Rico Royal Alto

Rico Royal reeds in strength 2.5 combine the features of the established Rico cut with a more inviolable spine and a “French file,” permitting for more resonance and harmonics in the sound.

Rico Royal reeds have a more established French filed cut for increased response, in particular in the low register, adding clarity to the tone and making soft attacks easier. Available for the full range of saxophone and clarinet voices and conveniently packaged in boxes of ten reeds.

From modest beginnings, Rico has grown to become a leader in single-reed manufacturing. Since the acquisition of Rico by D’Addario & Co., Rico has further strengthened it is position as the leader in woodwind reeds and accessories. At it is San Fernando Valley facility, Rico has a state-of-the-art reed exploration center, which employs the collaboration of agronomists, scientists, and musicians to construct top-quality reeds, including Rico Reserve premium reeds for clarinet and saxophone. Rico reeds are designed to gain all levels of musicians, from the beginner to the seasoned professional. Many of the world’s finest clarinetists and saxophonists use Rico brand reeds, such as Mark Nuccio, Jerry Bergonzi, Chris Potter, Benny Golson, Ernie Watts, Bob Sheppard, Henri Bok, Richie Hawley, Eric Alexander, and galore more.

Rico Royal Alto

Rico Royal reeds have a more conventional French filed cut for increased response, particularly in the low register, adding clarity to the tone and making soft attacks easier. Available for the full range of saxophone and clarinet voices and conveniently packaged in boxes of ten reeds and now 3-packs. French filed for flexibleness and fast response Available for clarinets and saxophones Works well for classical and jazz apps Premium cane for consistent response

At it is San Fernando Valley facility, Rico has a state-of-the-art reed exploration center, and employs the collaboration of agronomists, scientists, and musicians to formulate top-quality reeds that include Rico Reserve premium reeds for clarinet and saxophone. Rico reeds are designed to gain all levels of musicians from the beginner to the seasoned professional. Many of the world’s finest clarinetists and saxophonists use Rico brand reeds, such as Anthony McGill, Mark Nuccio, Jessica Phillips, Jerry Bergonzi, Chris Potter, Benny Golson, Ernie Watts, Bob Sheppard, Walter Boeykens, Seiji Yokokawa, Philippe Geiss, Diastema Saxophone Quartet, and some more. For more information, visit RicoReeds.com

Reeds are fundamentally a piece of cane (wood) that is cut down to be very thin on one side and thicker on the other. The reed works by blowing air all over it and then it starts to vibrate and make a high “squeally” sound.

First, if you spend any time at a music store, you will observe a great deal of brands and styles of reeds. Let’s talk in regards to some options. It is for less to buy reeds in a box rather than individually. Always buy reeds for your type of saxophone i.e. alto buys alto reeds, tenor buys tenor reeds etc. You will also see that reeds are sized in numbers 1-5, and in another system that goes soft to hard. Most reeds are using the number system. More pricey does not mean better. I would commence out with a Rico Royal size 2.5. If you go with a Vandoren reed (a little more expensive) go with a size 2. The Vandoren reeds and the Rico Royals come in a potpourri of dissimilar cuts. On Vandorens choose the one in the blue box. They likewise make Java, V-12 etc. but just choose the regular old blue box reed. On Rico Royals, just pick the Rico Royal brand.

Not the Jazz cut and not Rico. Rico is not the same quality as the Rico Royal. The size of reed you choose has to do with a couple of factors. The biggest factor is in all likelihood the size of your mouthpiece. Another element is embouchure strength. After a couple of months of steady practice, you may want to move up a 1/2 size.

In popular reeds need to be soaked before you may play them. A reed may be soaked in a cup of water, or in your mouth. All parts of the reed ought to be totally soaked before it will play it is best; this normally means with regards to two minutes in the mouth. Don’t forget to soak the back! Take care that you don’t nick the tip of the reed with your teeth. If the tip appears to be “wavy” soak it longer. After three minutes you may set the reed on a flat surface and rub your thumb from the back of the reed to the tip and off the end. NEVER rub the reed from the tip back up, you may harm the tip and make the reed worthless. Once the reed is in the right manner soaked, take your mouthpiece and lick the table. Now take the reed and line up the tip of the mouthpiece with the tip of the reed. I prefer to line it up just a little short of the tip of the mouthpiece. If the reed is over the tip, it won’t play the same. You may never be too picky on the placement of your reed. ALWAYS make sure it is utterly lined up.

