Are Synthetic Reeds The Future?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this video, I try out Légère reeds for classical (Signature Edition) and jazz (American Cut Edition) alto saxophone. I am pleasantly surprised at how good they are! Though, I must say that the strength 3 Légère was a bit too thin for my taste. If you play on a 3 Vandoren, perhaps a stronger strength for the synthetic reed is the right move.
Table of Contents:
0:00 Intro
0:35 Légère's Growing Reputation
1:35 Unboxing Légère Reeds
3:34 First impressions
4:10 Comparing the Classical Reeds
7:39 First impression of the Jazz
9:16 Comparing the Jazz Reeds
11:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
13:25 Outro
13:32 Ritual
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me, having never touched a saxophone in my life : *hmm yes this strength 3 Légère Signature reed has a really nice mid register indeed*
Lolol
_a pristine balance of the highs and lows_
me who has a saxophone yet understanding nothing: *_agreed_*
I made the same comment lmao
lollolloolllllll
After using synth reeds once: " I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees"
If only they were made from trees and not cane. Good joke tho
LOL
Piano reeds?
“I am the Lorsax, I speak for the reeds”.
@@JarlTryggve LMAO
As a tuba player I can say officially say “yep it sounds like a saxophone”
Definitely not me…
As a trumpet player I can say the same.
@@TrumpetGuy26 twinsies
Twinsies
As a freshman tuba boi, I can confidently say the plastic thing is oboe
As an oboe player I can officially say, "that sounds better than any noise i can make."
lol all oboes in my band can agree
As a fellow oboe player who also plays saxophone i can confirm that it indeed sounds better than any sound I can make on either instrument
Bro, oboe is the most warming, emotional-stirring instrument in the orchestra. My honest opinion
Fr yall sound like ducks
fellow oboe and can confirm this
Him after playing literally anything:
😀
Lol
Lol
Lol
Lol
Lol
The knife edits are getting scarier and scarier
🤩
Not as scary as watching him actually use the knife to open the box.
@@nick_cnc not as scary as him stabbing 4 reeds into each other and pretending they’re a propeller
@@tommymulcahy2717 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Knifeologic.
As a cello player I can confirm that this does indeed sound like a saxophone.
As a keyboard player, those were indeed reeds for saxophone
As a violist, I can also confirm that this does sound like a saxophone
As a clarinetist, I can confirm that it sounds like a saxophone
As a bass player, that was indeed music played on a saxophone with slightly different intonations.
As a percussionist I am skeptical on its saxophoneness
As a clarinet player who has never been within 10 miles of a saxophone, I can agree this sounds like a great saxophone
You've never been in band?
As a clarinet player who has been within 10 miles of a saxophone, I can agree this sounds like a great saxophone
Me, a French Horn player: *Interesting*
as a trumpet player I'm also kind of confused why I'm here
French Horn gang
And I play the cornet
Lmao I play bass
flute gang
The true test would be on a synthetic sax.
A what
comment of the week!
Grafton plastic Alto would like a word.
Yes. For cane need to be a cane sax !! Hahaha
And a synthetic player too
Heard a teacher say it like this, "You want to spend more time playing your saxophone and not battling your reed". Cane reeds have a peek and then they quickly deteriorate even in perfect conditions. Legere eliminates that while not sacrificing the core sound of the saxophone.
Who sent you
As a guitar player I can really see how this will change the saxophone musical landscape
Here’s my thought process about using synthetic reeds: with cane reeds I can “sound” the best I can if I spend time adjusting/picking out/breaking in reeds to get them to play their best and maybe once a week I get a really good “prime” reed. The rest of the time I’m playing, I sound 80-90% as good as my full potential. With synthetics, I sound 95% as good as that perfect cane reed, but the difference is that I’m playing at 95% every day where as with cane, I was playing as low as 80% depending on the day.
