Good Reeds: Breaking In, Storage and Rotation

Dr. Wally covers the three pillars of better reeds: Conditioning (or breaking in), storage strategies, and rotating your reeds for longevity. For more in-depth discussion, check out the Saxophone Academy Podcast:

[eworr]

OK, as an older beginner, who has been playing for a couple of years now, the whole reed thing was perhaps the biggest obstacle to progress. This video has made a HUGE difference. Thanks, Dr. Wally. Please keep the no-nonsense advice coming!

[SkylersRants]

"Don't be stupid, it's just water."

You are the best!

[JoAnnP]

I cannot for the life of me get this video out of my head. I had played Legere reeds for years simply because I couldn't be bothered and also because some of my horns (looking at my bari sax) isn't practiced nearly as much as my other instruments. However, recently I've come to realize that for whatever reason condensation seems to collect more on my Legere reeds than on cane so I have switched back on alto. But here is the thing -- every time I unwrap a Vandoren I am strangely compelled to welcome it to the states. Dr. Wallace must double as a hypnotist.

[gangofgreenhorns]

Starting saxophone I remembered thinking "I don't want to learn about--or mess with--reeds, I will just use synthetics". Has worked out just fine, some of the best advice I've ever given myself lol.

[thelookingcat]

I do everything you do, so glad to see someone else finally saying the benefits of letting reeds dry out fully! I play clarinet, not saxophone, but this is all 100% true for us too. My reeds last 3-4 months before I notice them getting softer while my colleagues in college have about... 2-3 days? They all have the fancy cases; I just leave them on my desk drawer and take them to school in - you guessed it - a normal reed case.

[Noah_la_verite]

Thank you for this, geeez!! This is the most straightforward no BS reed break in video. Thank you, from this saxophone noobie drummer.

[bobpremecz]

I got off that merry-go-round a few years ago: first with Fibracell; then with Legere signatures. Now I'm enjoying all three of my saxes (soprano, alto and tenor) with Harry Hartmann Carbon Onyx reeds. Just slap one of these black beauties on, tighten up the ligature and enjoy making beautiful, consistent (3+ octave on the alto and tenor) sounds on each without a second thought or frustration. Yes, I remember doing all that stuff, but in my retirement years I want to enjoy life and enjoy playing. I'll let others play carpenter. BTW - really enjoy your videos Doc!

[mrharv]

The moist reed encourages growth of bacteria and fungus that is unseen and breaks down the fiber. Thus, dry out the reed. I wash off the reed to remove a lot of the saliva before storage. Saliva contains digestive enzymes that slowly destroy the reed. I really enjoyed your comments also.

[brianerwin]

I was fortunate to meet a guy that was a concert saxophonist who studied under Eugene Rousseau. We had a wonderful conversation about reeds and mouthpieces and the wonders of the world...
He set me out a list of things to do to prepare my reeds that is very similar to the steps you just explained but there are quite a few differences. Doing this allows my reeds to last for a long time and actually saves money as I am not out buying reeds with my paychecks every week. Bottom line is however you condition your reeds, as long as you take the time to do this, you can make your reeds last more than just one performance.

[Satyrnine]

I fill an old vitamin jar having a tight-fitting screw on lid with water and 3-4 drops of concentrated peppermint oil. Peppermint is anti-microbial and naturally germicidal. I soak the reed a minute in this before playing (so the reed smells good initially while also getting moist --instead of wetting it in my mouth). I put them in the jar for a couple minutes after playing, shaking it up a bit so the water rinses the mouth junk off the reeds. I wipe the excess moisture off with a small towel or napkin and let them dry before putting them in their flat case. (But if I'm on a gig and don't have time to let them dry, I don't have to worry about sugars and enzymes eating those reeds, sugars making food for spores, nor any spores making headway with the peppermint guard.) When I pull out the reed again, it's fresh smelling and naturally sanitized. I'd like to think also the small trace of oil in the water may lightly fill the fiber pores and prevent saliva from entering the reed fibers; but a scientist could do tests on that hypothesis.

In addition to balancing and light sanding I do when I first get my reeds (so they are smooth like glass), I press the reeds against plate glass with the flat back of a spoon in order to close the pores.

Brushing your teeth every time before you play goes a long way in keeping reeds from skank and digestion, as well.

