best tenor sax reeds for beginners

Many different reed variations are available, with each having a strength marked by a number, 2 to 5 in half steps, with 5 being the hardest for Rico and 2 being the softest. Youll probably find that you move onto the next size up pretty quickly, but a 1.5 is the best beginner reed. They will feel different, sound different and each will take a few practice sessions or more to get used to, if you are used to playing the other. Saxophone reeds are similar, although admittedly the differences are not as pronounced as, say, the difference between a hiking boot and a fancy high heeled shoe and a ballerinas slipper. These cane reeds have a thin coat of plastic over them, and have a longer lasting life than regular cane reeds. Plasticover reeds work exceptionally great for alto, tenor and baritone saxes. However, until you get to that point it might be worth buying in smaller quantities (some brands offer boxes of five, or you could buy a few individual reeds), although reeds can vary noticeably, even within a box, so you should try a few of each type before making a decision either way. HowToPlayTheSax.com - Have Fun. Experimenting with reeds can not only change the sound of your saxophone immensely, but it's also one of the least expensive parts of the instrument. I use the reeds mentioned in this article !!! A reed is what actually makes the sound. There are loads of different reed brands out there to choose from, such as DAddario, Marca, Vandoren, and Rico. To get an overview about which clarinet or saxophone reeds we also sell, please click on the respective links down below. Instagram https://www.instagram.com/howtoplaythesax/ First and foremost, make sure that you get the correct Instrument Sized Reed for your saxophone. I started out as a jazz musician before becoming a booking agent and manager. Online Saxophone Lessons to help you learn faster! By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies. Alto Sax Fingering Chart: A Beginners Guide, Best Alto Sax Mouthpiece Upgrade for Beginners, McGill Music Sax School. The wooden / cane reeds are easy to find, easy to buy and easy to play. The tip opening of your mouthpiece will also impact which reed works for you, but more on that another time. However, they do trade a part of their core tone for a boost in volume, as well as essential overtones needed for the saxophones extended range. These generalisations are aimed at intermediate or advanced players. They are characterized by a special cut which helps to achieve a quick response, a more brilliant sound and a precise articulation. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Reeds Direct seem to stock every brand under the sun. Most saxophone players will begin on a 1.5 reed and settle on a 2 or 2.5 reed. In answer to your question, yes, softer reeds are easier to hit the lower notes with. A harder reed, in general, might be worth experimenting with if you find yourself in a situation where volume and oomph are required. For example, what would result from a mouthpiece with a narrow tip opening and a thin reed? All reeds are backed by Woodwind & Brasswind's 110% Price Guarantee, assuring that you won't find quality Rico products at a lower price anywhere else. sound on their saxophone. Required fields are marked *. In fact, the concept of saxophone reeds for beginners is something that comes to mind almost immediately after someone decides that they want to learn how to play the saxophone ! has everything you need to get started on the right track. Fred, decisions about reed choices come down to 2 things, playability and sound. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your name and email address andwe'll send you some useful sax hints, tips - and your 7 free beginner saxophone lessons - delivered directly to your email inbox :-). The consistancy of the Royals is very good IMO. Music publisher Schott has released a range of new music books for beginner to intermediate players. Ever. Soprano saxophone reeds ONLY fit on soprano saxophones. Suite 33, 6 Queen Street, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD1 2SQ. One of the most significant parts of a saxophone is the reed. Make sure the ligature is below the bump in the mouthpiece, for a while, youll notice that the muscles around your mouth will develop and get stronger. by Matt Fripp | Last updated Jun 30, 2022 | Saxophone. The opening at the mouthpiece is called the "tip opening." Crafted from premium cane with an unfiled cut,La Vozare played by many top jazz, funk and R&B players, and were the reed of choice for the late, great jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker. Info, Affiliate Disclosure: as an Amazon Associate we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. made from cane are the most common type of reed. It depends on your level which reed you should choose. When making an order, all of this information will be needed. and they dont change over the life of the reed unlike cane reeds. They tend to be a little on the soft side, meaning that they will blow freely straight out of the box, although the flip side of this is that some users have found their life span to be shorter than other brands. