What is all the FUSS ABOUT REEDS - Clarinet & Sax

What is all the FUSS ABOUT REEDS - Clarinet & Sax

I strikes me now, as I am now approaching my senior years, that clarinet and saxophone players do seem to fall into a couple of different categories regarding their attitudes toward reeds. I do not believe that  any player would wish to deny the importance and potential for both great satisfaction or disappointment with any reed brand, strength or type - after all we cannot play our instruments without a reed - but the range of behaviour evidenced by players towards their reeds is very great indeed.

I find it interesting to note the various ways in which reed manufacturers present their products for consumption in diverse markets and even more diverse customers. Over the years I have developed much sympathy for reed manufacturers when I think of the broad base of players whose requirements they are attempting to satisfy. Perhaps you might wish to take a moment to reflect on this subject - or even discuss it with your colleagues and musician friends - and see where you stand.

Do you fall into one or more of the following groups?

The LOYAL DEVOTEE - has played the same products and strengths for many years and perhaps even based the purchase of successive mouthpieces or instruments always relying upon the same reeds. Has little idea what is available in the 'wider world'.

The SEARCHER - has tried everything and wishes to know all about new products. May never have settled on any product for any length of time and, despite having tried many products, remains dissatisfied.

The COMPLAINER - has a favourite reed product and wishes to continue to play these reeds even though 'they do not play like they used to' and seems uninterested in experiencing alternative products.

The ACCEPTER - plays on just about anything, no matter how old / broken / dirty or difficult to use even though they know that their reed is not helping them to play their best.

The ADJUSTER - is quite happy to 'fiddle about' with reeds endlessly and cannot settle down to play or practice until every last adjustment has been made and is rarely satisfied.

The INSTANT performer - wishes every new reed selected to play perfectly straight out of the box and is disappointed when any reed displays any variation.

The PATIENT player - accepts that their reeds will never play well at first and is willing to work with a reed(s) for ages before it seems to finally be 'right'. Sometimes never experiencing their reed(s) in an optimum state.

The EXCUSER - not really interested in sorting out his/her reeds as blaming a reed for poor performance is too attractive an option. After all, if a reed works perfectly then he/she would have to look at themselves with greater scrutiny.

The IGNORANCE IS BLISS - by not taking an interest, not questioning the status quo, or never having learned from or observed others, this player has no idea (yet!) how the right reed for their needs could transform their playing.

I am not ashamed to admit to having evidenced 

most of the above behaviours at one point

 or other in my career. 

And now, as a result of my efforts, interests and enquiries, mistakes made and of course benefiting from hindsight and years of experience gained, I feel that I do now have the 'bigger picture' more clearly in my mind. I feel that the knowledge that I have gained through trial and error and after much listening to others as well has been very worthwhile not least because:

• I believe that I can 'make the most' out of almost any product
• I can get myself out of trouble when necessary 
• I know what a good reed is capable of and I know when I am being let down
• I believe that I can 'decipher' the terminology in product descriptions and understand essential information 
• I no longer feel threatened by new products - if they are not for me I do not bother - if they might be useful I give them a try
• I understand that all strengths are not created equal
• I understand and accept that not all products will work on my equipment
• I am open to surprises!

My blood pressure now only rarely rises in reed exasperation. My practice sessions have become more productive. My teaching is more informative and I feel that I am able to demonstrate problems and consequences more effectively. An extra benefit is that my conversations with other musicians are more varied and interesting now - reeds are almost never mentioned as they are considered too boring!

I wish you all well in your own progress to a better understanding of reeds and I hope you will find increased enjoyment in your playing as a result.

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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.


Thomas Dryer-Beers

Getting the Most from a Specialist Music Shop

Getting the Most from a Specialist Music Shop

Sometimes it pays to stop, take a deep breath, and think about what we as musicians expect from the music shops, specialist repairers and instrument manufacturers that we rely upon. Having trained as a performer on multiple woodwind instruments and as a result having to purchase and maintain many examples and various instruments over my lifetime I certainly have experience as a consumer of goods and services. Having also worked in the Music Industry in specialist shops selling and servicing instruments for nearly 3 decades to date I have also seen the 'other side' and there is much to share with those who might not have had this experience.

