Using Bb Clarinet Reeds on the Soprano: A Saxophonist's Best Kept Secret

Have you ever tried playing the soprano saxophone using a Bb clarinet reed? Believe it or not, they work great. I first heard about this sort of thing from saxophonist Branford Marsalis. He has stated in interviews that he plays clarinet reeds on the soprano. I don't recall him going into great detail about it, only saying that he likes the cut.

I dabbled with them off and on, but I never made any real commitment to them. Not until recently, anyway.

In April of 2015, I went on a European tour with The Bad Plus, along with alto saxophonist Tim Berne and cornetist Ron Miles, and I took four boxes of RW reeds with me. Two boxes of 2 1/2 soft soprano reeds, and two boxes of 2 1/2 soft clarinet reeds. And guess what? The boxes of soprano reeds never got opened.

What I like about the clarinet reeds is that they have a more consistent cut throughout the entirety of the reed. My theory is that the clarinet reed narrower, therefore, there's less room for error. Soprano reeds tend to be a little flimsy at the tip, making them difficult to play with a full sound in the high register. And there's a general inconsistency throughout. Whereas, the tip of clarinet reeds tend to be firm but not too stiff. These reeds have a good balance between resistance and vibrancy. The cut feels sort of a cross between a Rico Royal (back when they were good reeds) and the Vandoren Traditional Saxophone Reed--a.k.a. The blue box. 

To further explain my findings, here is a list of pros and cons of using Bb clarinet reeds on the soprano saxophone.

Pros:

• Reeds are more vibrant;
• Enables you to produce a bigger and fuller tone;
• You have better intonation in the middle and high registers; however, the extreme lower register;(Bb1 - D1) tends to be on the sharp side--but nothing a few daily long tones couldn't remedy;
• You have more control in the altissimo ;
• Multi-phonics sound more prominently and consistently;
• You have more sound projection;
• A higher percentage of good reeds per box--which is always a bonus.

Cons:

• The clarinet reed is much narrower, so it takes some getting used to;
• The intonation is sharper in the extreme lower register;
• Going back to soprano sax reeds is more difficult; hopefully, you won't need to;
• Because you’re having to manipulate more sound, it can slow down your dexterity; however, this can be remedied by practicing a few Marcel Mule etudes or just coming down in reed size. Some might try shaving the reed, but I’m not a big fan of this process.

As I said stated earlier, they do take some getting used to; however, I think the benefits to be gained outweigh this temporary stage of discomfort, tenfold. 

Check it out. I'd be curious to hear what you think.

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