I switched to synthetics because the consistency means all the time I was spending breaking in reeds, adjusting them, anticipating the humidity etc. can go towards practicing and there’s no more hoping that your perfect reed from the night before will work for tomorrow’s performance.
Yeah for any instrument, having that consistency is key. I don't play brass but I've noticed this asw when comparing synthetic vs gut strings on my violin. Gut sounds better in a lot of instances, but they go out of tune super quick and they take longer to break in.
I'm honestly surprised how many factors can effect a reed, though I'm not super well-versed in how instruments like that work in the first place. I should probably do some research into that, learning about other instruments is always fun.
That's a great point....and I'd like to add, I've been using them for three years now, and I have yet to "use one up". I have changed reeds to try a different 'type', but my old ones are still here if I want to use them again.
I haven't tried full synth yet, but I am using Plasticover (D'Addario) reeds and I'm loving being able to just pick up and play + they last ages. I noticed some damage after a few months of playing a single reed, whereas I'd have to switch between regular reeds.
GREAT POINT
I’m an oboe student and have lots of problems with reeds. I’ve wondered if I should try synthetic.
I have a friend who plays both Normal and Synthetic reeds. He say's he likes to play normal while practising and then then the Synthetic ones while performing. He likes that he doesn't have to worry about himself sounding bad while performing because he doesn't have to worry that if he left the normal one out for too long, it would squeak or do other funky things while performing
I don't quite understand that process as, the synthetic reeds are so robust, you really can't "use them up". I have a three year old Synth reed that works perfectly fine......so not sure why one would try to set a synth reed aside for practicing.
Or, he just didn't want to waste his money. The Legere reeds are addicting. Once you play them, there's no going back. He might just be one of those people who overbuys reed and didn't want to waste his coins for nothing. I still have 8 1.5 and 4 2.0, and 5 2.5 reeds sitting and collecting dust inside my drawer.
Other way round for me. The Legere American cut is good, but not as vibrant as Rigotti Gold Jazz. They are convenient but cane is still worth the extra effort.
Oh yeah i understand that very much, there are unfortunate times where the reed either make a really sqeeky sound because it is split or broken
I've also found, as a clarinetist who marches and plays concert, synthetics are amazing for marching because I have a larger dynamic range, specifically I can get a lot louder but it has worse tone than a cane, so I use synthetics for marching but canes for sit down band.(the tone difference isn't massive though)
As I trumpet player I absolutely understand all of the things you are saying about reeds 👍
i stopped playing for 20 years..came back, played cane reeds for a week, switched to legere...wished they'd made these 20 yrs ago :)
true
When I was in high school is about the time Rico came out with the plasic coated reeds. I never tried one, but some of my friends did.
dang that’s older than me LOL
@@thegreatwar.13 I used to say that line, too
I had a “plastic” reed as they were called in about 2004. Fibracell also made a good synthetic reed then. They were available but also looked down on then.
I like the way you smile and look at the camera when you are done playing. I didn’t think I would laugh out loud on a reed testing video.
Lol yeah I was about to say that, it makes it so corny haha
I love how after each time comparing the reeds you give the camera a really... odd smile
Back in high school ('83-'87) I started using synthetic reeds. I was tired of the taste of wood and always breaking reeds in marching band. I used them for my alto and for my tenor sax. I liked the bright sound. I still prefer them to this day. It's hard to wonder 'are they the future?' when I've been using them for over 30 years.
I think part of the reason it’s still “are they the future” because for oboists (and other double reed players)- who spend so much time making reeds- having amazing consistency with synthetic reeds is insanely tempting but we only have just recently gotten advancements in synthetic oboe reeds that make them more than just mid and also made them american scrape style. Like the first American scrape synthetic reed with ability for oboists to modify easily like a normal reed came out on October 19th this year and is, like all the other synthetic oboe reeds, 150 bucks lol
The way he smiles in satisfaction after testing the reeds really does make this content even more increasingly enjoyable
The high register on the classical legere sounds more clarinet-like to me
same
soo its a positive thing
Considering the history and past of the saxophone, that is logical
@@sillesrepa8249 no. i hate clarinets. except for base clarinets. i love bass clarinets.
