What strength reed should I get?

Most teachers recommend that a first-year musician use a 2 or 2.5 (soft or medium soft) reed. Anything stiffer may make it difficult to produce a sound while anything more flexible may produce a weak sound. Your teacher should let you know when it is time to switch to a different strength reed.

Should I go up a reed strength?

Just like with the treadmill, after a certain point, higher is not always better. When you move up a strength, allow some time to adjust your air and embouchure to the increased resistance. However, if you find the new strength still feels too hard after a week or two, there’s no shame in moving back down.

Do harder reeds sound better?

Harder reeds allow for a louder, heavier, darker, or fuller sound, but they require strong support and a developed embouchure (mouth muscles). If it’s too soft, the sound may get very thin or buzzy. Soft reeds may be more difficult to play in tune.

How do I know my reed strength?

Just as with the strength, reed thickness is expressed as a number. The lower the number, the thinner the reed, and the higher the number, the thicker the reed. Reeds typically range from 2 to 4. The tone and responsiveness of an instrument will depend on the thickness of the reed.

Are thicker reeds better?

The thickness of the reed will affect the tone and how easy or difficult the instrument is to play. Thinner reeds vibrate more easily, so they are good for beginners. Players of popular music or jazz often prefer this brighter tone and thus use thinner reeds.

What reed should a beginner sax player use?

The best reed for beginner saxophone is a size 2 or size 2.5 reed. Most beginners start with Rico, Rico Royal, or Vandoren Brand Saxophone Reeds.

When should I change my saxophone reed?

Expect a reed to last for around a week to two weeks. When you change from a reed you’ve been using for some time to a new reed, the sound of your instrument will change with it.

What is the strongest reed strength?

Some manufacturers label strength with words instead, rating it “soft,” “medium” or “hard.” The standard scale for saxophone reed strength runs from 1 through 5, with 1 being the softest and 5 being the hardest reed. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with a softer reed, usually about a 2.

What number reed should I use?

The normal range for reeds is 2 to 5: the lower the number, the thinner the reed, and the higher the number, the thicker the reed. The thickness of the reed will affect the tone and how easy or difficult the instrument is to play. In general, a thinner reed, say 2 or 2.5, will have a brighter tone.

How can you tell if a reed is good?

How do you know a good reed? It will play and respond with little effort but still provide enough resistance to push it and get a lot of body in the sound. A bad reed will feel dead and play with a lot of difficulty. Keep in mind right out of the box it may simply be a bit too hard, requiring some break-in time.

When should I move up a reed size?

Recognize the signs. Move up if it’s hard to get a warm sound on the high notes or the pitch is flat. Move down if the sound is stuffy and articulation isn’t clean. Reed strength needs to match the mouthpiece you’re playing on.

What is the highest note on an alto sax?

On the regular range of the saxophone, the high F or F# is the highest depending on which type of horn you have. There is an extended range called the altissimo range which extends beyond high F, and if your horn does not include the high F# key, the F# is considered part of the altissimo range.

What is the size of an alto sax reed?

The alto is close to 25 inches long, and the tenor is roughly 28 inches long. The bell on an alto is about 4 inches in diameter, and a tenor’s bell is about 5 inches across. Reed sizes vary as well; an alto sax reed is about 2.75 inches by 0.625 inches, while a tenor sax reed is about 3.2 inches by 0.68 inches.

What is Reed strength?

Reed strength is generally the same for all reeds–the higher the strength of reed, the thicker the reed is and therefore, the more resistant it is to play. In other words, this means you will need to blow harder through the instrument to create a sound. Strengths range from soft to hard, or in numbers from 1.5 all the way up to a 4 or 5.

What is a sax reed?

Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone. The saxophone (also referred to as the sax) is a family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet.