There is no one-size-fits-all solution to fitting a reed to a mouthpiece.

Mouthpiece facings, tip openings and bore dimensions vary widely. Clarinet and saxophone players too are highly individualistic in how they form their embouchures, the amount of jaw pressure they employ, how they blow, and so forth. Even the kind of music one performs – classical, chamber, orchestral, jazz, folklore, popular, Klezmer – influences how one plays and therefore the choices one makes in pursuit of an ideal setup.

Every woodwind player has a different “comfort zone,” and it is for this reason that reed manufacturers offer different profiles and strengths to the clarinet and saxophone community.

Forestone reeds come in seven strengths. The seven strengths are based on a single profile, which we are calling Traditional. They are numbered F2, F2½, F3, F3½, F4, F4½, and F5 and are comparable strength-wise to regular Vandoren and Rico cane reeds.

The amount of wood fibre in the material determines the strength (blowing resistance). The F2, with the lowest percentage of wood fibre, has the lowest blowing resistance. At the other end of the spectrum, the F5, with the highest percentage of wood fibre, has the highest blowing resistance.

Reeds in the middle of the range (F3, F3½, F4) are most suited to mouthpieces with a medium tip and medium facing curve. Reeds at the lower end of the range (F2, F2½) are most suited to mouthpieces with a relatively open tip and a shorter facing curve, while reeds at the higher end of the range (F4½, F5) are most suited to mouthpieces with a relatively close tip and a longer facing curve. The are, of course, endless permutations and combinations in mouthpiece design and fabrication, so that the foregoing should only be taken as a general guideline in choosing your ideal strength.

Rest assured that all seven Forestone strengths will produce a clear, full bodied, stable and robust tone on the right setup.