Posts Tagged ‘Alexander’

Reeds can be frustrating (that’s an understatement!). So let’s discuss some reed basics, and things you might do to get more out of your reeds. First of all, every reed cannot be made to play well. Generally, most players find that two to three reeds, out of a box of five, will be acceptable. Maybe only one or two will play great. So don’t spend a lot of time trying to trim, sand or shave a reed thinking it eventually can be made to play well. This is just a fact of life.

So what are some things you should do? You need four simple things for reed care and maintenance. First you need a quality reed trimmer to trim reeds to make them stiffer. I like to use a Coudier-Lunic brand. Second, you need a Vandoren Glass Resurfacer for sanding the reed bottom to make it softer and, perhaps more important, ensuring that the bottom of the reed is flat and even so that it seats well on the mouthpiece. Third, you need a glass (preferably with square sides) to soak the reed before practice. And last, you need a nice reed case (like the four reed Vandoren blue plastic cases) for storing your reed.

I also like to rotate my reeds. I think it helps them last a little longer. I typically will start the week with three decent reeds. Every time I do a MPT 30-minute session, I will switch to the next reed. Before I practice, I soak it for a few minutes. After I finish practicing, I remove the reed from the mouthpiece, swab out the horn and neck, and rinse the reed off with fresh water. I then stick it back in my Vandoren 4-reed case. During the week, I will also break-in two new reeds. Before my weekend gigs, I will usually test all five reeds (the three used reeds and the two new ones), pick the best playing three, and throw out the other two. Sometimes I only throw out one, if I end up with four great reeds. But more often than not, I may need to break-in another reed if I can’t find three really good reeds for the weekend gigs. If you always come prepared with three great playing broken-in reeds, you should not have reed problems at a gig… ever. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting to a gig with poor playing reeds, and no excuse for not being prepared.

To help reads last longer and play better, it should be broken-in properly. Alexander Reeds provide the following instructions for proper reed break-in.