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Are soprano reeds troublesome?

2K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  CooolJazzz 
#1 ·
I've heard that the soprano sax is a somewhat troublesome horn. Does this also apply to the reed as compared to other saxophones?
 
#3 ·
As I've said on other threads--just try oboe, and the sop will seem easy. For me, the reeds are problems on all horns. The sop is much less a 'forgiving' horn. There's less 'slop' because, as Jf says, the size of the horn.
 
#5 ·
I don't think soprano reeds are any more problematic than any other kind of reed, but as others have agreed, the soprano is a much less forgiving instrument so the variations from reed to reed will be more noticeable. I usually get just as many useable reeds from a box of soprano reeds as I do from a box of alto reeds, and that's probably the best way to judge whether it's the reeds that are problematic or not. As always..."your mileage may vary" compared to mine.
 
#9 ·
Well I just got a couple of Legere reeds 2 and 2.5 strength. They worked well on clarinet as far as taking most of the reed problem out of the equation. So hopefully they will do the same for my sop. Some have argued that Legere's don't sound as good as cane and that may be true but they seem to be a lot less fussy.
 
#13 ·
I tried the Legere's, and while it's true that they may be a little less fussy (and last longer), my overall impression was that they didn't have as much flexibility of tonal character as cane reeds. On the other hand, the flexibility that I look for in a cane reed may be part of what gives some soprano players problems.
 
#8 ·
In the past, before I switched to synth reeds, my experience was also the bigger the reed, the longer it lives. Soprano therefore had the shortest lived reeds. 1-2 gigs with soprano reeds, several weeks with baritone reeds (same brand). Dunno if it still applies.
 
#12 ·
A bad soprano reed on a bad soprano mouthpiece plays like a bad reed.
A good reed on a bad soprano mouthpiece plays like a bad reed.

Some reed manufacturers seem to put more effort into, or at least are more successful in, making their soprano reeds, so more good reeds that last longer.

I really cannot remember the last bad soprano reed I encountered from my go-to makers. And I don't do any extra preparation of the reeds. I play them right out of the box.

And I have cane reeds that are 6 months old that play great, although lighter than they were 6 months ago.

In no particular order (and with varying sound qualities): Marca, Alexander, Hemke, Vandoren Traditional, Legere, Brancher Opera, Hahn.
 
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