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(putting this in the main forum because it seems like hardly anyone goes in the subforums)
clarinet players!
What size and brand of reeds do you use?
i haven't really played clarinet since middle school, and i'm going to college this fall to be in the marching band. they don't have a guard, which is what i've been doing through high school, so i tried to practice. i didn't know what reeds i should be using, so i tried to get 2.5s like the one i had from 8th grade (at my old school in 6th and 7th, our band teacher never said anything about what size we should be playing on so i just stuck with what i had), but they didn't have any so i got a 2 and a 3 at the store, but the 3 was hard. i could play, but it was kinda painful. what size should i try to work up to? and how long will that take?

wow really? i've always thought i was playing on too low of a reed, even back in middle school, but no one ever said anything to me...and i did notice that it seemed like i had less control over the higher notes than i remember, but whatever works i suppose! i asked a friend of mine and he said he played on a 4 and i was like eek cuz thats pretty high in my opinion

lol yeah i wasn't trying to say your reed was too low. sorry! not what i meant. whatever works biggrin

I recently switched from a rico royal 3 to a rico royal 3.5, curtesy of the notes to upgrade on my allstate score sheet.

I'm personally not a fan of the ricos, partially because my middle school director told us Ricos were the outcast reeds, and required us to use Royals, Vandorens or Michell Lurie.

Size and brand is based on the player really. If you can hit all the notes you need to hit with a good sound on a 2, go for it. Stronger reeds usually hit high notes better, so most first parts I see use 3.5 or 4.(Me and the other top 2 in my band use 3 and 3.5, but our music isn't very high or challenging)

A niote: when I firstt started using the 3.5, it was easier to play, but I could play for less time because it would start to hurt. Its just because you aren't used to it. Harder reeds usually take a bit longer to get used to, and some practice is required to be able to play on them for long periods of time.

For college, I personally suggest a 3, at least. All college kids I have met, even beginners, use 3 or higher. Yeah, it hurts for now, but with practice it should get easier. If not, you could try going back down.

Oh, no worries, i knew what you meant mrgreen

If it's just for marching band, I wouldn't worry about it too much since no one will be hearing YOU individually. For marching band, I've never worried about playing on my nicer reeds or anything. A size 3 Rico or Rico Royal does the trick. I think Rico's are a bit louder too and project well, which can be good if that's what your band is looking for.

My band director made sure all reed sections knew how to properly pick, manipulate, and take care of their reeds and evidently it paid off since we got 5th in the state at TMEA's Honor Band competition and have many All-State reed players each year including first chairs in multiple sections.

A two is way too soft of a reed for anybody out of middle school. The minimum I'd suggest is a three, otherwise you won't get a good, deep, resonant, and rich sound out of your clarinet. It will be hard to play at first and you'll probably start off with a very raspy sound but that's because the harder the reed is, the more air support is needed to make the reed vibrate. It forces you to project more and therefore requires more control of your embouchure. You'll learn how to control your sound as you go. [[That's a totally different story.]]

And yes, it will hurt. It always hurts the first few times you play clarinet regardless of what reed you choose, but you'll get used to it over time.

As far as brands go, I suggest going with a Vandoren, Michell Lurie, or Royals for better quality of sound. Much preferably a Vandoren. Can't go wrong with that brand.