More on beginning saxophone issues from Randy Hunter. His lessons and books are available through Sax Station- Beginning Sax Lessons
Randy:
My recommendation is that you play with a student model mouthpiece for about a year. It takes this long to develop a solid embouchure and conception of the tone you are looking to produce.
Begin with a couple of cheap number two reeds. If you are careful not to break them, they should provide two or three weeks of play time. Afterwards, move up to number 2.5 reeds.
You will likely find a good deal of inconsistency in reeds. For this reason, I recommend having two or three reeds on a rotation. This way you will be more likely to tell if any problems you have are reed or embouchure related.
You’ll know a reed needs replacing when:
– the tone starts to suffer.
– you start experiencing a lot of squeaks.
– you begin having difficulties playing the high register.
– the tuning begins to suffer.
Generally, you can expect to get 2-3 weeks of play time from most decent reeds.
Randy Hunter
Jazz Saxophone Instructor
Artist Affiliate
Emory University
Atlanta
Author: “Beginning Saxophone: The Jazz Approach”
Author: “Complete Jazz Styles” etude, duet, and jazz combo books
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