One of the difficult things to work out as a single reed player is what strength reed you should buy. If you’re a beginner, you might not know where to start and it can really affect your playing if you end up with a reed that’s completely the wrong strength. There isn’t one right answer for everyone, but I’ll talk about the sort of thing you should pay attention to when choosing a reed and some of the best ways to go about it.
As you progress on your instrument, you’ll almost certainly move up to harder reeds, and stop when you feel comfortable. Beginners will usually start on strength 1.5 or 2. Different styles of playing (e.g. classical or jazz) often suit different reed strengths so there will be some trial and error.
Buying reeds can be a really confusing experience, particularly as a beginner. You turn up at a music shop and ask to buy some sax (or clarinet) reeds and you get asked which ones you want. You then get presented with a huge selection of reeds, all with different names and strengths, but none really explaining exactly who they’re designed for. My article, https://woodwindgeek.com/which-reeds-should-i-try-for-different-playing-styles/ goes through what different models of reed are designed for.
This post talks more generally about reed strength and where to start when trying to decide. As there isn’t one strength of reed that’s the right one at any level, what I say here isn’t necessarily going to work for you. It’s just some general points to consider when you’re deciding what strength you should try out. Things to consider are:
- How long have you been playing a single reed instrument?
- Have you played a wind instrument before?
- What mouthpiece do you have?
- What playing style is the reed intended for?
I’ll go through all of these points and talk a bit about how they affect what your choice of reed strength should be.
How long have you been playing a single reed instrument?
If you’re just taking up a single reed instrument, it’s important to make sure the reed you pick isn’t too hard for you. If it is, you’ll find it really difficult to get a sound and it can be very discouraging. There’s plenty of time to move up to harder reeds as you progress so don’t feel pressured to get the hardest one you can force a note out on. You’ll progress more quickly if the reed is comfortable for you.
When you’re just starting, it’s likely that you’ll be playing either a strength 1.5 or 2. A child will likely need a strength 1.5, because they might be less able to push a lot of air through the instrument than an adult beginner. These numbers should be taken as a guide only, because there are a lot of factors that influence how well a particular person is able to make a sound on their instrument.
You also need to time to get your lip muscles strengthened. You need to be able to control the position of your mouth on the mouthpiece and for a lower strength reed you’ll get less resistance. This means that it will be easier to get a sound out on a lower strength reed, although the sound quality will suffer on very low strengths. This might be a compromise that you need to make as a beginner, so don’t be worried if you need a very low strength reed for a while.
Have you played a wind instrument before?
This point relates more to the lung capacity of the player. To get a strong sound out of a single reed instrument, you require a lot of air. If you have previously played another wind instrument, chances are you have had quite a bit of practice at getting air through it. The bigger the instrument the more air you need.
If you’re a complete beginner to all wind instruments, you are unlikely to have good lung capacity and will probably need to take breaths a lot more regularly. If, on top of this, you are adding a high strength reed with a lot of resistance to your setup, you’re likely to be overwhelmed by the amount of air required to get a sound out. If you’re really struggling to get the instrument to sound, the first thing you should try is getting a softer reed.
If you’ve played a wind instrument before, you might be able to start on a slightly harder reed (probably not above strength 2 at first). If you’re finding that the reed you’re playing squeaks a lot, or is really easy to play but the sound is suffering, the reed strength might be too low. Try getting the next strength up. One thing to look out for though is how long you’ve been playing that particular reed and whether it’s got less resistant with time. You might just need a new reed of the same strength, as newer reeds will be harder.
What mouthpiece do you have?
The type of mouthpiece you have can actually have a big effect on what strength reed you should play. The shapes of both mouthpieces and reeds vary quite a lot and you’ll notice that your sound will be a lot better if the two are compatible. If you’re able to afford it, it’s a good idea to get a selection of reeds of different makes and models but the same strength and see which goes best with your mouthpiece.
This can be difficult as the reed strengths aren’t always equivalent between makes and models. It’s also the case that you often get a couple of bad reeds in a packet, so if you’re comparing, it’s better to try a few of each make and model if you can. If you bought a student level sax and are using the mouthpiece that came with it, chances are you’ll be fine using a standard Vandoren (blue box) strength 1.5 or 2. This isn’t specifically a beginner reed, but can be used at any level and is one of the most consistent.
Some mouthpieces will be less suited to the standard Vandoren reeds. If you have a jazz mouthpiece, you’ll probably do a lot better with a jazz reed. It’s important to find out whether your mouthpiece is compatible with your playing style and your chosen reeds before you start playing too regularly or you might end up making it more difficult for yourself than it should be. If you’re not sure, ask your teacher or go to a local music shop to get their opinion.
What playing style is the reed intended for?
The type of music you want to play should have an influence on the reed you want. If we think about classical sax music and jazz sax music, the sounds are very different. The classical sax has a much more controlled and refined sound and the jazz sax is brighter and more flexible. This is partly down to the reeds the players choose.
Usually if you play classical music, you need a reed with more resistance. Most classical players will eventually be playing on a reed of strength 3 or 3.5. Some may go higher than this and some lower but this is about the normal range you should expect to get to. Don’t worry too much about it, different players require different strengths – a lot of it is just personal preference and what you’re most comfortable with.
If you’re playing in more of a relaxed, jazz style, you’re likely to pick a lower strength reed. A lot of jazz musicians won’t play a reed stronger than a 2.5, as it can remove some of the flexibility from the sound. This doesn’t mean it’s easier to play in a jazz style, it just means that the sound you’re going for is usually achieved by playing a lower strength reed. Again, it’s mostly down to personal preference, so don’t feel pressured into playing a particular reed strength just because people say you should.
Summary
To sum this up, most beginners will start on a reed of strength 1.5 or possibly 2. You should try out as many reeds as you’re able to, to see which one best suits you and your mouthpiece. As you progress, you’ll pick a playing style and this will start to influence which reeds you prefer and what strength. Don’t be persuaded to keep getting higher strength reeds if you don’t think it’s right for you – at the end of the day, your personal preference is the most important thing.