much difference. If I can't get what I want out of a reed in the first 10 seconds or so of playing, I move on.

A number 3 is a lot harder than I would start out a beginner on. My beginning students wouldn't be able to get a sound out of a 3 without biting like mad or blowing way too hard, which hurts the tone and intonation and establishes bad habits right off the bat. A 1-1/2 to 2 is typical for an absolute beginner. Then move up to 2-1/2 in a couple of months after you've developed some strength in your embouchure and air support. As you learn more control and blow with more air pressure, you'll find the 2-1/2 is too soft and should move to a 3 at that point, at least on a relatively closed beginner mouthpiece. Once you have good air support, strong embouchure and a good tone, you'll naturally find the best reed hardness for your playing style and mouthpiece. That may end up being anything from a 2 to a 5.

Lastly, as a beginner, you're not going to have the skills or experience to judge reeds very well. So just do your best with all of them. Every attempt to tame a difficult reed will build your skills and embouchure. You'll eventually learn what feels right and most comfortable for you. There's really no magic formula anybody can tell you.

 

[DonaldL]

I'm going to also recommend you switch to softer reeds. When I restarted playing after 15 years of not touching the horn, I started on 1 1/2s. 10 years later I'm on 2 1/2s. I can't play 3's and don't want to.

I change reeds when they start sounding dull. My tone loses complexity. Another good reason to have a couple in rotation because then you can feel and hear the difference.

 

[JL]

...they are never allowed to completely dry out.

Why not? I know some players prefer to keep their reeds damp, but that's never worked well for me. And there's certainly nothing wrong with letting a reed dry completely while in a reed guard like the D'Addario that skeller mentioned. Also, a #3 reed on alto is a relatively hard reed; I think you'd be better off with a 2 or 2.5 at most. If you start out using hard reeds, you'll almost certainly develop a tendency to bite too hard, not to mention work too hard at getting a decent tone.

+1 to rotating reeds, as others have pointed out. You'll eventually figure out when a reed has worn out.

 

[Guto]

+1 on reed strength. #3 sounds hard for a beginner unless your mouthpiece is closer tip than the usual Yamaha 4C's. If the 4C what you have I'd go down to 2.5's.
I recommend you rotate amongst even more reeds. 4 is the perfect count if you are using reed holder like D'Addario's.
It's also good practice to sand the flat part of reeds down on a high grit (1000 or more) sandpaper right out fo the box to ensure they are really flat, then do it again a few weeks into breaking them in. That can make an incredible difference in how well they play.

 

[Mando]

Thanks again, folks. I’ll see about trying a 2 or 2 1/2 reed. But in my blissful ignorance, I’ve been happy as a pig in poop with the sound I’ve been coaxing out of the #3s. The mouthpiece is a 4C. One day, I hope I’ll look back on my post and wonder why I thought I needed to ask!

 

[soybean]

Beginners should
Start on a 1.5 reed.

 

[lesacks]

Thanks again, folks. I';ll see about trying a 2 or 2 1/2 reed. But in my blissful ignorance, I';ve been happy as a pig in poop with the sound I';ve been coaxing out of the #3s. The mouthpiece is a 4C. One day, I hope I';ll look back on my post and wonder why I thought I needed to ask!

As a small observation. It's taken me really quite a while to learn to spot the difference between reeds in a box other then "total dud"... Which, for me, is very rare.
You will see lots of discussion about good/bad reeds etc. but, IMHO, an experienced player can become sensitive to differences that are drowned out by other challenges facing a beginner like; consistent air flow, embouchure etc.
I ended up staying at medium, around 2 1/2 and just buy different makes or cuts, when I need a refill, as part of the leaning experience. Others will, of course, be more sensitive and look for better strengths and makes.

 

[JohnMarkPainter]

I recommend getting a good method for flattening the backs of the reeds.
It can make a drastic difference
Reed geek is expensive but it works.
Even if you just use it for the flattening

 

[JohnMarkPainter]

One more thing to consider...
Get a decent synthetic and learn to play.
It takes a long time to know when the problem is YOU or when it is the gear.

 

[lydian]

One more thing to consider...
Get a decent synthetic and learn to play.
It takes a long time to know when the problem is YOU or when it is the gear.

Synthetics wear out too. How's a true beginner to know when a synthetic is toast? What if he buys a VENN which is toast out of the box? Looks like we're back where we started.

 

[bartone]

I've only gotten back to my tenor after a ten year break (maybe two months ago). After trying to sort through new (old) reeds, I've decided to go with fibre reeds for the moment. I can leave 'em on the horn and pick it up and play it anytime, it's consistent, and if there's an issue with it, it's probably me. I think that mechanical absolute consistency might be just what you need at the moment. Bamboo reeds are still better (IMHO), but for ease of playing, quick response, I recommend you pick one up. There's two good choices (maybe more) at the moment: Venn; Legere. I've been blowing the Legere for two weeks, it's always ready and flat (not curly). When you get past the moment you might choose to go back to bamboo, but for now, just have fun. It removes all the guesswork and such - just pick it up and play. And hey, you might decide to stick with Fibercell or such forever.