@@milajvdeyou can’t just say “no” lmao. Classical saxophones goal is to portray a clarinet like sound
Used to work in a music store. 💯 agree these are great for outdoor gigs, when you have a book of multiple instruments in a gig. They are also fantastic for young students because of the consistency.
_Imagine having to blow your instrument for it to make a noise._
*-This post was made by Guitar gang.*
das riiiiiite
_Imagine having to touch the strings of your instrument in order to play it._
*-This post was made by piano gang*
imagine needing specific pitches for your instrument to sound good
•this post was made by drumset gang
_Imagine having to touch your instrument with either your hands or something else to play it_
*-This post was made by Theremin gang*
@@selder248 beat me too it
While they ARE better now, I still think the sound is not as consistent across different dynamic and range levels. At some point you can definitely hear the 'plastic'. That being said - its GREAT to have these to practice on while you keep your primo reeds in great shape and save them for performances in an environment with the right humidity 👍 Great video as always 🎷🧐
Great point Mr. Kortyka. Thank you for watching - you’re the man! The redbull knight of New York
I think that in the absence of a direct comparison 99.99% of people won't be able to tell if someone is using synthetic or not, just use whatever works and if it so happens to be synthetic then go for it :P
I tried plastic reeds sixty years ago and in those days there was no comparison with Vandoren reeds.. Even today I can nearly always tell whether or not players are using Vandorens, they have their own sound. Of course plastic reeds have possibly improved leaps and bounds since those days.
@@donaldsheppard7489 "possibly" lmao
@@donaldsheppard7489 the plastic vs synthetic is night and day. If you tried plastic 6 years ago, what they've come out with lately means that you haven't tried what is offered today. I personally like the Henry Hartman's Fiberreed "Black Onyx"
WOOWW!!! The difference is actually huge!! The normal "breathy-ness" that you would hear from a regular reed is almost completely absent with the synthetic reeds... Just listen to the difference from the cane reed at 6:58 to the synthetic at 7:28. The synthetic reed's tone just sounds so much more full bodied in tone!
Has just a tiny bit of buzz
idk i kinda like the natural reed. I don't play any instrument with a reed so im going only off of sound and my opinion, but it sounds more organic to me
yes, the synthetic has a much warmer tone. It's not even all that subtle, it's like the different between a barritone and a euphonium just by shifting reeds.
the synthetic signature reeds are a little more honk-y and scratchy, but in a really pleasant way. i feel like it adds more character to the instrument and i like it
I played Bass Clarinet in high school and my band director asked us to try using synthetic reeds because he liked the timbre.
I've tried both Rico 3.5 and Legere 2.5-3.5 and the Legere play much better. I really liked the dark tone they gave as well as the clear articulation I got from them.
I love how weirdly time changes when youre playing in that room
the cheesy ass smile after every "excerpt" is *chef finger kiss* fantastic
Genuinely been wanting to try out some synthetics so thank y’all ❤️❤️❤️
Hey Man! Your jazz tone in particular, with the synthetic reed , is second to none! Fantastic!!!!
You can hear the reedy-ness after hearing the Legere
"Once you go clear, you'll have no more tears." my trademark phrase for Legere. I'll share the one for Harry Hartmann reeds, once you try the best of the synthetic reeds for sax.
I've settled on the Harry Harmann Black Onyx personally. That thing is golden and very robust. I think I want to try one of these Legere, just to be sure to find out if I like them or not.
@@hamjohn8737 the Black Onyx is on all three of my Buffet Crampon saxes. I prefer their sound and response over the brighter sounding Legere. I'm just glad that I have both brands in my case, depending on the venue.
i am buying a sax on wednesdy and i have been watching your videos to see if its going to be complicated, and now im hooked for the faces you make when your done playing a section
Idk how I got here but I’m in love with the energy you’ve created
me, a trombone player: ah yes, the american cut
Lol same!
