When To Stop Using a Reed
The decision to throw away a reed can be a difficult one. Generally, a reed is considered to be ‘worn out’ when it stops performing well. If you are a beginner, however, it may be unclear whether a sudden decrease in performance is due to the reed. So, my goal for this article is to provide you with a guide to when you should retire an old reed.
You should stop using a reed when it squeaks, sounds pinched, or is less responsive than your other reeds. Any chips or cracks in the reed is a sign that you should immediately replace it.
In general, you will notice issues occur unexpectedly. If you notice issues that seem to be due to your reed, I recommend letting it rest (that is, don’t play on it) a few days before throwing it out. If the performance doesn’t improve after a few days, then the reed is likely worth retiring.
It is important that you rotate through your reeds. This is the only way that you will be able to tell whether the problem is with one particular reed. Don’t use the same reed two days in a row. If you are playing on a reed for more than one hour, switch it out.
Ideally, you should probably have a plastic reed as a backup. Plastic reeds tend to be highly consistent. If you suspect you have a problem with a reed, you can try comparing its performance to that of your plastic reed. If the issue is with the plastic reed, it may be worth having a second one.
The specific plastic reed I recommend are the Legere Signatures. The performance of these is better than any other plastic reed I’ve played.
Individual criteria for reed replacement
I generally look for specific issues when I’m thinking of replacing a reed. There are some problems for which you should replace the reed immediately. If the reed is chipped or cracked, get rid of it. It will never play consistently again.
Otherwise, try to notice if you encounter any of the following problems. If you do, try using a different reed and see if the problem is solved. If it is solved, the problem may be the reed. Let it rest for a few days to see if the problem persists, and throw it out (or modify it) if it does.
Sudden onset of bright/buzzy sound
If a reed is particularly worn out, it will lose its tone quality. You will most likely sound pinched no matter what you do, and the reed may seem to “buzz” in a way that it did not previously. Pay careful attention to your quality of sound if you are considering throwing a reed away.
Sudden onset of squeaks
Bad reeds may squeak more than usual. This may happen unpredictably, or it may happen on specific notes.
You have to be careful when diagnosing the cause of the squeaks as being due to the reed. I find that plastic reeds tend to squeak less in general. Even if you don’t have the same issue with your plastic reed, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should rush to throw your cane reed away.
First confirm that your plastic reed is not having the same issue. The reed definitely isn’t the issue if even your plastic reed is squeaking. Assuming your plastic reed works fine, start comparing the squeaky reed to your other cane reeds. Do they all squeak, or just the one? If all of them squeak, the problem may be that you aren’t wetting them enough.
If the squeaks only seem to occur for that one reed, however, then it is probably time to replace it.
Sudden difficulty playing
Reeds that have been played on for a long time don’t vibrate as well as they used to. This may mean that you struggle to get a sound out of the reed, if you are able to do so at all.
If a reed simply won’t play after you’ve been using it for a while, that is a relatively sure sign that it is time to retire the reed. Reeds that just stop playing usually cannot be revived through modification; they’re simply dead and you probably won’t get anywhere with them.
It is still worthwhile to try your other reeds and let the reed rest before making the decision to throw it away. It probably won’t show any signs of recovery, though.
This typically only happens to reeds after you’ve played on them for a long time. The other two issues I mentioned above usually happen first.
Extending life of reeds
You can make your reeds last longer by rotating through them (never using the same reed two days in a row) and storing them in a humidity-controlled case when they are not in use.
We’ve discussed rotating reeds already – it’s important in order to determine whether a specific problem is due to your reed.
However, rotating reeds also serves another critical purpose. Reeds last longer when they are not overused, and cycling through them prevents their overuse.
In short, don’t use the same reed for more than an hour at a time. After using a reed, let it sit for a day without being used at all. Then you can use it for another hour.
The way that you store reeds is also important. They should be in a humidity-controlled reed case, preferably one with a ridged surface (to prevent warping). You can find one such reed case here.
Conclusion
For advanced reed musicians, determining when a reed is worth throwing away often comes down to intuition. For beginners, however, it can be difficult to determine whether the issue is with the reed specifically.
If you are a beginner, I recommend you stick to the methods offered in this article for a while. Know that you will eventually develop an intuitive sense for whether your reed is performing well, and that this will ultimately help make the decision process easier.
