How to Use Légère Strength Charts to Match Your Cane Reed Strength

Updated

Légère publishes strength charts that compare traditional cane reed strengths with the matching Légère reed strength, and the site states these charts cover both clarinet and saxophone. If you already know the cane strength you play and want to know which Légère strength to order, the chart is the intended starting point. The charts are described as comprehensive comparisons, so the practical task is: find your instrument, find your cane strength, read across to the Légère strength, then confirm the specific model on that instrument's product page.

What the charts actually do

The site describes the strength charts as a way to answer a single question: "Unsure what your new strength is?" The stated purpose is to compare traditional cane strengths to the matching Légère reed strength for both clarinet and saxophone.

Two limits follow from that description:

  • The charts are presented for clarinet and saxophone. Oboe and bassoon are handled as double reeds on the site, and the strength-chart description does not claim to cover them.
  • A chart match gives you a strength, not a model. Légère states that reeds vary by brightness, responsiveness, and durability, so strength and model are separate decisions.

Step-by-step: matching your cane strength

  1. Identify your instrument. The site organizes shopping by instrument (saxophone, clarinet, oboe, bassoon), and the strength charts are described for clarinet and saxophone.
  2. Identify your current cane strength. Use the strength printed on the cane reed you actually play, not the strength you intend to move to.
  3. Open the strength chart and locate that cane strength. The chart's job is to show the corresponding Légère strength.
  4. Read the matched Légère strength. This is the number the chart maps your cane strength to.
  5. Go to the product page for your instrument and confirm the model. The site's product pages are split by instrument ("Saxophone — View Details," "Clarinet — View Details," and so on), and the site notes there is a Légère reed for beginner, intermediate, and professional players.
  6. Order that strength in the model you chose. Checkout is handled through the site's checkout page.

Expected result: you arrive at a specific Légère strength and a specific model, rather than guessing a number.

Choosing the model after the chart gives you a strength

The chart answers "what strength," not "which reed." The site's own framing is that reeds vary by brightness, responsiveness, and durability, and that the right reed depends on whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or professional player.

A workable sequence:

  • Use the chart to fix the strength.
  • Use the instrument category to see the available models.
  • Use the brightness/responsiveness/durability descriptions to pick between models at that strength.

Common sticking points

  • Treating the chart as a model selector. It maps cane strength to Légère strength; model selection is a separate step on the instrument pages.
  • Assuming it covers every instrument. The chart description names clarinet and saxophone. For oboe and bassoon, the site presents double reeds separately, including the European Scrape Oboe Signature and Bassoon Signature.
  • Skipping the product page. The chart gives a strength; the product page is where you confirm the model and that the strength is offered for it.

Practical context before you order

  • Availability: the site states the online store is currently available in the United States and Canada.
  • Shipping: the site advertises free shipping over $39.99.
  • Why players switch at all: Légère states its synthetic reeds don't warp, wilt, or wear out mid-performance, and are built to play in pit, stage, studio, or outdoor settings — the practical reason a cane player would be looking up a conversion in the first place.

If you play clarinet or saxophone and know your cane strength, the chart plus the instrument product page is enough to place an order. If you play oboe or bassoon, go directly to the double reed pages instead of the strength chart.