Trueeee
Yes! More trombone players!
AYE WERE INSTRUMENT TWINS 🧍
Trombonist here!
7:11 Those new reeds make it sound like a sax, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon, all at the same time with a touch of flute. Cool. Nice.
I like how you smile everytime after the awesome playing
i just recently got a saxmonica to dip my toes in the water of reed instruments and so im checking out videos that fit that (reed and saxophone videos) ... and watching you play was an absolute treat. so smooth and well controlled. very nice.
I exclusively use Legere reeds for my clarinet, I just cannot be fucked to deal with cane reeds.
I converted to these a couple of years ago and haven’t looked back. I do still enjoy cane reeds on occasion but Legere have simply removed the emotional angst of finding a good cane reed and the sadness when they die. I used to weep when my cane reeds were no longer any good❤️😢🤣
i love how happy you after playing a song or a line of notes
I think the wooden reeds sound warmer and more full, plus sounded better especially at the low notes
Definitely agree. There's far too much plastic anyway!
*aggressively shows off reed* "Eeuah?"
I have a synthetic reed and I love it so much, at least for bari because each reed is so thick and expensive. having a leger plastic has really changed my playing ngl
FELLOW BARI?
Great job! I enjoyed the video and the little extra comedic parts you add. I am a sax player and band teacher.
I'm just amazed at how good you sound in BOTH genres, and STILL manage to be the funniest saxophonist on TH-cam. Great analysis - you summed up the Legere nicely!
I dunno, your cheap vs expensive garden hose gag was pretty darn hilarious. I wouldn’t sell yourself short!
What a significant difference. They sound so much better.
Definitely ! I also use the signature reeds and never even heard of the American cuts and there is no difference in playing jazz, all depends on the player.
I agree with that sentiment. I play synth reeds exclusively at this point.
Very interesting, I've gotta give this a try on my clarinet
Thanks for making this video it is very helpful to know that for a brand new beginner like me
2nd
Hey Zach can you respond to this
😱😱😱🥶😱🥶😡😱😱
Nerd 🤓
38th
;-;
10:02 _"A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one"_
I'm getting old! I didn't even know they were making synthetic reeds. Sound like a good reason to get the tenor back out.
Thank you for the video!
Keep it up! I kept my eyes on the video just to see your expressions lol
I remember first picking up a couple synthetic reeds in high school for marching band and ended up liking them enough to use them in college wind ensemble. My transition wasn’t immediate, but once I realized the difference between my best natural reeds and my legere signature Reed was less than 5%, I basically only ever played my legere. I discovered that when playing in an ensemble, and even during solos, no one in the audience can tell the difference, so go with the more consistent and playable reed.
I used cane for 20 years and tried many synthetic but couldn't find any good ones until I found Legere Signature which I've been playing now for about 6 years. I will never ever go back to cane
do you play tenor by any chance?
@@jonarr I play bari, Tenor, alto and Soprano but tenor is my main
Do synthetic reed die or lose their sound after a while?
Yes there comes a time where it just doesn't sound good enough as if it loses some life. It's still playable but just doesn't give me the sound I want so it's time to change it
@@garysax6400 After about how long?
I don’t play a reed instrument, but I do know that my band director requires synthetic reeds for marching band and wooden reeds for concert bands (specifically for volume reasons), so I think it depends on what you’re using it for
As someone who is really only used to hearing jazz saxes I quite enjoyed listening to your classical tunes
I wish you had kept it blind man, now you'll get considerably more comments about "how obvious the tone change was"
Then again, your comment section is usually pretty chill from those folks
Hey man! I've gotta say, I've been watching your stuff for a while now and I can't express how much I appreciate your channel. I play the clarinet, and when I first saw your stuff I couldn't believe how much of a follow you had, especially for jazz/classical music content. However, after watching a few of your videos it was clear that you loved what you were doing, and your videos reflected that. Even this video on the debate between synthetic vs cane reeds, heavily disputed by clarinetists/saxophonists but seemingly niche to a general audience, worked really well. Thanks for bringing music to a wider audience, and thanks for being you, man!
