ON THE REED TIP
Breaking In Your Reeds
There's a lot of talk about reeds...what reeds to use, on what kind of mouthpiece, how to break them in et cetera, et cetera. I've been playing saxophone for a lot of years now and have just stumbled onto a method that I'm really excited about. So I thought I'd share...
First of all, I do think it's necessary to break in a reed before you expect much from it. I find that a reed that plays great right out of the box often blows out rather quickly whereas a reed given a proper break in period finds it's center and stays a little more consistent throughout it's term of use.
Here's what I've arrived at over the years...
DAY ONE
First, I soak my reeds in water for 3 - 5 hours. Some will say that's too long but my experience has found that a long and thorough first soak makes for a more stable and ultimately better playing reed.
After soaking I take each reed one by one and play it for about 20 or 30 seconds. I then wipe off the excess moisture and place it in one of those plastic Vandoren reed cases with the charcoal insert and cover that hold four reeds at a time. I've heard some folks advise applying some pressure on the reed in a sort of massaging motion with the thumb in order to compress the fibers but I don't do this.
DAY TWO
The next day I take each of the reeds one by one from the day before, wetting them in my mouth before playing. I don't re-soak them in water. The Vandoren reed cases keep the reeds from drying out completely. So when I put them in my mouth they are already pretty moist and the saliva just activates that moisture. Again, I play each reed for about 20 - 30 seconds and put it back in the reed case. I don't play the reeds too hard, just normal volume throughout the registers and that's it.
DAY THREE
same routine as the previous day
DAY FOUR
By now I find that the reeds are broken in and ready for action. During the past few days you may notice that the reeds seem to change. Sometimes they seem to get harder or sometimes softer. Sometimes a reed that seemed poor on the first day is good by the last day or vice versa. What I think happens is that the saliva breaks the fibers of the reed down to the point where they close up. And this is where the reed stays more consistent.
Now here's the twist that I just discovered...
Some saxophone players keep their reeds immersed in water all the time, 24/7. I tried this but found that they never really broke in and achieved that "locked in" feeling I get from the method above. Maybe you need the action of saliva in this break in period to get the fibers to close up, I really don't know. But what if you keep your reeds immersed in water AFTER the initial four day break in period?!? Guess what? I tried it and the reeds last an amazingly long time!
In the past I would notice that my reeds would break down and deteriorate over time after the break in period whether I played them a lot or not. I never let them dry out completely (once a reed warps it's pretty much gone) but I think it was the action of saliva on the reeds after the break in period was causing the deterioration and hence a shorter reed life. So with this method I've now got a bunch of broken in reeds that have been playing for three weeks and are still going strong. Before, I was lucky to have a reed last more than a few days on tour and maybe five days at home on a regular practice schedule. Now it's like they are in a state of suspended animation between playing sessions. Just rinse the reeds after playing to get the saliva off and be sure to change the water every day.
So try it and see if it works for you. As for what reeds, what mouthpieces and so on I really have little advice. I'm no equipment geek, I just look for something that works and stick with it.
Home * News & Updates... * Appearances
Biography/Press * Interviews/Articles/Reviews * Discography
In My Own Words... * Distribution * Mail Order * Bibliography * Bookings * Sites
Email Address
eskelin@earthlink.net