With these measures I have reeds for months!

[vladimirlopez]

I am very guilty of playing a Reed too long. And you are absolutely correct when that one goes south the new Reed feels impossible I will be implementing your reed management strategy from now on.

[graydemunter]

I use the reed geek. It’s a big improvement 👍🏻

[BILLSHREEVE]

I find myself laughing out loud from time to time during your fine videos! Great comedic timing, and super solid advice and information. Grateful for your help!

[danielstover]

Great informative video. I've still got plenty of students who do the "open a reed, and play it whether it plays or not" method that I'm BEGGING to start breaking in reeds and at the very least have a cheap reed guard where they can keep 4 reeds in rotation. And one kid I'm just trying to get j to even take the reed OFF the mouthpiece when he puts the horn away. I go a bit overkill and have a 20 reed case. I do a breaking in marathon once a year or so and fill in the vacant slots of reeds that have had to be put to pasture.I also have two preferred reed makes that I like depending on my day/mood, so my case has one carriage full of ten of one reed, and another full of the other make of reeds.

[seanwilken]

Hi there I liked the talk on reed conditioning and storage. I kept mine in the Reed Juvinate and they turned to c__p. I now let them to dry out and store them in a dry reed case. Protec cases are not sold in South Africa so I have to settle for a Rico reed case which is fine. Thanx

[garyzimmer]

Great advice Doc., I spent some time with a Fred Hempke protege' who taught @ private university music conservatory. I was his tech., ...but we also performed together. He played Carnegie, and took 1st in intnl. Comp. one yr. He had a reed idea that was interesting, that I copied. He had a piece of plate glass and placed the reeds on it with rubber bands to keep' em' flat. Being that I travel all over the country to play, I wasn't crazy about putting glass in my case.I also didn't like messing with alot of rubber bands. What I wound up with was a piece of plexiglass and an elastic band. Safer, less mess, let's them dry and vent. It also keeps the inside of my case from looking like I had a car accident on the way home from Office depot.

[joeobrien]

Reeds are one thing I never gave any thought other than determining hardness. I always played Rico orange box and just used one until it died and then grabbed the next. I stored them in the little plastic cases they come in out of the box. This is a whole new approach for me. I am curious though, as a home hobbyist for the most part, 10 reeds sounds like a lot to manage especially as an alto and tenor player. I was thinking of 3 to 5 depending on some of the smaller packages available on the market. I will probably stay with Rico orange for a while until I feel I have this process down, especially because I’d like to learn how to make adjustments as well. Maybe I’ll introduce other brands into the rotation once I feel that I’ll really appreciate the differences. I consider myself at the intermediate level.

[bernarddaigle]

I use Vandorens so on the very first play I will not soak them in water because of the packaging, they have not dried out. I will, after that, soak them and rub the vamp with my thumb on a flat surface. I let them dry in between plays on a flat surface held in place with a rubber band so that they stay flat.
My playing time is exponential : 1 minute -2-4-8-16-32 minutes...

On the first play (1 minute), I will stay within G first octave and G second octave. No tonguing, no louder than piano.
On the second play (2 minutes), low D to second octave C, still no tonguing, mezzo piano.
On the third play (4 minutes), low Bb to high F, light tonguing, mezzo forte.
On the fourth play (8 minutes), still low Bb to high F, but "normal" playing (articulations and nuances).
On the fifth play (16 minutes), same as above, up to altissimo A
On the sixth play (32 minutes), same as above, up to limit of altissimo.

When they are ready to be used in rotation, I store them in an old Vandoren reed case with a Listerine soaked sponge.

[EvanTateMusic]

Do you have a video on working on your reeds? For example: Reed knives, files, etc.?

[Eniral]

I used to let my reeds dry out completely too. But i found no matter what I did, they would eventually warp. So i started using Rico 4-reed thing. But as i played more each day. They started to mold, even without the case. So, I started placing them in Peroxyde mouthwash after playing but only for a minute or 2. I wrote them off and put them in the case. I flatten the table of each one with a combination of areed geek and just rubbing them on a flat tile or glass. I do soak them and break them in similarly to what you said. Unfortunately, I'm the worst at rotating them though. So, I'm going to start using a time. I've only done 4-5 reeds at a time though. Looking forward to your red case video.