Is it time for a new reed?

You’ve been playing your reed for many months, and enjoying the freedom it gave you to just focus on the music. But how do you know when it’s time for a new one if the reed won’t die?

While they don’t just stop working mid-gig as a cane reed could, our reeds will soften over time. Eventually, the reed will soften too much, and it will cause it to not have the same quality of sound as a fresh new reed.  As the reed ages, it will become progressively weaker along with your lip muscles, making all reeds later used of the same strength seem too hard. We recommend that you keep at least two-three reeds on hand, being mindful to rotate your reeds periodically. This will help ensure your embouchure does not weaken and the strength of the reeds stays for a longer period.

After a few months, introduce a new reed to the rotation of the same cut and strength. If the reed plays significantly better, it is time to change them all. If not, you can begin retiring the oldest reed in the rotation and continue doing so when they become too soft. This can happen on average after 2-6 months of playing. Please note, some people get more time with their reeds, depending on how often and how hard they play. It also varies by how many reeds are in the rotation – the more reeds, the longer they will all last.