Proper Reed Placement

[ronaldodn]

I found this on the Charlies A web site

"...Proper Reed Placement
I have been a professional musician and teacher for many years and not until just a few years ago did I know how to properly place the reed on the mouthpiece. It's a very simple but major part of "good playing performances" as well as a consistency when changing reeds or mouthpieces.

The formula, if you would call it that, is very SIMPLE and it works. Place the reed on your mouthpiece. Fit it so that when it is in fixed position with the ligature tightened) and you press down on the tip of the reed it touches the tip of the mouthpiece, or the tip rail more properly stated. The reed should be perfectly matched to the tip of the mouthpiece. Be sure that it does not come up shorter than the tip rail nor longer than the tip rail -- just exactly even!! This will give you full use of your mouthpiece in that this position will allow complete reed vibration on the entire rail of the mouthpiece, including the tip, and will give you the full range of overtones that is possible from the mouthpiece that you have. This will give you the best possible tone quality and flexibility from your piece that you could expect.

I know that there are a lot of advocates that say "place the reed a little longer than the tip rail and you will get more edge" (this used to be my way) and others that believe in placing it a little bit shorter than the tip rail but the truth is that if you will use this correct placement each time then I can guarantee you the best performance available.

I learned this from Santy Runyon one of the greatest teachers ever on saxophone and I have been so grateful that he told me this. Now I know that each time I put the reed on my mouthpiece it will respond the same way.

So Santy I say, "thank you," and if you follow this principal you will want to thank him too. "


This is the correct way to place the reed ??? Please help me.

Tks

Ronaldo

[Gaijin-san]

I have always inherently placed my reeds this way, without ever having been instructed specificly to do it. What this actually does is this. When you line up your reed to your tip rail so that it is visually matched from head on (looking at the reed with the mouthpiece behind the reed), now turn the whole mouthpiece in your hand so that you look at it in profile. When profiling the mouthpiece and reed, the reed looks like it actually extends beyond the mouthpiece tip rail. If you were to push the reed down towards the tip rail, closing the gap, the reed would align perfectly with the tip rail.

Does anybody align their reeds differently for any particular reason?

[Ritchie]

Yes, it is correct. There is however some tolerance, and you may place the reed a little bit shorter than the very tip. That's why the tip rail is flat. But always place the reed ON the tip rail.

[ronaldodn]

Tks Richie and Gaijin-san for your help. The awnwers of both of you guys help me alot.

Tks

Ronaldo

[Cameron Wigmore]

Once one gets used to placing their reed properly on their mouthpiece they can try a trick I learned. If the tip rail isn't too thin, you can move the reed back or forward about one millimeter each way. This affect the strength and resistance of the reed greatly. If you move it back, it feels softer. The practical applications of this are when you have to borrow a reed, are breaking in a reed, or are trying to get the last note out of it.