Beginners should start on either 2 or 2.5 strength, as those will be easy to play and produce a good sound. A student should only move up to a higher strength reed if they're overblowing too easily, or that the reed isn't providing enough resistance. Professional musicians usually play anywhere between strengths 3 &5.
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.
I recommend beginners use size 2 reeds, Rico brand. This is a great beginner brand because the reeds are cheaper and easily replaced. Having a less think reed, like 2 or 2.5, is preferable because thicker reeds can be harder for someone who hasn't developed breath support yet.
For beginner students, buy 2.5 reed strengths. If they have played a little more than a year, buy strength number 3. Generally, by eighth grade (or playing 3 full years), they should play at least 3.5 strength or higher. Reed sizes go up to strength 5 and for many clarinetists 4.5 to 5 is too hard.
Popular makes of reed are Vandoren, Rico, Hemke & La Voz, and benefit by being more consistent than most,enabling the saxophonist to produce a clear sound. Certain sizes of reed suit certain sizes of mouthpiece.
Cane reeds start at around 1.5, and they go up in half sizes (2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and so on). As a beginner saxophone player, a size 1.5 reed is the right reed to start with. This is a nice soft reed, and it's the easiest reed for you to get a nice clear sound on your saxophone.
So yes, reeds are expensive to buy. But clearly, they're also very expensive to produce. The process takes years, AND it requires large amounts of land located in a very expensive part of the world. It's labor intensive and Employees in France actually cost a fortune.
Beginners should start on either 2 or 2.5 strength, as those will be easy to play and produce a good sound. A student should only move up to a higher strength reed if they're overblowing too easily, or that the reed isn't providing enough resistance. Professional musicians usually play anywhere between strengths 3 &5.
A reed that is too strong can feel resistant, stuffy, fuzzy in tone, or unfocused. It may simply not play!
For optimal performance, we recommend a stick around 3 mm thick. Thicker reeds absorb more oil and thus diffuse more scent into the air, but this also means your diffuser will consume more oil and therefore won't last as long.
The saxophone reed normally last for about a week but depending on the reed material it can last for months. Regular cane reeds get worn out a lot faster than a plastic reed. However, the lifespan of any reed also has to do with how you break in the reed and how careful you are handling the reed.
The best alto saxophone reeds for beginners are cane reeds with 1.5 strength for children and 2.0 strength for adults. This will give you a good start playing saxophone.
On the other hand, harder reeds require more effort from the player, needing more air to vibrate. Despite this, they project better, offer a fuller sound, and increase tone stability for upper-register notes. In many ways, hard reeds are a quick solution to tone issues caused by soft reeds.
Rotate Reeds
It's common to have anywhere between 3-10 reeds in rotation. Having reeds at different stages of their playing cycle helps bring consistency to your playing, and means you'll always be prepared for any situation.
Launched in 1993 to answer the demand of some American jazz musicians (a JAVA with even more wood). The V16 has a thicker tip than the traditional Vandoren reeds and a longer palette. Sound: more brilliant, more percussive, particularly well adapted to all the new styles of music.
While Vandoren Traditional and V12 reeds are designed for both classical and jazz playing, jazz and commercial saxophonists primarily use Vandoren V16, Java, Java Filed Red Cut and ZZ reeds.
Do you have some size 1.5 or maybe size 2 reeds ? Similar to 1 above, the mouthpiece itself can have the same effect. A large bore mouthpiece can also produce an airy or breathy sound.
More blend between the sections of the reed leads to more flexibility and response. This tends to be good for the lower register. Clipping the tip strengthens the reed, and focuses and raises the pitch. Scraping over the front of the heart on the sides into the tip increases vibration and warmness of the tone.
Woods used La Voz medium reeds until he switched to Vandoren V16s later in his career.
Tone Quality: Softer reeds produce brighter tones, while harder reeds yield darker tones. Resistance: Softer reeds offer less resistance, making it easier to play, while harder reeds provide more resistance, requiring stronger embouchure control.
Why are reeds so expensive? The price includes labor, time, and materials because reed-makers mostly make reeds by hand and pretty much start from the bamboo-stick stage.
As the largest of the saxophones, the baritone requires a huge volume of air in order to produce a note, and, therefore, is one of the more difficult horns to play. Consequently, it is often not recommended for beginner saxophone players, who are typically encouraged to begin with the alto or tenor as an alternative.
One of his Mark VI tenor saxophones is on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Musicians are willing to pay for a Selmer for a variety of reasons: the familiar sound, the history behind the brand, the craftsmanship and attention to detail, and the playability.
Because of the internal dimensions the Baritone Sax really does need a bucket load of air going through it. And most importantly (for tone quality) is that the air flow is supported fully. This will enable you to get the full rich tone of the lower notes, but also a quality tone at the top of the instrument.