The Oboe BBoard

Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....

Author: oboedrew  Date:   2009-08-05 16:33 wrowand wrote: > Having worked on my own gouging machines for over 15 years now, > I am convinced that while it's possible to make a reed that > plays "adequately" on a run-of-the-mill, vanilla gouge; it's > almost impossible to make a great reed on such a gouge. Of course, the problem is that even very fine oboists can't agree on which gouge is "run-of-the-mill." The gouge that you consider "vanilla," somebody else considers the best. Yet every day we talk about gougers as if there were objectively and demonstrably good or bad ones. I think arguments about gougers are a bit like arguments about religion. They're usually heated, but nobody convinces anybody of anything, because there's no evidence on either side, other than the individual's own experience. And for some oboists, gouging seems to be an almost religious experience: it involves faith, sometimes even a touch of fanaticism. That's not necessarily a bad thing. If some oboists choose to spend more time tweaking gouges and less time refining knife technique, and if they get the reeds they want that way, then good for them! To each their own. wrowand wrote: > That's why so many of the great reed makers like Marcel > Tabuteau, John Mack, John Ferillo, Eric Barr, Richard > Woodhams among others spend (or spent) so much time > working on their gouging machines. It certainly isn't > because they lacked excellent knife technique (or that > they just had too much time on their hands. That's a list of great players, not necessarily great reedmakers. Some great players are so prodigiously talented that they get by on mediocre reeds. This is especially possible when they're playing only orchestral literature, as are most of the players listed above. Certainly some of those players had/have mediocre knife technique. Don't ask me to name specific names. I'm not interested in starting a flame war. Oboists sometimes react violently when you suggest that their favorite player is not an especially good reedmaker. This is puzzling to me, since playing and reedmaking are separate skills. www.oboedrew.com Post Edited (2009-08-05 16:45)

Topics	Author	Date
Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	JRJINSA	2009-07-30 17:42
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-07-30 19:08
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboeobo	2009-07-30 20:50
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	Dutchy	2009-07-30 20:50
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	JRJINSA	2009-07-30 21:00
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	vboboe	2009-07-31 04:07
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	cjwright	2009-08-01 06:26
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	JRJINSA	2009-08-03 14:56
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	HautboisJJ	2009-08-03 16:39
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-03 17:14
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	cjwright	2009-08-03 21:16
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	JRJINSA	2009-08-03 22:02
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-03 22:50
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	JRJINSA	2009-08-04 13:12
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-04 14:32
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-03 22:47
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	cjwright	2009-08-03 23:11
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-03 23:49
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	mjfoboe	2009-08-20 13:37
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-03 23:09
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	jhoyla	2009-08-05 08:21
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-05 10:40
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	HautboisJJ	2009-08-05 16:02
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	wrowand	2009-08-05 13:48
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-05 16:33
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-05 17:06
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	cjwright	2009-08-05 17:43
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-05 18:05
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	Bobo	2009-08-05 19:16
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	cjwright	2009-08-05 19:29
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-05 19:30
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	mschmidt	2009-08-06 01:47
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-05 19:32
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	HautboisJJ	2009-08-06 06:47
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-06 15:25
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-20 16:07
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	cjwright	2009-08-20 19:06
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-20 22:31
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	cjwright	2009-08-21 00:12
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	johnt	2009-08-20 19:06
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-20 22:43
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	mjfoboe	2009-08-21 02:26
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-21 17:48
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	oboedrew	2009-08-21 19:17
Re: Starting year 3, now gouging and shaping....  new	cjwright	2009-08-21 23:20

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