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Re: Moved from a Vandoren 3 to 3-1/2

Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2020-03-22 19:48

Hi Garth.

A reed is always a personal thing, but the issues that were solved/improved by a move to a thicker reed make me suspect stem from a different cause.

The reed should not close and the pitch should stay solid even with a #2 reed.

If I had to guess, I think there is a good chance you tend to apply a lot more pressure against the reed than necessary. Does your lower lip get sore after a practice?

I would also investigate if your embouchure is firm and that reed support comes from a good cushion formed by the lower lip muscles. If the lip muscles are too relaxed, then the pressure against the reed comes from "biting" because something must stabilize the reed in order to get any pitch.
A good way to "beef up" those muscles is doing some of the warm up using a double lip embouchure, even for a minute or two. I think it is worth a try.

On a personal note, I have been gradually converting to double lip embouchure in the past few months. What I realized is that since I don't "pinch" the reed halfway with my lower lip, more of it gets to vibrate effectively and I found it beneficial to get less hard reeds, in my case I switched from Legere 3.5 to 3.25.

Cordially,

Erez

Post Edited (2020-03-22 19:54)

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