 The Fingering Forum
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Author: M-E
Date: 2002-12-06 20:42
I've always wondered what the different numbers of reeds meant, and what the difference is. Anybody know?
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Author: Saxplaya
Date: 2002-12-07 00:05
The higher the number the reed either the hardness or thickness increases but im dont remember. The harder reeds are better to get high notes out and softer for low notes.
If its sax your talking about its always good to have 2 sizes of reeds cause you never know if the next song you play has really high notes especially if your a 2nd alto or your suck playing low B's, Bb's, C's, and C#'s that are sometimes difficult to get.
If your talking about Clarinet its the same thing but you might want to switch to harder reed if youhave to play higher than an altisimo F or higher you know the note right under 4 ledger lines above the staff. but that higher number reed can go to the lowest note easy so that all depends how high you have to play.
Of course since i play sax, second part unfortunately, have 2 sizes a 3 and a 3 1/2. I use The 3 1/2 most of the time but whenever i have to play low notes i switch unless my reed has been used for a while and its broken in. I even switch in the middle of the piece because the music my band is playing my part is filled halfway through with rests.
On clarinet its fine if your on whatever size reed but its harder to get high notes. I would recomend a size 3 but if you have a B45, the best clarinet mouthpiece ever, like i do a 3 1/2 works the best but your lips have to work your way up to a higher reed.
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Author: sÖmeone
Date: 2002-12-07 09:55
i agree with everything Saxplaya said but i don't recommend a person using two reeds for practise and changing reeds during a performance etc. The reason is that for especially
the beginners....changing reeds will effect the embouchure slightly so one must have a strong embouchure. I would recommend changing mouthpieces instead. But i still think that it would be whatsoever not so necessary. Harder reeds are always better but try those only after a certain period when you are to play with good intonation, tone, and articulation. And of course good technic and precise fingering. 3 1/2 is very good for ultra high notes but is very difficult to play with. There is a kind of 'think-blank' reed the lower portion of the reed is thicker, making playing more stable and sound production easy. The selections of reeds are endless. I'm a clarinet and oboe player but i'm not an expert on reeds. There are a lot of sources providing information regarding reeds on the net so i recommend you check them out if you are really interested.
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