How Do You Choose Alto Sax Reeds?
The basic starting point to getting the sound you want out of your alto sax is finding a suitable reed. Some companies produce reeds for genre specific use, like jazz or classical. Some brands are known for quality, others are known for cheap and easy use. There’s more than brand name when it comes to choosing reeds. Whether you want a sweet, honeyed tone or an aggressive holler, here’s a list of what to look for when picking a reed. It is commonly assumed that players use stronger reeds as they improve in skill. This is not totally true. Many seasoned jazz professionals use a #3 reed. Again it all depends on style. A reed’s strength determines how full notes sound, but very stiff reeds sometimes impede note production. The harder a reed is, the harder you have to blow to produce a note. Sometimes the intonation of low-end notes is adversely affected by stronger reeds. Most beginners use a softer #2 reed and work up to #3, which produces robust notes, but isn’t too difficult to play an
