Woodwind Instrument Tip - Reeds

Those of you out there who enjoy playing music will like this post, especially the woodwind players. I want to share a tip with you all about how to ensure the best sound quality from your reeds. Wether it's a saxophone, oboe, clarinet, etc., this will work for you. I personally play the saxophone and oboe so I know this works. 

So, it sounds quite awkward to do this, but what you do is soak your reeds in mouthwash. Not just to get it wet, you literally store your reed(s) in a cup or jar of mouthwash. You are probably thinking this is ridiculous and I did at first too. I learned this from a professional saxophone player from the United States Air Force. 

So, what exactly doe this do? It improves your intonation, improves quality of sound from the instrument, saves time that would usually be spent sucking on the reed, makes new reeds immediately useable, and keeps your reed clean of bacteria and germs. It also gives you minty fresh breath but that's besides the point. 

So, I am not telling you all to go out and do this, I am just suggesting it. Every time I go and play my saxophone now, I get a brilliant sound that I've never experienced before. It does stain your reed, so be aware of that, but that's not a big deal.

I hope you woodwind players out there enjoyed this tip. I'll post again sometime with other tips in music. Thanks for reading!

-Brandon K

- www.youtube.com/bkfennec

Comments

[Ann Smarty]

Great post! We need more entries like this. Keep up the great work!

[Rene]

I agree with David, this post is very well written.

[William]

I play T. Sax, I am so trying this....

[Brandon K]

Glad you guys liked the post. William, the brown type of mouthwash doesn't stain your reed if that's a concern. Also, at first, make a half water-half mouthwash solution because your reeds might burn your lip a little. Email me if you have questions! bkfennec@gmail.com