Now, take your ligature and slide the big end onto the tip of the mouthpiece. Be careful not to touch the tip of the reed with the ligature. The ligature will always be placed with the screws on the right side when the reed is facing you. Sometimes the screws are on the top and at times on the bottom, but always on the right. You’ll detect that the ligature is tapered (big and little ends). Your mouthpiece is also tapered. You will need to put the huge end on primary so it slides down to the big end of the mouthpiece. Put the ligature back far sufficient so that it is on the bark part of the reed. Fasten the screw(s) tight sufficient so that the reed will not move around on the mouthpiece.

A word on reed care. Reeds are pricey and delicate. They will effortlessly break if you touch the tip of the reed with your finger. To move the reed around on your mouthpiece always use the sides and back of the reed to move it and NOT the tip! If you live in a arid climate, your reed could arid out while you are resting for a few minutes. Always keep your reed wet when it is on your mouthpiece. If you are in school and your teacher is talking to another section, you may put your mouthpiece cap on your mouthpiece to keep it wet. A good trick is to lick the reed first, then put the cap on. I prefer taking a great deal of tape and covering the holes on the mouthpiece cap. If you live in a humid climate, you won’t have as a heap of difficultnesses with reeds drying out. Keep in mind that air conditioners and heaters take the moisture out of the air.

Another utile tip to help reeds last longer is to rub the reed with your thumb from back to front pushing very hard. This ought to be done on a flat surface. This will crush the fibers in the reed and make the reed “waterproof”. When you are done playing you ought to always remove your reed and place it in a reed guard. Several companies make reed guards. I’d in all likelihood get one that holds four reeds. You ought to always have four good reeds that you rotate on a every day basis. When one is no longer usable, replace with a new one.

Wipe off your reed before you place it in the reed guard. The key to keeping a reed from warping is to let it arid out slowly. If a reed dries out quickly, the thin ends arid primary and the reed warps up. When it is warped, it will no longer lay flat on the table of the mouthpiece, and will need to be sanded down. This subject is a little complicated, and I won’t address it in this article. You may prevent reeds from drying quickly by putting them in the reed guard, placing the guard in a plastic bag and folding it once. You don’t want it to be air-tight. If it is air-tight, you will grow mold on your reeds. Wash it off, and don’t fold so tightly next time. If mold proceeds to be a problem, take a teaspoon of rock salt and wrap it in a heap of old pantyhose. This will keep the mold away.

The intermediate reed will last when it comes to 20 to 30 playing hours. If you break the tip or take a good chunk out of it, it may last only 30 seconds! You will know when a reed is no longer usable, because it will be broken at the tip, or the reed will feel soft when you play. It will blow genuinely easy, and close off when you play higher. If a reed is not sounding good, and it sounds like there is too much air in your sound, the reed may be too hard, or may not be on straight. If you do play on a reed too long, it may become water-logged. It will appear to have water inside of the reed and will look darker in sure spots. You want to stay clear from this by switching reeds daily. TAKE CARE OF YOU REEDS AND THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!

A note on synthetic reeds. I have played a lot of reeds in my day, and ran into that the plastic reeds in general don’t sound as good. The only exception to that is the Fibracell reed. I love these reeds. They sound splendid and may be played for up to a year. They will break, but are water proof, always flat on the back and will not warp. I’d start out out with a cane reed, and later if you want, try a fibracell with a similar size to the cane reed that you are playing. Just not so long ago I’ve had good success with a brand called HAHN. It might be worth checking out!

Rico Royal Alto Image

Rico Royal Alto Picture

Rico Royal Alto Pic

Rico Royal Alto Image

Most helpful client reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful.
Great reeds with a caveat
By Fortuna1
I love Rico Royals for the quality of sound and playability.
you always take a chance buying a box rather of picking them out on an individual basis at a store. Some are miscut and require numerous work.

2 of 2 persons found the following review helpful.
Great reeds, quick service.
By Rebecca Schwartz
Bought these for my son who wanted to undertake a thicker reed. He loves them!

1 of 1 humans found the following review helpful.
Much better
By Todd Janese Jr.
My 10 year old son plays the sax and I no not one thing when it comes to them. This is his primary year and the music store stared him with #2.5′s and did not tell us or suggest to us to modify his reed often. But I did some reading and found that you must change them oftentimes and that they don’t cost much at all so it is cheap enuff to do so. And I red that a #2 reed is better for a beginner. The lower the number, the easier, the higher the number, the more modern you must be and the higher numbers sound better, but are harder to play.

My son does like the #2 reeds better than #2.5’5 and in his sentiment and mine, he sounds much better and in return has more selfassurance in himself now and is encouraging much fast. So in my opinion there are cheap enuff to change to a new reed regularly and the lower the number the more comfortable for the beginner!! My son gives them to thumbs up. I will buy the 10 pack for now on being that if they are a better price per reed. I purchased the 3 pack to make sure he did like them and that they helped him improve, they did!

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