Mouthpieces and reeds
- Mouthpieces
- As mentioned, a very wide subject, covered briefly under sax terms. There are two main types of mouthpiece - plastic (ebonite) and metal. As a general rule plastic mouthpieces give a darker, richer, smoother sound while metal mouthpieces are brighter, louder and slightly more edgy. There are exceptions to the above of course and this will be due to the shape of the chamber, the shape/type of baffle (if any) and the facing/tip opening.
- Most starter saxes come with a 'student' mouthpiece. These are plastic, have a small tip opening and no baffles. They are very easy to blow, especially when used with reeds of strength 1½ or 2 and therefore great for starting off, but tend to produce a thinner sound. As a player's embouchure and muscles develop, the progression is towards a mouthpiece with a larger tip opening along with slightly harder strength reeds, and so a warmer, richer sound. Each player is different, but I would suggest a player moves on from a student mouthpiece after about a year or so.
The only way to work out what's best for you is to try some out. Most good woodwind shops offer a facility where you are able to try a selection of mouthpieces in a 'practice room'. Give them a budget, tell them the kind of sound you're looking for, take along a reed you're happy with and spend a few minutes playing each one. I say mention a budget because ebonite mouthpieces range from £100 to £250 while metals range from £150 to £500!
Below is a mouthpiece comparison chart produced by Vandoren. As you can see, each manufacturer has a different system of denoting the shape/tip opening. The larger the number the wider the tip opening.
- Reeds
- Herein lies another sax-player's bain!
Reeds very from manufacturer to manufacturer and even within box batches.... As with the system of numbering mouthpiece openings, the world of reed numbering is equally non-standard! Beginners should start on a strength 1½ reed while they get used to the blowing and forming of their embouchure. As their muscles develop, then move on to a strength 2 or 2½. The strength numbers merely indicate how 'thick' a reed is and as you've probably guessed the lower numbers denote thinner reeds which vibrate more freely and are therefore easier to play.
Metal mouthpieces tend to require slightly softer reeds than their ebonite equivalent, but as with anything, much of this is ultimately down to the type of sound you're happy with and the comfort of blowing. Personally I would recommend the Rico Jazz Select range, but that's just my preference. Below are charts for reed strengths by Rico and Vandoren when compared by reed manufacturer.
- How a reed is made
- Would you believe it takes four years to make a reed!
Cane is grown from rhizomes (rootlike subterranean stems, commonly horizontal in position, that produce roots below and send up shoots) and reaches its final size and diameter in the first year. It is carefully harvested at the end of the second year by hand using shears which avoid bursting the cane's fibres. The harvest is carried out while the moon is descending when the sap is utterly still. The cane is then stripped, cut into six-feet-long sticks and put out in the sun to gain its golden colour before being taken to a ventilated warehouse to dry for another two years.
- The first stage in manufacture involves cutting the cane into smaller lengths and then into standard 'reed size' quarters. The bark of the tip is then removed and the table sanded completely flat. After cutting the reed into a conical shape the final reed tip is shaped & bevelled to within tolerances of 1/100 mm. Being an organic product, every reed has its own character as no two pieces of cane can be identical.
So next time you buy a reed, take a moment to consider the time involved in making it and getting it to you!
A relatively recent development in reed 'technology' has been the use of plastic in the reed manufacturing process. This is in the form of either plastic-coated cane reeds, or reeds made entirely from plastic. These are more expensive to buy in the first instance but are far more durable, consistent, more resistant to climatic changes and resist 'curling' when first moistened. These make them ideal for outside use such as marching bands or 'doublers' who need to change instruments quickly. The comparisons between the plastic 'Fibracell' reed and cane reed strengths are show here:
Filed vs Unfiled reeds
Many people ask about the difference between filed and unfiled reeds. Here's a brief explanation:
An option to fine-tune the sound, the filed reed is often preferred by players who use traditional, moderately resistant, dark-sounding mouthpieces – the file helps such mouthpieces blow more freely.
For those who play relatively easy-blowing, moderate-to-bright mouthpieces (especially jazz or pop sax mouthpieces with a high baffle), an unfiled reed is usually preferred.
The French File (or “file”) is the area behind the vamp (or cut portion) where the bark is sanded off in a straight line.
A Filed reed:
• Provides ease of response, especially in the low register...making soft attacks easier.
• Makes the tone slightly brighter...for use with resistant mouthpieces.
• Provides a brighter tone and is more free-blowing.
• An unfiled reed provides a darker tone and more resistance.
Recommended use of filed or unfiled reeds for common sax mouthpieces:
Filed: • Meyer • Otto Link • Selmer rubber
Unfiled: • Dukoff • Beechler • Selmer metal • Guardala • Berg Larsen
Rico produces the following filed reeds: Rico Royal, Reserve (saxophone), Rico Select Jazz, Hemke, and Grand Concert Select.
The following reeds are produced unfiled: La Voz, Rico, Rico Select Jazz
- For a full range of musical words, terms and meanings, click here.
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