Does the reed go up or down on a saxophone?

Just about any saxophone teacher, book, or website will tell you that when fastening your reed to the mouthpiece, the best way to do it is to position the tip of the reed so that it’s lined up as perfectly as possible with the tip of the mouthpiece.

How do you keep a saxophone reed wet?

Fill a plastic jar with warm water and soak the reeds in the jar for 2 hours. Put the reeds back in their plastic covers. Dump the water out of the jar, but leave just a little bit at the bottom to keep in some moisture. Put the reed covers (with the reeds inside them) in the of the plastic jar and seal the jar.

How tight should a saxophone ligature be?

Tight enough to stop it wandering, but not so tight it stops the reed vibrating. If you have the ligature in a frontal position towards the tip of the mouthpiece and tighten it too much it can strangle the reed and kill the tone. It’s important that the reed stays where you put it.

When should I increase reed strength?

Therefore, try to choose a strength that feels slightly hard when you start playing on a new reed, so it will feel just right as you break it in. When you’ve played on your reed for too long and it starts to feel too soft, it’s time to start a new one!

How do you disinfect sax reeds?

To disinfect your saxophone reed, soak it in 3\% strength hydrogen peroxide solution for about ½ an hour. Then use a sterile sponge to dry off the reed, and it is safe to put in your mouth again.

What is the best Reed placement for tonguing?

Perfect reed placement is at the dead center with the very tip of the mouthpiece showing above the reed. With perfect reed placement, you should get a full, easy sound that comes with a nice and clean tonguing. If you get a razor-thin black line, that will give you the best sound no matter what reed you have on.

How do you position your Reed ligature?

Ligature position (placement) is pretty important for proper reed placement. You want to have your ligature sitting on the fattest barrel part of the mouthpiece. If the ligature has a line on it, you want to have the ligature below the line. If you position the ligature too far out, the reed doesn’t vibrate enough.

Why does my saxophone reed sound so bad?

A reed could sound bad just because it is a bad reed whether or not you place it properly. It could just be that your problem is not bad placement, it is a bad reed. Because once you wet cane reeds you never let them dry, in how to store saxophone reeds, I showed you how to store your cane reeds to make sure that they never warped or damaged.

Why does my Reed go above the tip of the mouthpiece?

If your reed goes above the tip of the mouthpiece, when you tongue the reed, it does not close properly up against the tip. That causes the air not to go into the mouthpiece correctly and catch it at the right time.