What a kind comment man! Thanks so much. Even if I had 2 subscribers I’d still be making these videos. I love it!
Love your videos man, you rox!
I love how you smile after each take
My ears are like: "same tbh"
My body though:
actual reed- *solid shivers*
Synthetic reed- "meh"
Tbf idk if it's just because of how comfortable you are on the normal reeds, but I was scrolling down comments, and would scroll up to check what reed it was whenever I would get shivers, so this is sorta blind.
the kenny g box killed me
Hey! That "Famous Studies for Oboe or Saxophone #14" is what I'm playing for my Washington All-State audition. It's cool to hear something that I've been rehearshing a lot pop up in one of your videos!
You play so nice , and those songs are so lovely
The Signature is technically a jazz reed too. The American Cut is a new jazz reed they just came out with. I've had a hard time going back to cane after playing synthetic. The hassle and the unpredictability and the short lifespan make it so much easier to stick with synthetic, especially since the Legeres sound so good. I tried a synthetic reed about 15 years ago and hated it. But these are awesome.
Ayyy that bazaar song from tLoZ: OoT😍
;)))
the pure joy after every etude kept me here for the whole video
Bro the way you smile at the camera cracks me up. good vid haha.
The solo is Stitt on Cool Blues.
The editing and the audio quality is pristine. Also them faces doe???!
I've been using Legere for a year and love them
I play bass clarinet, bassoon, and tenor sax, and you can definitely hear the difference in sound! Really nice job by Légère!
So they just gave you those? That’s over $200 bucks . Pretty nice
Because they know his video will influence more than those eight reeds worth of people to buy from them. Ohhh, to be an influencer and get like 4 years worth of reeds for free
Well, they sent those for him to review, and I can tell he did a very good job (better than some other people I saw on YT). He forgot to mention one major aspect of these reeds - you get spoiled with these very fast. I didn't get them for free, I bought them ( 4 diff. sizes ), and personally I like them (i am not a pro, so my opinion goes just as far), the problem is that even though I can play 3.5 Legere Signature without dying, I had trouble going back to a normal reed, i.e. I just unpacked a fresh blue Vandoren 3, and had a bit of a hard time dealing with it , obviously it required conditioning...and that's that, want to go back to Legere instead of suffering through a breaking process of a normal reed.
You say "just" as if you're not commenting on a YT channel with over 100k subs, which is weird.
I like a Fiberreed Black Onyx, but after seeing this video I might want to try the product that is displayed here.....Capitalism isn't a bad word.
@@ruez2kill I am spoiled as well.....I'll never go back .... it's so nice to leave your sax on the stand and pick it up and play on a whim. The one thing that I have discovered is playing through a cold horn is a thing. It used to warm up whilst trying to get that cane reed moistened. Now, since the Fiberreed is ready.....the cold horn rears it's ugly head.
My favorite synthetic reeds are Fibracells, which are made of resin-cast fibers. They feel like real reeds but the action on them are *crazy*. I had a bass clarinet that I could barely push a sound through, but when I put a Fibracell on it, it opened the horn right up for me. Highly recommend.
