Let’s talk about reeds…
You can’t play clarinet without one so what are they exactly?
A very abbreviated definition: The reed is a small shaped piece of wood that is placed on the mouthpiece. When the reed is moist and the player blows through the mouthpiece the reed vibrates against the mouthpiece creating sound.
1. Where do I get reeds?
Reeds can be purchased in different quantities depending on where you’re buying them. Singles and multi-packs of three or four can be purchased at your local music store. Boxes of reeds (10 to a box) can usually be purchased at your local store or definitely online. Here are a couple websites I use that have great reed selections and are reasonably priced.
Woodwind Brasswind has a great selection of all reeds and accessories for all band instruments.
Musicians Friend is more of a contemporary website, think Guitar Center online, but with more band instrument reeds and accessories.
WeinerMusic is more of a classical music hub. It has reeds and accessories for all band instruments as well as gifts, general accessories and some music books.
2. How many should I have?
Ideally you should be buying a box of reeds at a time since reeds break, chip, or go soft over time. This allows you to rotate through your reeds each time you play so that you don’t use one reed exclusively then have to break a new one in when that -precious and perfect- reeds becomes unusable.
At minimum you should have 4 reeds that you are rotating through with at least 1 back up new reed.
3. How should I store the reeds I’m currently using?
All reeds come in their own plastic or cardboard sleeves. These are great for short term storage but present the risk of breaks or chips (especially with the cardboard sleeves). So, it’s best to store your reeds in a case that keeps the reed flat, protects the tip, and prevents mildew by being pretty airtight around the reeds.
I recommend a couple of different cases that are easy to use, protect the reed, and even allow you to identify which reed is your #1 reed and which is to only be used as a last resort!
This it the reed case I use, and I have had the same case for over 10 years. I love it and it does a great job. This case holds up to 12 reeds and even has numbers on each slot making reed rotation a breeze. It also securely snaps closed, so you don’t have any reeds escaping accidentally.
This is the basic reed holder that I suggest for all of my beginning students. It holds 4 reeds, 2 on each side, and keeps the reeds flat and protects them from chips and breaks while in the instrument case. Rarely do these come numbered, but sometimes they will have very small numbers on the side for reed rotation purposes.
4. What should I do if they break or chip?
A chipped or broken reed, although it may still play, is a ticking time bomb. At any moment a squeak, squeal, or otherwise make any number of undesired sounds ruining that big solo or just not speak at all! A chipped reed isn’t worth that risk. Just throw it away. Really. It’s ok.
-Now that we’ve covered the basics lets talk about reed brands-
Just like brands and models of clarinets there are brands and sizes of reeds that the player can chose from. Some brands are better than others and many players have their own firm opinions about which are best for what and so forth. So these are my recommendations for reeds for the beginning to intermediate student.
Juno – Student Reed
These reeds are pretty new on the market, about the last 3 to 5 years. They’re actually made my Vandoran,which surprised me since they’re marketed to student players. For student reeds they speak easily and sound pretty good. I would rate them on par or a little higher than my next choice.
Rico or Rico Royal – Student Reed
This brand has been around for quite some time and I even used them when I was just beginning to play. Both are good reeds for beginners but most stores will recommend Rico just because the reed is softer and easier to get sound when first starting out. In my experience Rico Royal sound better and don’t chip as badly as the softer Rico brand. Both Rico and Rico Royal come in a wide range of sizes but most beginners should start with a size 2. These reeds won’t last that long and the student will need to move up a size or two within the first year of playing alone to continue to have a good sound.
Vandoran – Intermediate
Vandoran is a very well known brand, and for good reason. They are nice reeds that don’t chip as much, keep their strength longer, and sound better than the Rico or Rico Royal brand. I usually transition my students to Vandoran reeds after a year or two of playing. Although I categorize these as an intermediate reed, they really are for all players.
A couple things to remember with Vandoran:
They typically come about 1/2 strength harder than other reed brands. This means if you used to play on a Rico Royal 2.5 and want to transition to Vandoran, you’ll need to start with a Vandoran 2. It’s just the way that Vandoran reeds are made, they usually have a thicker reed heart and thus are known to be a bit harder than other reed brands.
There are different types of Vandoran reeds for all the different woodwind instruments. For Clarinets the most common are:
Blue Box Reeds – the most common reed, and the most easily accessible. They are called blue box reeds by musicians even though that’s not their name, just the color of the box, which I’ve always personally found hilarious.
V12 (My preferred reed)– the next most common i would say. These are cut a little different and tend to run on the harder size in strength
V21 – this one a bit harder to find in stores, and usually comes as part of a multi-pack with V12 or 56 Collection.
Other Reed Brands that I’ve tried
Mitchel Laurie made by Rico
These reeds have potential and I know colleagues who exclusively play on these but I found them to be a but of the lottery out of the box. I never knew if they’d play well or if I’d have to work on them and more often then but they needed more sanding/shaving out of the box then I was willing to do.
Rico Reserve
I actually liked these especially for the price point and they come in different cuts like the Vandoran. They have a nice sound out of the box and need minimal work to sound nice. Big downside: they go soft quite quickly, which means for me I was replacing about one reed every week.
A couple reed brands to avoid:
Okay, I have an extreme aversion to reeds from Amazon or eBay that aren’t the normal name brands you can find on the music websites or in your local music store. This means any super cheap reed, usually from China. They are made from inferior cane, are cut very strangely, and don’t do well with the normal methods of sanding/shaving/polishing. Not only that, but they sound AWFUL. Kind of like the green clarinets from Ebay these reeds are not to be trusted. I’ve listed a couple brands here that I’ve seen students bring to lessons, beware, they are awful.
Now that you know where to buy your reeds, how to care for them and which reeds to buy, you’re ready to start playing! So put that clarinet together, suck on that reed, and get practicing.
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