Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2011-01-02 05:53
I think it has much to do with the amount you overlap, which is really one thing that is extremely difficult to gauge in my experience (thus, i don't). Even after that, the eventual opening of the reed changes that end result, and the quality of cane (softer, harder) makes a big difference as well.
I find the best way to check whether a reed is too long or too short at the end of the day is to play test the following. (our playing tends to be as inconsistent as our reeds too, although we chose to deny that fact sometimes and blame our reeds...quote Indermuhle)
Crow test, and depending on where you come from and what your teachers teach you, as far in as on the thread you should produce a B-C (be it in 3 octaves or a raucous crow), and when in normal playing position it should be easy to produce the ranges of A-D (B being relatively easy in mf comfortable dynamics and D requiring a bit of force, this not only tells the quality of the reed but consistency in your own playing). This is also useful when you have new reeds and old reeds in your box, which is always the case, isn't it? (if not, then you also have a problem!)
Next, play test. Before putting the reed in the oboe, find a B on the reed (playing position) and try to keep the 'feeling' of the B with you as you play an A on the oboe. It should be relatively on pitch or that slightly off, which you adjust and find. Next without changing your embouchure and the way you blow, as much as possible, take a breath and play once more an A and slur to middle C#, stay. Check your tuner. Restart with middle C#, check tuner, slur to D, then slur to octave G, then slur to A. Throughout the whole process, there should be not much need to change your embouchure.
But on more traditionally bored instruments like Loree, the D will perhaps be sharper than the other notes relatively. On Dupin style instruments, or many of the newer models of Marigaux, this middle D is less of a problem than others. Staples matter (bigger bringing up the pitch with notes with less fingers), but if the octave G-2nd octave A slur fails, the A being too flat, the culprit is usually an opening to big, or a length too long.
If you have the right fingerings for the altissimo and a good setup with your half hole, which is again so difficult to define, high D should speak easily without much effort. If this fails, as well as the 2nd octave A, your reed will probably crow a monotone of whatever pitch, usually one that is lower than B-C. If it is raucous, you are luckier, just trim the tip and begin again. If not, force the reed close with your fingers, because that is probably the cause there.
The process of knowing the right length should not take more than 15 minutes on the table, although, i have found through experience that if you play in a reed 2-3 days, the pitch naturally goes higher so one will know eventually what length always works at the beginning. For me it is always 71-72mm depending on staple length.
The last thing is, i find, people with a bad sound production technique tend to rely on reeds that respond superbly and have a nice sound immediately. Reeds like that don't come so often, but good technique that prepares the air pressure inside the mouth before the tongue is released from the reed is vital to us not changing the embouchure in the process of the start of note (Elaine Douvas and Schellenberger teaches this very well). When technique becomes consistent, your reeds become consistent too. I think no matter what you do, if you have reeds from 69-72 in your box of 10 and you can see a zig-zag, that's never really too good a thing!
Regards,
Howard
Post Edited (2011-01-02 05:56)
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