I also use Legeres for my contra alto clarinet, I think it's great
Agreed! I’ve played Fibracells for over 15 years on alto/tenor/bari sax, only using cane for soprano clarinet. 20 years ago, I was just killing cane reeds at a stupid rate, they would chip or split on me in one or two sessions (maybe due to making free jazz 😜), so I used Plasticovers for several years. But Fibracells held up so much better and I have liked how they play and sound. But to your point, I acquired an alto clarinet in April, and the cane reeds I also ordered were muffled and unresponsive. Slapped an alto sax Fibracell on it and the thing Saang! I’ve been curious to try Legere but want to try out different strengths in-store before buying since they’re $30 a piece (Fibracells only $15-20 btw). Lady at my local shop said D’addario is coming up with some kind of hybrid synthetic. Maybe my ears or feel is not sensitive enough to sense a supposed unevenness of synthetics, but I really don’t have the time to fuss with the huge inconsistencies and brief life of cane reeds!
Same here - I thought I needed an adjustment as my altissimo wasn't speaking, but a fibercell brought my bass cl to life
It’s the smile for me at the end of every song! That’s how you know the reed is great
This is what I think a sax section should sound like. The sounds are so warm and nice.
Ok. That first etude you played brought me back memories cause that was my region band audition piece this year.
Legere is severely killing! Wow!
I found that using a Légère Signature Edition Sax reed for both my Alto Clarinet and Basset Horn, paired with a metal Bois Ligature, gives the most incredibly vibrant sounds I've ever heard. Then again, I have the great good luck in playing on a mouthpiece which was customized for me by the great Tom Ridenour. Great video!!!
i just got my synthetic reed today! i love it
Always nice to hear you play especially your classical tone (classical tone is not my favourite but you absolutely nail it IMO). For me I'm not sure I'll be going synthetic because I like hunting through the orange box for the brash unrefined "character" reeds that everyone else's quality control eliminates.
This was great, thinking about that American cut 3.25 I liked how that sounded a lot
I've been playing Bari plastic reeds since 1980 and I LOVE them! Also, I have no problem shaving them to my specifications. I use a regular reed knife. It works fine.
Great Video! I have been playing the Legere reed on my tenor for 4 years now. They have great staying power! Also, If you get the wrong kind or strength, you can send them back to Legere and they will exchange for you. I have sanded mine down some like a regular reed, but just slightly with some 600 grit sandpaper and it evened it out a bit.
Man, your set up has improved sooo much 👍
Thank you!
Never watched you before but that Ocarina of time music in the beginning is giving a great impression
Every time you smile at the camera I want to drop a like but then I notice I dropped the like at around 0:01 when the market theme hit
Great tone! 🎷
bro you didn't have to hit me with the ferling 14, really had to give me flashbacks to my all state orchestra bassoon audition
Thank you for your awesome videos :D
I've been using Légère Signature for 3 years and it surely is the best thing that happened to me :D
Your awesome on that sax man! TEACH ME YOUR WAY!!!!
The little smile after you finish playing
Nice! Legeres are great. Signatures can definitely be used for jazz, depends on the mouthpiece. With my main high baffle piece, the Signature is bright and responsive. Lots of power and projection. Sometimes I wish it was a bit darker. On my other piece, it's more mellow and less in-your-face. Somewhat smokey and not as edgy. This video got me wanting to try an America Cut for that piece
i play a bass clarinet and substituted my reed for a saxophone’s when i didn’t have a proper reed at one point, and it worked pretty ok. the reed was really long, though. So i feel like this video can still work for me
Thanks for posting this demo! I've been playing sax for about 40 years - traditional cane reeds just became more of a hassle. About 3 years ago I tried Legere reeds and they changed my life. Took me about 2 weeks to get used to the feel, but then I never looked back. Everything (for me at least) is better. The reed plays the same all night, every night! One reed lasts me about 2 months. Even if you did lose a bit of tone, the trade-off is worth exploring, imo. Oh, and once you find your strength - if you DO find a reed is a bit stiff/soft - you can send it back for a free replacement (with receipt). That's pretty decent. I'd encourage everyone to try them. And... a shout-out for a Canadian company.
I could listen to you play the saxophone all day long.
as a french horn, trumpet, and mellophone player, im slowly getting tempted to turn into a sax player…