AS a beginner I am wondering what recommendation the knowledgable among you would suggest? I went to my music shop and the man sold me some Rico 3.5. Is there a better choice for a beginner? I can`t blame my squeeks in the upper register on the reed or mouthpiece but every bit helps

THank you all

THank you

a correction on the above. its a Rico V-3.
Thank you

If you`re just beginning, I would start on a 2 1/2. That`s what I started on, but the thing is, everyone is different. You might be pinching if you squeak in the upper register. That`s my two cents.

Well, when I started I started with a 2 reed and it was a good reed for beginner, I then took lesons and my band teacher said "a two reed is the best for beginner

Keep in mind reed strengths differ among brands

thanks to you all for the information..

The orange box Rico`s are OK but there are much better reeds out there, try Alexander Superials, Zonda or my particular favourite Gonzales FOF, if you are a complete beginner then I would start off with a # 2 reed.

lol... i`m not a beginner and i still use strengths 2 or 2 1/2.. is that bad?

I think 3 is the best reed to start on. I began to play clarinet wit 3 and think it makes the best tone

You should start on a 2.5, and I recommend using Vandoren reeds. You don`t want to go too soft or your embouchure won`t develop and your tone won`t be good. You don`t want to go too hard because then your embouchure will get tired out quickly and you`ll squeak much more than you should. 3.5 is way too hard for a beginner. Any questions, feel free to email me.

i`m a beginner and my band teacher says you should start on a 2 then move up to a 2 1/2 or three

Medhist,

I would go to your music store and try out a 2, 2.5, and 3 in Vandorens (maybe just 2 of each). Then, you`ll be able to tell which feels most comfortable for you right now. Since you`re a beginner, comfort is most important (if it hurts to play after 10 minutes, it`s harder to practice, hmm?). Probably the 2 will be best, but that`s just a guess. The Rico orange box reeds are essentially crap and really aren`t worth playing on, even for a beginner, so don`t trust them.

agreed andy. You may also want to check out brands like Mitchell Lurie and Gonzalez - they are far more consistent than vandorens and the majority of them require less work to play well.

Ooh! Forgot about Mitchell Lurie. According to the man himself, they`re designed for younger players to get a consistently good sound without insane amounts of trouble.

(Personally, I don`t like Gonzalez reeds. Not sure why, but they just don`t do it for me).