Author: sfalexi
Date: 2016-08-07 21:19
I see a lot of threads about whether they work for you or not. I'd like to start a thread with more input from those with whom it DOES work, and what to expect out of growing pains, and specific tips and things to try to give you a higher likelihood of getting them to work. I'll start.....
FYI, for myself, I'm talking for/about saxophone and clarinet legeres. These tips work for both clarinet and sax. If some advice is specific to one or the other, I'll specify.
Use a mouthpiece that you've identified as "reed friendly" - I have played mouthpieces that sound AMAZING . . . .with a reed that is carefully selected and trimmed and groomed for THAT mouthpiece. And I've played (and prefer) mouthpieces that work well with almost every darn piece of wood you can strap to it. The more reed friendly a mouthpiece seems to be, the more likely a legere will work well for you.
Start with the tip of the reed matched up exactly with the tip of the mouthpiece, and make VERY SMALL adjustments from there - This is a new one to me, but makes it easier to get that legere to work. As said before, very small adjustments in the position of a legere reed make a big difference. Too high, sounds like bad plastic. Too low, sounds like bad plastic. Left and right, bad plastic. But the sweet spot for a lot of them is matching tip to tip. Personally, I have a habit of putting can reeds just above the tip of the mouthpiece and I like the response and tonguing I get. This does NOT work with legeres. Line up those tips, make it as CENTERED between the rails and on the table as possible, and see how it sounds. Then make sub-millimeter adjustments up, down, left or right, and find that sweet spot.
Take the time to find the correct size, and don't pinch the reed - Really for ANY reeds, but the legeres will sound like bad plastic if you're pinching it shut or otherwise not allowing the full reed to vibrate. Good news with legere reeds, you can send off for an exchange of strength one time with the company. So buy 2 of each strength below and above your current reed (total of 6 or 8 or 10 reeds), find the one that works the best, and send the rest back for an exchange to end up with all the same strength you prefer.
Not all legere reeds are created equal - I like them, but of my currently three 3.75 legere signatures, two of them sound and respond better than the third. It happens.
Don't be afraid to use them for a long time (judge by the sound, not by the age) - I'm checking with some very good players that I see using legeres, and a lot of them are using legeres for MANY months, some going into and over a year. Now they ALL rotate the legeres so the reeds get a few days between plays, but hey, these reeds last! They sound great, and they will continue to rotate until they find that one legere is consistently sounding worse than the others in the rotation. They then scrap it, and add in another. FWIW, they also mark or otherwise have a way of remembering which reed is which, and which is oldest.
Give yourself a few weeks to adjust to the feel - It feels weird. It's plastic. Tonguing will feel weird. But you WILL adjust and learn to accept it, and if you find that sweet spot and size, you'll be happy to have a consistent reed no matter the weather and be able to focus on the music and technique in your practice and performance instead of focusing hours and hours on crafting reeds, and hoping the weather doesn't mess it up.
Careful your ligature doesn't move the reed as you tighten it - I'm using some rovner ligatures. I have to be careful cause sometimes, as I tighten it, it tightens from the side of the screw, slightly pulling the leather counterclockwise to make the post with the screw 'meet' the other post, and it will pull my reed slightly off center. I am still messing with ligatures to find one that is quick and easy, but just be aware that just cranking down that thumb screw MAY pull the reed off center, so tighten it slowly and watch the reed to see if that's an issue for you. You only have to tighten the ligature well once, so take your time doing so!
Record yourself, or blind test with a buddy - Should go without saying, but after a fair time getting used to it, don't let the feel and head sound of a plastic reed determine whether you intend to keep it. Take some time and get used to it, and then record yourself and compare recordings. Or better yet, blind test with a buddy. Better yet, just use it for a rehearsal and see if anyone notices anything. Chances are, they won't. And ask them after two or three rehearsals...."I'm trying something a little new, so have you noticed anything about my sound today or the past couple days?"
Worry about how they SOUND, not how they look or feel - One of my best legeres has what LOOKS like a micro-crack at the tip. But it plays fine. Talking to a great Sax player here, he's got a legere with a micro crack in the middle, and one that the butt of the reed seems to be fraying apart. But he uses them cause they play and sound fine. As a matter of fact, he swears by legere for the fine nuances of classical Sax and uses cane on his jazz setups cause he can "get away" with using cane on them. Lol!
These are some tips on how to really focus on legere reeds if you are interested in a good shot at getting them to work. I've switched back and forth and back and forth, and right now I'm back into legere. But the one I didn't know until recently, was matching up the tip of the reed to the tip of the mouthpiece. I was trying to push the legeres PAST the tip of the mouthpiece as is my preference with cane, and it made a huge difference taking those extra seconds to make sure it was as centered left and right on the table as possible, and as matched to the tip as possible. And then I realized my tightening of the ligature was pulling if off center and the past week or so, as I took more care on SETTING IT UP better, my results were MUCH better. I'm very interested in getting them to work well as I play in all sorts of weather, all the time. I also don't have the patience or time to groom reeds to a mouthpiece, or to deal with when it changes as I travel or weather changes.
A quick recap.....
Use a mouthpiece that you've identified as "reed friendly"
Start with the tip of the reed matched up exactly with the tip of the mouthpiece, and make VERY SMALL adjustments from there
Take the time to find the correct size, and don't pinch the reed
Not all legere reeds are created equal
Don't be afraid to use them for a long time (judge by the sound, not by the age)
Give yourself a few weeks to adjust to the feel
Careful your ligature doesn't move the reed as you tighten it
Record yourself, or blind test with a buddy
Worry about how they SOUND, not how they look or feel
Happy hunting folks! I hope to hear some more tips from those who have made the switch on what helped them make the switch, or things that have helped them adjust to legeres!
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2016-08-07 21:21)
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