Pros with Soft Reeds.

[zorroperro]

Besides the tip opening, wich we all know it is crucial, we know that Brecker plays with number 2 reeds, Gato Barbieri also had very soft reeds. Lee Konitz too.

Can you add some others?

[Bill Mecca]

Big Jay McNeely plays with a 1.5 or thereabouts.

[zorroperro]

What's Big Jay Mouthpiece... I know Plas Johnson played the Pink Panther theme with a 1.5 plasticover, but his mouthpiece was .166...

[Clarinophonist]

Julian Adderley played a strength 2 if im not mistaken

[benjamin1979]

is joe henderson playing a tenor selmer D with la voz medium soft?

[altoblues]

lee konitz is actually notorious for playing quite hard reeds. lately he's been messing around with a new vandoren mouthpiece with a long lay and large opening, and used some soft reeds with that in the beginning, but has moved back up to fairly strong reeds ...

... steve lacy used a 1 1/2 (with a 13 opening!!)

[Bill Mecca]

I don't think Jays mpc is all that big, I have seen pictures of him playing HR, (Brilhart/) STM Links, and Dukoffs but he is known for incredibly long solos, he says he liked the control of a soft reed, depending upon the crowd, when he was amongst it, he could play soft and sweet for a lovely young lady, or scream it nasty for a ruff and tumble guy.

[bass9396]

Sort of on topic.....soft reed, large tip opening, large window = big sound or bright sound? Or both? Whaddaya think? If bright, does anyone think it's possible to create dark sound under these conditions?

[Joey the Saint]

Big sound, definitely. I play a .130 or .115 on tenor with a 2 1/2 baritone sax reed. Bright may have something more to do with the mouthpiece/horn combo; I played these pieces on a Yamaha 62 tenor and they were shrill, but on my Martins the sound is dark and complex. I get a Lockjaw / Clarence Clemons tone when I push it, more of a woofy Plas sound when I play soft.

Bright mpc + dark horn = complex tone.

[Sigmund451]

Im certainly no pro but like most Ive moved from soft to firmer reeds. However, recently I have "rediscovered" the benefits of soft reeds on open pieces. The flexibility is a challenge but Ive found it much more expressive.

[tdeane]

Brecker doesn't play #2 reeds. He has played La Voz medium for years.