How to Break In Your Clarinet and Saxophone Reeds
Date Posted: December 02, 2023
5 Simple Steps to Make Your Reeds Sound Better and Last Longer
A good break-in process helps reeds adjust to their new environment and gradually get used to making music. After all, it’s a plant remember?! It’s never been asked to do this before! It needs to be treated gently out of the box and given time to recover. Here’s what to do:
1. Open your new box and carefully remove a few reeds from the FlowPack or packaging.
2. Moisten reed with saliva or water. Do not over soak. 5-10 seconds is plenty.
3. Play each reed for a few minutes
4. Remove from mouthpiece, wipe off saliva, and store in a quality case.
5. Play reeds progressively longer each day for a week. By the week’s end, your reed should be responding crisply and sounding full.
*Reeds that are hard to begin with might take a little more time to break in.