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). . While the majority of saxophonists play with basic cane reeds, synthetic reeds are also used every so often. Also, consider experimenting withyour ligature too; it can have a surprisingly big effect on the sound. The saxophone is a transposing instrument. tenor, baritone or alto), then look at the brand (ie. If you have been playing saxophone for a year or so, then the next time you need some reeds, consider trying the Rico Royals. While many sax players find synthetic reeds to be a superb alternative to traditional cane, it's also important to note there is a distinct trade off in volume control and tone. P.S. I learned somethings from you today. Your email address will not be published. As there is such a broad range of reeds below are some recommended products for beginners. Please keep in mind, the strengths could be different from brand to brand. There are specific reeds designed to meet these requirements. Or at least read the review I wrote about them here. LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/howtoplaythesax/. Thank you in advance for a response.Ron B. For players in an advanced stage, Rico offers the Rico Grand Concert Select and the D'Addario Reserve reeds. It can be confusing, but its a great idea to try a few different brands. Strengths can vary from brand to brand for example a Vandoren Traditional 2.5 is harder than a DAddario Royal 2.5 but these can be checked easily on a reed comparison chart. These are all signs that its time to switch to a slightly harder saxophone reed size 2 is perfect. But - a lot of this is control and learning not to clamp down on the reed is important.[/QUOTE]. They are available in both filed and unfiled versions. If you would like simple step by step instructions to help you learn how to play the saxophone: then check out our saxophone lessons membership options. I started playing for dances and weddings starting when I was a sophomore in high school and earning my way thru college with my tenor sax. To sum it up, my personal recommendation for jazz saxophone players is the Vandoren V16 reed. Looking back, a 6c would have suited me better to begin on. Therefore, it is totally normal to be a little confused about choosing the right reed when you are new to this instrument. I never had knowledge of sax players replacing their sax reed every two to four weeks. It is easy to break or split a reed by bumping it, or brushing it against your shoulder or your sleeve, or your lips or your teeth, or your cat or on the chair that you are sitting on. Players of popular music or jazz often prefer this brighter tone and thus use thinner reeds. Some reeds will therefore last for weeks, others just a few days. If it isnt, please go out and buy a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece. Whatever reed youre playing on, youll want to strengthen your embouchure and develop your technique so you can make great progress. Of course, a beginner should never have to feel like they're in a battle with the instrument. Its also important to remember that it can take time to break in a new reed. A cane reed might last between one and two weeks, although this will depend on various factors, including how frequently it is played. Grab it here. From a beginners perspective, saxophone reeds for beginners are best made from cane. Like most websites, we use cookies to improve your experience on our site. FREE Ultimate Saxophone Toolkit As a beginner saxophone player, a size 1.5 reed is the right reed to start with. I never changed mine unless I accidently nicked it and used a standby until I could trim it using a 25c (quarter dollar) under it and a match to burn a round tip as it made the reed without a nick again. Even if the mouthpiece is a little too loose or too tight, the cork can be easily shaved or replaced, so you can choose any mouthpiece you like. You need to get some reeds if you actually want to play some music or make a noise with your sax. Is A Used Saxophone Better For Beginners? Mouthpieces are interchangeable, so most of them will fit any neck. HowToPlayTheSax.com where saxophone lessons come to YOU ! It is different from every single reed to another because of the organic structure of the cane which it is made of. bestsaxophone reeds for beginners are going to be made by Rico, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-play-the-sax/id1527900715, https://www.instagram.com/howtoplaythesax/, https://www.pinterest.com.au/HowToPlayTheSax/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/howtoplaythesax/, All Revved Up With No Place To Go Meatloaf Cover. As a brand new beginner, youll want to start out on cane reeds until you find the right strength for you then, you can try synthetic reeds. Specifically tailored jazz cuts, hand selects, and classical reeds are available. However, again from a beginners perspective, Rico saxophone reeds are the best place to start. And its often down to their reed choice. Dispensing with the usual numbering system, they have an unusual strength grading: soft, medium soft, medium, medium hard and hard. We would recommend Rico as the best reeds for beginners because they are cut from the most flexible grade of cane and are very thin. I hope this helps you choose the best beginner saxophone reed for you! The exact implications of these options are somewhat mysterious and open to interpretation, but reports suggest that, whilst the difference is not massive, the filed version gives a brighter sound with faster vibration, whereas the unfiled cut offers slightly more resistance as a result of the bark from the reeds shoulders remaining intact. By the way, the reed is a consumable item and must be replaced often. Reeds are also different. So join below to try out our lessons completely risk free. you, especially if you are a saxophone beginner. Even if you care for it, there is no way to tell how long it will last. JavaScript is disabled. Noted for their quality control and consistency, these are endorsed by big names in the jazz world includingChris Potter, Camille Thurman and Miguel Zenon. Bari (Baritone) saxophone reeds ONLY fit on bari saxophones. Like all Vandoren reeds, they are sealed in foil flow packs to shield them from changes in temperature and humidity. For tenor I would suggest a Legere Signature 2 strength. Or at least read the review I wrote about them here. Therefore it is easy for beginners to play their first notes without too much effort. The most important factor in selecting a reed is the reed thickness. Find it all via our saxophone homepage here. When you're starting out