The reed is a small piece of reed allowing, through its vibration, the production of sound in the saxophone. The saxophone reed is therefore made from a living material. That is why it is so unstable in time. Likewise, for a given force, the reeds will be almost all different and will give you diverse and varied sensations.

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It is in the Var that we find the best reed plantations in the world. The Mediterranean climate and the richness of these soils meet all the conditions for the cultivation of this plant. The canes are harvested at the first frost and go to natural drying (in the sun and in the open air). After this long period, the canes are then cut between each knot and then sawn in half lengthwise. Then comes a complex process of cutting, polishing and tabletting. A beveler will then cut the reeds very precisely at the level of its heart, its sides and the end. At the end of production, the reeds are classified by force and then packaged in their cases. The use of the bagpipes amazon for sale comes perfect here.

The strength of a reed

Contrary to what many people think, the strength of a reed is not due to its thickness at the end! It is a common misunderstanding in the saxophonistic sphere and I myself have believed it for years. Believe it or not, whether you have a reed of 1.5 or 5, the thickness is the same. The difference lies in its resistance. As we said above, the reed is alive (because it is wood) therefore subject to an incalculable number of variables from one cane to another.

How to choose the strength of your reeds?

In general, reed producers offer strengths of 1.5 to 4.5 / 5. The smaller the force , the less the reed will be resistant to the pressure given by the saxophonist. Conversely, the larger it is, the more resistance it will offer.

When the strength of the reed is weak, it will tend to facilitate the emission of low notes and make more difficult that of high notes. Reeds said to be weak will also have different sound characteristics from stronger reeds with a very pronounced “buzzy” effect and a rather weak sound in harmonics.

The stronger reeds, on the other hand, will tend more easily to project the high notes and make the emission of the lower notes difficult. On the other hand, they will offer a more “pure” sound rich in harmonics, but they will require more effort from the saxophonist. You can buy kilt sporrans on amazon also.

The strength of the reed is chosen according to your material

Indeed, the strength of the reed that you will choose, will depend on the beak (and on the ligature to a lesser extent) that you use.

The more the mouthpiece is closed, the more we will tend to choose a strong reed like 3 -3.5 or even 4 or more depending on the saxophonist. For example, the setup of a classic saxophonist accustomed to the closed mouthpiece is very often configured like this: a classic mouthpiece of Selmer C * or C ** style and a fairly strong reed of the Vandoren Classic 3.5 type.