Reed trouble

[ferocious_saxosaurus]

Okay, I play tenor sax and I'm havin some trouble with reeds. If anyone could help me out it would be great. The problem is sqeaking, it's really hurting my playing. I was wondering if there's something wrong with my mouthpiece and reed setup, or if my embochure is wrong or what.... I'm using 2.5 strength Rico Royals with a vintage otto link 7 mouthpiece. I was told to try using harder reeds, but it sounds stuffy, unclear, and is overall hard to play. Is there anything I can try?

[Geoff Pfeifer]

There's a few things to try. Are the reeds wet enough? Try soaking them. Constantly.
Try a different brand. Maybe one that is not a french file.
Try different mouthpieces. Maybe one that is not so wide a tip opening.
Check/experiment with embouchure.
Good luck.

[rollhead]

I found that experimenting with ligatures helps, too.

[larry]

Originally posted by rollhead
I found that experimenting with ligatures helps, too.

Really - I thought the only job the ligature had to do was clamp the reed tightly to the mouthpiece. How does it affect tone, chirps, altissimo stuff?

Thx,
Larry

[larry]

On a different but related topic:

I play with pretty soft reeds (Rico 2) because I like their ability to play soft subtones and I don't get winded. But, I can't really do too much altissimo stuff because of it. Volume isn't that big of a problem for me - my horn is nice and bright.

The question is - what benefits are there from going to stiffer reeds and should I try to train myself to play on them? Or should I just stick with what works for me (and has since the 70s).

Thanks in advance,
Larry

[Lady Di]

ya, i've been having a bit of reed trouble to, they never feel/sound right, and I'm very much an amatuar....so I can't figure it out...please help?

[rollhead]

It may just be the placebo effect, but once I switched from a metal ligature to a Rovner (a sushi style lig), it seems as though my tone improved.

I also understand that you are only supposed to tightenthe ligature enough to keep the reed in place. I would suspect that relates to how the reed vibrates.

But, what do I know? I am really just a beginner, and I have been doing all kinds of things to reduce the squeaking.

[ferocious_saxosaurus]

Ok, so I switched to Vandoren Javas 2.5 and have been soaking them. The squeeking problem went away competely. Now I just have to worry about keeping them wet all the time.
Thanks Geoff!

Now I feel like answering questions.
Larry

I thought the only job the ligature had to do was clamp the reed tightly to the mouthpiece. How does that affect tone, chirps, altissimo stuff?

Ligatures are actually pretty important. You don't want them too tight because it does affect your sound. If you have the metal kind with two screws, I've been told to put it pretty low on the mouthpiece and tighten the bottom one a lot. The top one can stay pretty loose. This helps the reed to vibrate more. I've also been told to stay away from the black rubberish kind. they are thick and look like sushi. They dampen your sound. I started out on one, when I got a metal lig, my tone was louder and fatter.
As for soft reeds, if they work for you then use them. Different things work for different people. Reed strength also depends on how open your mouthpiece is. Switching to harder reeds might confuse your embochure.

As for Lady di:
The only thing I can think of for you, is to try a lot of different brands and sizes. There has to be something that works for you. If finding the one kind for you is really hard, then just stay with one thing for a while. Maybe you need to get used to something. Another thing is, if reeds don't ever feel right, then maybe it's the mouthpiece. How exactly does it feel wrong to you?

Well I hope I helped someone !
Thanks

[Paul B]

jkkkkkk

[rollhead]

I've also been told to stay away from the black rubberish kind. they are thick and look like sushi. They dampen your sound. I started out on one, when I got a metal lig, my tone was louder and fatter.

Really? Sushi isn't good? Do tell!