Which Reed?

It can be difficult to know which reed is right for you, especially when you're overcome by all these different strengths and reed cuts. This should show you  where to begin and how you can progress to different reeds as you develop your sound.

Where to Start?

The reed is fundamental in creating the sound : as it is played, it vibrates, and sends soundwaves through the clarinet, which project out the bore and bell. When you first begin, it is always recommended you make blowing as easy as possible.

• Reeds come in various strengths, usually between 1 to 5, and by choosing the weakest strength reed, you are getting a reed that vibrates the most easily. Therefore, by using the weaker strength, it is much easier to make a sound on, so this would be recommended to start with. You don't want to choose a reed that's too hard to blow at this stage as this can hinder your learning.
• There are two basic reeds that beginners start learning on, Rico Orange Box and Vandoren Traditional.
• Rico reeds are often preferred for their easy playability and low cost. Often mistaken as just 'beginners' reeds, Rico Orange Box Reeds make a sweet, full sound with very little resistance. A beginner would find strength 1.5 reeds suitable, which you can find here. 
• Vandoren Traditional reeds are another popular choice among beginners and professionals alike due to the depth of sound on offer. However, they offer more resistance than their Rico counterparts, which means you'll find the equivalent strength Rico to be listed as stronger. As a result, you may want to go for a reed half a strength softer. A beginner can start with strength 1 reeds, which you can find here.
• Juno reeds are a newer offering from Vandoren, and are much softer to play on whilst keeping that classic Vandoren sound, making them ideal for beginners. They start with 1.5 strengths which you can find here.
• Slowly, as your embouchure and air flow develops, you can increase the strength of the reed until you feel comfortable. Increasing the strength of the reed can help develop tonal quality and make the pitch more stable. 

Reed Anatomy

•  The tip of the reed is the thinnest, most delicate, part of the reed. It is the first part to vibrate and send soundwaves down the instrument. Generally, the thinner the tip, the more responsive the reed can be, whereas a thicker tipped reed would be less so.
• The vamp can directly affect the tone of the reed: A shorter vamp often offers more focus to the sound and is favoured in classical genres. Whereas, a longer vamp can be more flexible and responsive, and is often preferred by jazz or contemporary players.
• The edges of the vamp affect the response of the reed the most, whereby if one was to file them down, it would make more of the reed vibrate. 
• The heart of the reed is very important and gives the reed its sense of focus and structure. The thickness of the heart can vary on different reeds and can also affect how a reed responds. You can see the heart of the reed when you hold a reed up to the light. The less light that is let through shows how thick the heart of the reed is and you can also see the shape of the cut too. The more even and symmetrical reeds are going to give you the best response and cleanest sound.
• The way the shoulders of the reed are treated can also have a massive affect on how the reed plays. An Unfiled reed will leave the bark on the shoulders intact helping to keep the natural resistance of the reed. A Filed reed has this bark removed and results in much more vibrant and responsive reed.
• The thickest blanks (uncut reeds), make a darker and warmer sound. Reeds are scraped and sanded down to the tip, where the thickest could well produce a darker sound if that’s what you need. A thinner reed would produce a softer sound more easily, and can be slightly brighter in tonal quality.
• Reeds can also control how focussed your sound can be, for instance, if a reed is a lot thinner at the edges compared to the heart it can produce a more focused, pure sound. Whereas, if there is less of a difference between the heart of the reed and the tip/edges (particularly on a thick blank), then a richer and deeper sound can be achieved. The reed would also tend to have a higher longevity if the latter is the case.  

 

Making The Cut...

There are 'American' cut and 'French' cut reeds: The French cut, (Vandoren for example), is where the 'heart' of the reed is much more V shaped, whereas the American scrape is a less defined U shape. This affects how the reed responds: French cut reeds are more responsive and are usually suited to the classical genre, whereas American cut reeds have more core to them and offer themselves more to the Jazz or Klezmer style. It may also depend on what mouthpiece you use too, as there is a fine balance between choosing the right mouthpiece with the right reed: A French cut would generally suit a darker sounding mouthpiece and a Standard cut would suit more of a brighter sounding mouthpiece. 

 

Tips

•  You generally want to be playing as hard a reed as you can manage. This will allow for the best sound, intonation and control. However, if you go too hard then you will find the instrument stuffy and hard to play with a muffled and fuzzy tone quality. If you are consistently finding this from reed to reed then step back a half strength and wait for your embouchure to naturally work it's way up. Remember it's all about what works and is comfortable for you.
• There is a wide selection of reeds available. Our guide above will help explain the terms you will find on the product descriptions to help you find the right reed for you. In many cases it is best to try a few different reeds and see which ones best suits you.
• Try them in the environments you usually play in, and see which ones help you to make the sound you're trying to achieve. You may want a dark sound; a bright sound; a focussed sound; a round sound;- with less or more resistance - its completely up to you and your needs, and its important that it works comfortably for you.
• As mentioned above, not all reeds are of the same strength and you may need to change the strength depending on the reed in question. For a detailed reed strength comparison chart please follow the link here for helping you choose your reed.

 

Caring for Your Reeds

• It's important to look after your reeds as they are very delicate, particularly when attaching or removing them from the mouthpiece. When you are done, place the reeds back in the plastic cases that they came with. This will also allow them to dry flat.
• It is good to soak your reeds in luke warm water for a few minutes before you first play them. This will soften the cane evenly and make it easier to begin playing on.
• You can store them in a reed case to keep them safe and have more than one reed to play on. Clarinettists would usually use them in turn on a rotating basis.  You can find a selection of reed cases here.
• It is vital that you always have a spare reed that you know you are comfortable with, as you never know what could happen to the reed you were planning on using.

 

Synthetic Reeds

Not all reeds are made from cane, where you can now get synthetic reeds such as Fibracell and Legere. Cane reeds suffer from being a natural product as much as they benefit from it. The first problem you will often face is that as a natural product Cane Reeds can be very inconsistent, even within the same box, and can often vary in strength, response and longevity. The second problem is that cane reeds take on a lot of moisture whilst you are playing and then dry out while you aren't. This causes the wood to warp and the reed tip to go all wavy which will compromise the response and function of the reed.

 Synthetic reeds don't suffer from these problems due to the materials they are made from meaning one reed will last a very long time and stay truer for longer. You will also find that when it is time to replace the reed the replacement should be identical in response and sound. Synthetic reeds are a little stiffer but cut thinner than natural cane due to the material. The Legere European Signature series are the brightest and least resistant reeds, whereas the Legere Classic series produce a much darker tone, hence the thicker cut. Due to the precise consistency of Legere reeds, they are able to provide these reeds in 1/4 sizes so you can really fine tune just which strength it is you need. These synthetic reeds are very useful for doublers and players who swap instruments in a performance.