What size reed is best for alto sax?

As a beginner saxophone player, a size 1.5 reed is the right reed to start with. This is a nice soft reed, and it’s the easiest reed for you to get a nice clear sound on your saxophone. You’ll probably find that you move onto the next size up pretty quickly, but a 1.5 is the best beginner reed.

What Reed strength should I use for alto sax?

Most beginners start by using La Voz or Rico reeds, because they are the cheapest brands. A size 2 reed is a great place to start for a beginner. Play on it for a while before switching to a 2.5, unless it feels entirely too soft, then 2.5 is okay. Size 3 is definitely too hard for a beginner though.

What reed is best for beginner alto sax?

For beginners it is generally recommended to start with a 2. If a beginner would start with a 1 or 1 1/2 reed, there may be some difficulty with playing very many notes because the reed is too weak to support the playing.

What is the hardest saxophone reed?

5
Some manufacturers label strength with words instead, rating it “soft,” “medium” or “hard.” The standard scale for saxophone reed strength runs from 1 through 5, with 1 being the softest and 5 being the hardest reed. If you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with a softer reed, usually about a 2.

What number reed should I use?

The normal range for reeds is 2 to 5: the lower the number, the thinner the reed, and the higher the number, the thicker the reed. The thickness of the reed will affect the tone and how easy or difficult the instrument is to play. In general, a thinner reed, say 2 or 2.5, will have a brighter tone.

What size reed should a beginner use?

sizes 1½ – 2
It is recommended for beginners or young students to start with sizes 1½ – 2, or “soft” reeds, and move up to a thicker reeds as they progress. As you purchase your reeds, make sure that you are buying the correct size for your specific instrument. Saxophone reeds differ from clarinet reeds.

What size reed should a beginner sax player use?

2
The thickness of the reed will affect the tone and how easy or difficult the instrument is to play. In general, a thinner reed, say 2 or 2.5, will have a brighter tone. Thinner reeds vibrate more easily, so they are good for beginners.

Should you soak new reeds?

You should soak your reeds for about one minute with saliva. This ensures that the reed is moist enough to play well without being so wet that it becomes waterlogged. If the reed is brand new, you may want to soak it more thoroughly with water for about twenty minutes before working with it.

What strength reed should I get?

In general, a thinner reed, say 2 or 2.5, will have a brighter tone. Thinner reeds vibrate more easily, so they are good for beginners. Players of popular music or jazz often prefer this brighter tone and thus use thinner reeds.

How do you break in a new reed?

5 Steps to Break-In Your Reeds:

  1. Take the reed out of its packaging.
  2. Dip in water and massage the cane to seal and close the pores.
  3. Do this for 3 days.
  4. On the 4th day, play for only a few minutes.
  5. Gradually increase the time playing the reed by a few minutes each day until a week has passed.