Author: vboboe
Date: 2009-05-01 02:12
<<why do we crow reeds?>>
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Good question! Yours truly has two main specific reasons, and some others as side-lines
1. Readiness test
I prefer to call this squawking the reed rather than crowing it. I do this after wetting up today’s reed and warming it in mouth briefly, then blowing it full length in the mouth with lips at the thread line to test how easily it responds when squawked softly. If the reed can respond readily with a soft puff of air, it’s ready to play, as you know a reed still on the dry side can’t do that. So shortly before practising or doing that A-440, I squawk (crow softly) to make sure that the reed’s working OK and then I warm up by playing the oboe until it’s all ready to play in tune. The readiness test is done each time on today’s reeds that have previously been blown in and are already suitable as playable reeds.
2. Diagnostic test
This is what I call crowing the reed proper, blow-testing the reed full length in mouth at the thread specifically while it’s under construction and as often as needed. I crow test a reed longer at higher volume than for the squawk test, so I can really listen to it. Other posts have already elaborated on what they listen for, and generally I’m in agreement.
Even newly purchased ready-made reeds can be crow tested, just to hear what’s happening in there when you first get them – just make sure new reeds are moistened deeply that first time out of the box.
Sideline (facetious?) reasons for crowing the reed
Ha! On the dark side, after all the blood, sweat, tears, money, hours we expend on reeds, reeds, reeds, with that basket full of failures brimming over, all that wasted effort for a barely acceptable, so & so could be better mouthpiece that’s temperamental, inconsistent, unpredictable, short-lived; yes that same sado-masochistic piece of stiff grass stalk which can reduce our lips to quivering jello and our minds to nervous wrecks – hey, we all need something just to sound-off occasionally
Not to mention the glowering looks or snippy comments we might get from others in all areas of our lives, those people who can make us feel like we’re eating crow … well, there’s this overwhelming temptation to crow raucously in response, isn’t there?
HA!ppily there’s also a bright side … yes, it does take plenty of moxie to play the oboe well, and it definitely takes a great deal more than just moxie to make reeds well … what’s this caveat on IDRS –
20 years hard labor at it?!?
So, at least once a year we must schedule some quality time to congratulate ourselves generously in the most glowing terms worthy of any promotional hype announcement, for the mere millimetre of forward progress we’ve made since same time last year (or longer!) and really crow about it
We all deserve that much celebration and hey, we’re all good for a no-reason crow or two too ![[happy]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley12.gif)
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