Saxophone Reeds
Choosing a saxophone reed is a difficult task for someone who doesn’t know anything about it. The brand and strength is very important in the sound that is produced from the instrument.
What strength reed do I need?
Before picking the brand of the reeds you need to pick the strength of the read. Many people think that you start off on a soft reed and work your way up to a harder reed, like you would with weights in a gym, starting light and working up to heavier ones. Reed strengths are measured in ‘grades’ with people staring out on the saxophone starting on a very soft grade 1 reed and moving up in half steps till the reach the hardest reed, a grade five. This is not always the case however. It is also not true that the best saxophonists use the hardest reeds. The reed you use will depend on the sound you want to produce, a harder reed is better for a louder sound and also for a quite but forceful sound.
Ultimatley the strength of reed that a saxophonist uses depends on their personal preference. If they feel they can get the sound they want from a grade 3 reed when a grade 2 is suggested then they should use the grade 3. It is always the choice of the saxophonist.
What brand of reed do I need?
This is another area that is completely up to personal preference. One of the best selling brands of reeds however is Vandoren which is popular with student and professional musicians the world over. Vandroren also produce reeds for clarinets and oboes. Another popular brand is Rico Plasticover, a reed which as the name suggest, is covered in plastic. Many people report that these are good reeds to use in an emergency as they play well straight out of the box. Most reeds will need ‘playing in’ just as a new string on a violin or guitar would. The reed needs a chance to get used to the instrument and the saxophonist needs a chance to get used to the exact feel of the reed. Even though reeds are graded in strength, no two reeds will be the same. There will always be slight differences between two grade 2 reeds or two grade 5 reeds even if they are of the same brand.
A German make which has been popular in Europe is Henke. They haven’t been too popular in the UK and the US just yet but some people have been getting them imported as they play well.
Vandoren saxophone reeds
Hemke saxophone reeds
Rico saxophone reeds
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