on sax, should you get a new, cheap Chinese saxophone from Amazon, or should Download this free saxophone fingering chart for all saxes that includes Altissimo notes too! Your reed is THAT Important. If a beginner would start with a 1 or 1 1/2 reed, there may be some difficulty with playing very many notes because the reed is too weak to support the playing. Rico or La Voz), then choose a reed strength. Nigel from Sax School Online tests the Yamaha 4C and shows you why its the best saxophone mouthpiece upgrade for beginner players. If you are brand new to the saxophone and have never played it before, then the best saxophone reeds for beginners is a size 1.5. The main difference is the precision in their manufacturing. all neatly organised in the one convenient location. They do need to be replaced on a vaguely regular basis. Rico and Rico Royal make great saxophone reeds for beginners and intermediate and advanced players of all kinds and styles of music. Be Awesome. Most reeds offer half strength gradients (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, etc. My Ultimate Saxophone Toolkit has everything you need to get started on the right track. To demonstrate, weve included some examples of the reeds chosen by the jazz greats both modern and through history so keep an eye out for the reeds recommended by everyone from Charlie Parker to Chris Potter. Here are a few things to think about when choosing cane or synthetic reeds. players. So whilst the question of best saxophone reed for jazz will be personal to each individual player, there are some industry-leaders and well take you through 5 of them in this guide. All rights reserved. The Rico Royal reeds are a little denser than the normal Rico reeds which helps you to reach lower and higher notes easier. This is a nice soft reed, and its the easiest reed for you to get a nice clear sound on your saxophone. lots of different strengths and brands of reed to find the one that suits you. Cane reeds are a great choice for beginner players. They arent too expensive, so you can try out and choose lots of different strengths and brands of reed to find the one that suits you. I hope this helps explain all about saxophone reeds and helps you make a fantastic start on your saxophone journey ! Repeat. Youll also break a lot of reeds when youre starting out! I often get questions from students about how to get a better. It may initially feel resistant, so take your time and play it a little each day. But mistakes and wasted time is far more costly. In general, a thinner reed, say 2 or 2.5, will have a brighter tone. It is possible to get sizes bigger than a 3, but not as easily as wandering down to your local music shop and expecting them to be in stock. and how to make sure its set up correctly so you can make great progress on your saxophone. Plus we'll send you some other useful sax hints, tips - as well as your 7 saxophone lessons - delivered directly to your email inbox :-). When youre starting out on saxophone, getting your reed wrong can make the difference between making great progress, So Im going to show you how to choose the best beginner saxophone reed for. As a hideously and outrageous general rule, saxophone mouthpieces with a wide tip opening (a wide gap between the tip of the mouthpiece and the tip of the reed) are best paired with softer reeds (lower size numbers). Ever since he was barely in his teens, Nigel Hitchcock has been amazing audiences with his prodigious technique We only want you to pay if you actually LOVE using Sax School! Rico saxophone reeds are cheap(er), easier to find and purchase either online or at your local music shop, and are easier to play due to their increased flexibility. Play Saxophone. Not every brand uses these numbers to show the strengths, some use soft, medium and hard instead. They come in different brands. If you play a much stronger reed, it takes a massive amount of control to maintain your tone and sound on your saxophone. Introduced in 1983, these are theoriginal jazz reeds from Vandoren, the famed French specialists in clarinet and saxophone equipment. Great service. La Voz, on the other hand, uses a word system; soft, medium soft, medium, medium hard, and hard. Learn how to put your sax together and find your first notes ready to play some fun tunes. Then its down to strengthening your embouchure by working on long tones, for example,to get the great saxophone sound youre looking for. The higher the number, the harder the reed is and in most cases the harder it is to play. Important mouthpiece characteristics in addition to the tip opening are the table, where the reed attaches, and the facing, the angle of the curve near the tip of the mouthpiece. Had a combo going also when in the Army. The bestsaxophone reeds for beginners are going to be made by Rico. As a young saxophonist studying at one of the top music schools, you might be surprised how often the topic of reeds dominated conversation. I think younger students should start with a 4c and more mature students on a 6c. Enter your name and email address and receive 7 free beginner saxophone lessons ! These reeds last for months, and they're fairly consistent due largely in part to the material consisting of plastics. The tone and resistance of your saxophone is affected by various reeds and how they are cut. What's the hardest thing for you in practicing. P.P.S.S. FREE Ultimate Saxophone Toolkit. Thank you for visiting HowToPlayTheSax.com and for your wonderful explanation. Reeds are fragile please handle them with care. In Sax School, I often get questions from students about how to get a better quality sound on their saxophone. They do wear out from continuous use sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Tenor saxophone reeds ONLY fit on tenor saxophones. Reeds are normally sold by the box, in 5's, 10's or 25. Copyright 2022 Imagery Limited T/A SoundUnlimited. A softer reed, in general, makes it a little easier to be quiet and breathy with your playing. 