Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2008-12-30 10:01
Claire, i make reeds using a short scrape of about 11mm and try to always be as U as possible.
I used to always have the same frustrations as you. These are some of the things that i found to be true over the years:
1. If the shape of the tip is rather straight instead of in an iverted U or V, it will quickly become quacky as you lighten the reed.
2. To lighten a U-scrape reed, the first step is to be not afraid of scrape the spine! Assuming that you buy your gouged cane from a reputable supplier in Europe, you will probably get a "European" gouge, where generally the gouge is thicker at the center and already quite thin on the sides. So what happens when you over scrape the sides is that you are in effect creating a very thin and long "tip" and thickening the spine, resulting in a quacky sound but also a heavy reed! The key is to know the balance, and so dont too scared to take off a bit more from the middle, but always use the feather technique and test the reed often, you don't want to overscrape the spine as well! =D
3. The two sides of the U shape, meaning the points at the very top of of the "U" must be quite defined in order to retain stability in the higher register and a warmer sound. The contrary is done to attain the opposite, again, dust and never really scrape this area!
4. The area where the line of the U blends into the back of the reed must do exactly that, blend! The more defined the edge of the bark is compared to the scraped area (you can check easily by looking from the side of the reed, to see whether the bark area is higher than the scraped area), the better the response of the reed in the lower register will be. What this creates is also a more unstable reed and a bit brighter in quality. For 2nd oboe orchestral work such a reed would usually be a more ideal, so it's something to keep in mind.
5. If you are unsure where to scrape and you feel that it is just almost there, dust the very sides of the back of the tip, the area that blends into the tip from the scraped area. Do it in a chinese fan pattern, and tilt your knife so that you are evenly dusting off the whole area.
6. As with an American scrape reed, it is possible to over thin the tip, but it is also common for less experienced reed makers to make the tip too thick, check by putting a wet black plaque in the reed and pushing the plaque upwards, so you see the tip in detail. If it is not transparent it is probably not thin enough. I cannot tell you the exact thickness as this depends on the balance of the reed and your gouge.
6. Nothing will work with any reed if the tie is not good. But maybe we should leave this for next time! =D
Good luck and dont stop trying!
note: the advise from our fellow American scrape bboarders are truly gold, keep those in mind as well when you make a reed and surely there will be more successful reeds!
Howard, Malaysia
Post Edited (2008-12-30 10:09)
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