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Re: scraping - argh

Author: jhoyla
Date: 2008-09-25 11:32

Hi Claire,

Basically there are two different scraping techniques which can be used individually or in combination.

The one your teacher is trying for is the one recommended by Edith Rothwell in her reed-making book. With this scrape you maintain a steady "angle of attack" with the knife-hand (in all dimensions), and you push the blade forward with your thumb. Your non-knife-hand thumb should be pushing the back of the blade, near the top but not over the top.

The other method (recommended by, among others, Dr. Stephen Hiramoto of North Texas Oboe Reeds) is to use a wrist-rotation to scrape, using the non-knife-hand thumb as a pivot. You can pivot in the middle of the blade or closer to the top for a longer stroke. The thumb is positioned as appropriate.

For the wrist and pivot method your thumbnail must be VERY short. File it down before you start. Best is to be able to use both methods, and know when each is appropriate.

The thumb-push is great for long-even scrapes through the whole length of the lay. Its disadvantage is its tendency to destroy reed corners, as you have discovered :-) This is because it digs equally throughout the stroke, and when you get close to a corner that is already thin it just cuts right through. The wrist-swivel is very useful for thinning the corners, since the angle of attack changes as you twist. By the time the blade is over the corner it is moving almost horizontally and is perpendicular to the cane, so you cut less.

[It is helpful to adjust the corners when the cane is almost completely dry, since it is easier to "dust" the cane this way.]

Before taking a stroke with your (extremely sharp) knife, position your knife-hand elbow to adjust your scraping angle. If you are scraping towards the far corner, the elbow should be quite high and out. If you are scraping towards the near corner, your elbow should be low and closer to the body.

A choice quote from Martin Schuring:

"The two secrets to reed-making:
o Sharpen your knife
o Don't make any mistakes"

I just LOVE this quote - it is SO true. If you don't know how to sharpen your knife to razor sharpness, stop making reeds RIGHT NOW, and go and learn this essential technique first. I sharpen my blade more than once while making EACH reed, and I can assure you that all the pros do exactly the same. If your knife is sharp, you need little or no downward pressure on the cane in order to scrape. That way, you don't tear off the corners ... get it? :-)

So - sharpen your knife, make no mistakes, and your reedmaking will improve dramatically :-)

Good luck!

J.

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