The Traditional (or Blue Box) Reeds have an age old design with a superiority that has been proven over many years. These reeds are suited for all styles and genres of music, making it a great all-round reed for clarinetists.
The Traditional Range of Clarinet Reeds lists from 1 through to 5 in increments of with 1 being the weakest and 5 being the strongest. The variation in reed strength depends on the standard of the player.
Strength 1 reeds are made thinner and therefore weaker, allowing the performer to get a note easier without squeaking, but consequently loosing sound quality and intonation.
A strength 5 reed is difficult to achieve a note, but the tone and ability to stay in tune is much greater. All the reeds between these extremes work on a sliding scale based on these principals.