Here are the 'Bullet Points':

• Things can go wrong and accidents do happen despite the best efforts of all concerned
• Most mysteries can be explained when you understand the 'bigger picture'
• A musician's needs change over time - otherwise known as 'Progress'
• The purchase of a 'final instrument' is a myth for most players if you intend to get better and accept that products that might be attractive to you in the future are in continual development
• Transferring your anxieties to your equipment is rarely a good strategy
• Be Reasonable. The person with whom you might be frustrated is possibly the one who you will end up relying upon to sort out your problem
• Sometimes genuine 'Value for Money' does cost more and is worth the expense
• Quality products are usually better investments
• People whose livelihood depends upon customer service really do care 
• Hard earned reputations for good service are valuable and are based on fact
• Music is a 'People Business', customers are important and shop staff members do care
• Remember - The specialist advising you may actually know more than you do and in any event will likely be doing their best to help

....and the following is a bit of background that I am glad to share:

When we are learning to play a musical instrument both the beginner and parents are highly reliant on a teacher, where present, or word of mouth from colleagues and friends, when it comes to taking advice on instruments. When I was starting out so many things seemed baffling to me. I struggled to 'tongue' properly and just resolved to not use my tongue to separate notes - I just stopped blowing instead. This unfortunate habit took a lot of effort to undo. I can remember wondering for years why some of my school friends seemed to sound better than me and how it came as a great revelation that a player might upgrade a mouthpiece on their original instrument and that reeds came in different strengths and that by changing these things I too could play better! I also remember living with an unknown problem with the low notes on my saxophone not speaking until the day someone kindly explained that there the sax had adjustment screws that sometimes go out of position - a twist of a screwdriver and years of frustration were relegated to history. Perhaps needless to say I did not have a specialist shop, a knowledgeable teacher or a skilled repairer available to me in those early years.

Once I began to pursue music more seriously I became aware of a world of products, accessories, instruments, customisations and skills that were available. I began to experiment and tried many things. Practice suggestions, exercises, resource books, sheet music recommendations, etc were all of enormous interest. Items were recommended by more knowledgeable teachers, mouthpieces that friends were using and found inspiring and new reed possibilities were sampled. I sought out and spent time with repairers who offered tips and quick fixes to keep my instruments in top shape. I also read a great many articles from respected musicians who had contributed to journals and magazines. I listened to everyone who had an opinion on anything musical to discover from what further knowledge I might benefit. I did make mistakes, invested in things I only used briefly, bought poorly at times, and missed other opportunities - but I tried to learn from everything.

Then, many years later and quite unexpectedly, I found myself with the opportunity to move from full time performing and teaching into full time working in a specialist music shop. All the learning, the investment and attention that I paid over the decades of my studies, my on the job training and my previous experience helped to make my 'skill set' attractive to an employer. But it was only after entering the music industry that my real awareness began to develop. Suddenly, I had a responsibility to advise customers, to understand and grasp the intricacies of product ranges and to distil an increased awareness of a huge range of available accessories into a sensible presentation to others. I found myself regularly meeting with experienced players from many differing backgrounds and possessing a wide range of musical interests as well as many aspiring younger musicians. I was handling repair questions and requests from these customers on a daily basis, some questions were familiar to me but many also arose where I had to defer to more experienced colleagues and repairers - and those repairers were deferring back to me to test and approve their repair efforts. I found myself frequently liaising with manufacturers and distributors - learning of their challenges and obligations as suppliers. All in all this was a very significant advance on the knowledge that I had managed to accrue in my previous years of training and professional experience. The Specialist Shop environment encourages this type of learning and growth and I have been very grateful for the opportunities that came my way.

The learning curve never ends. Interesting, passionate people with greater knowledge than myself abound and I still seek them out. I try to listen more than I talk but I do look forward to the opportunity to share my knowledge with others when something I know or strongly believe in may be helpful to them. What goes around comes around. Please refer back to the bullet points above.

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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.


Thomas Dryer-Beers