Your best bet is to find someone who plays the saxophone who can show you (maybe an employee in a store that sells the reeds?) A saxophone teacher would be better, though... but here goes: First, you need to soak the thin end of the reed in your mouth for a few minutes to moisten it, or it won't play. Second, you need to place the reed flat along the mouthpiece (flat sides together) so that the end of the reed is even with the end of the mouthpiece. There is a third piece of equipment called a ligature that goes around both the reed and the mouthpiece to fasten them together. Good luck!