2022 Woodwind & Brasswind. If youre a new beginner, go for the lowest strength possible until you are more comfortable with your fingers. You must log in or register to reply here. Beginner saxophone player? Constructed from reed plants, there are also synthetic reeds and hybrids available, which we'll briefly touch on in this article. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2022, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Rico and Vandoren are both highly regarded brands. A question I would like to ask and at 84 ,does not play anymore to find out for myself is IS IT EASIER TO THE LOW BASS NOTES WITH A 1 1/2 and maybe harder to hit high F also ??? However, given the relatively low price of a box of sax reeds, as soon as you start to make progress, our best advice is to buy a selection of different brands and compare them for yourself. This may be why many beginners become confused on this point. Youll probably find that you move onto the next size up pretty quickly, but a 1.5 is the best beginner reed. The saxophone is a conical-bored instrument. As a beginner saxophone player, a size 1.5 reed is the right reed to start with. Most manufacturers offer boxes of 10 reeds at a better price per reed than if they are purchased individually, so this is a good option once you have settled on one that works for you. Yes, if you play a particular size reed of one brand, then trying the equivalent size number of another brand is a good place to start but it will take some experimentation. The smaller the number, the softer the reed is and in most cases the easier it is to play. So you want to learn to play saxophone? There are more than enough choices to consider when searching for a saxophone reed. restrictions. What feels good in a reed is a very personal thing:Cannonball Adderleyplayed a fairly soft reed (around a 2), while its been suggested that Charlie Parker used a hard reed (possibly even a 5!). This is usually marked on the box by percentage, and it's not uncommon for up to 20% of a box to be unplayable. If you have any questions about saxophone reeds, please let me know in the comments below. We would like to help you with this by giving you some tips. You'll want to know a few things before making an order. We recommend that beginners start out with a standard mouthpiece (for Yamaha, this is the 4C) together with a 2 1/2 reed, and practice the basics of playing long tones, making sure to get their embouchure (the shape and action of the mouth and lips that controls the sound using the muscles around the mouth) correct, and from there go on to choose something that fits their taste. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HowToPlayTheSax Feel free to drop me an email! Whatever reed youre playing on, youll want to strengthen your embouchure and develop your technique so you can make great progress. To avoid or at least reduce these problems there is the possibility to buy the Plasticover reeds by Rico, which have a thin coat of plastic over them for a longer lasting than regular cane reeds. Assembly, finishing, and, at last, complete! Woodwind & Brasswind is proud to offer high-quality reeds for musicians from professional to beginner. So Im going to show you how to choose the best beginner saxophone reed for you, especially if you are a saxophone beginner, and how to make sure its set up correctly so you can make great progress on your saxophone. More advanced players may enjoy a darker sound, perhaps with more depth, by playing on a harder reed, but there are no definitive rules. The space between the tip of the mouthpiece and the tip of the attached reed is an important factor affecting the performance of a reed instrument. Questions or comments? Notify me of follow-up comments by email. If you want to increase the lifetime of your reeds, you might also want to consider a reed cutter, which we included inthis list of 10 essential saxophone accessories. Your reed could contribute towards your instrument feeling easy to blow, or it could be the reason that making a sound is a struggle. And just to make things worse, there are different type of mouthpiece for the different types of Bb clarinet. A newer Java Filed Red cut offers even more flexibility and power, making it particularly suited to rock and funk. In this article weve rounded up the best choices today, as well as taking you through the key considerations for choosing the best reed strength and brand for your personal situation. Rico and La Voz are popular reed brands, and come highly recommended to younger players. Strength is a measurement of a reeds stiffness, and is usually quantified numerically, with a higher number signifying a harder reed. There are different strengths and cuts of reeds from different brands, all of them could unfortunately be a good or bad choice. [Experiment1]What is the relation of the taper to the tone? They might seem like an insignificantpart of the instrumentcompared tothe saxophone itself or even the mouthpiece and ligature but reeds can play an important role in getting the jazz sound youre after. Slide the reed underneath the ligature, so that the flat side of the reed fits. The best way to find the perfect reed for you is to experiment with different products and strengths: find out what feels and sounds best with your skill and experience level, the type of music you play, andthe mouthpiece you use. Famous works for saxophone: Chamber music. The main brands of reeds are Rico (and Rico Royal), Vandoren,DAddario (who actually own Rico) and Legere. Our product catalog varies by country due to manufacturer Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which may result in me getting a microscopic or possibly even non-existent commission, yet cost no more for you if you happen to purchase.

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