Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2011-06-06 21:01
One spare reed! MOG. Reminds me of my Army Band days.... long ago. I sometimes had nightmares about where the next good reed would come from.
I was making them, but using Gov't furnished materials, so you can imagine (cheapest, low bid, etc.). I got about 1-2 I'd use in public per 20 attempts.
Part of the problem was my immature reed skills and the other, the really bad materials I worked with then.
So, I'm with you and the idea we must play what we have. I also BELIEVE, what we have has to be within acceptable tolerance. And that window of acceptable quality needs to close down more and more as we go along. Fortunately, it tends to do that, or dissuade one from continuing oboe altogether... as it nearly did to me.
As a related aside, my parents were children of the depression... and that had a life-long impact on their psyche. The effects of poverty, I mean. And not to downplay the very serious implications of that for anyone dealing with it today in the world, a reed poverty can also exist.
Having access to acceptable if not great reeds would be a wonderful thing for our friends out here, and for future students and oboe lovers to come. Not sure about the case full for $20 but the reeds I tried were only $10 each. So a good nod in that direction.
To be clear, these are ok... not even close to what Cooper produces, or Jennifer, or Drew... but ok, so useful and maybe best for students and doublers.
Actually, I would not mind consulting with the nice folks at Armstrong and the reed makers on a few refinements to bring them closer to my standards, and if any of you care to do so as well, please have at it.
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Another related aside --- ( This is a little like reality TV with a big bboard revelation... I prolly shouldn't do this but cannot contain it). I learned on good authority that Cooper's reeds are in use by his own teacher; not exclusively, but I heard them in performance in the hands of a true master. Even great players appreciate access to great reeds when time is a big crunch on them. Imagine running an IDRS convention and doing 2 premiere performances this week as well...!
Ray Still did that, too.... said to his students ,"If you really want to impress me, give me a great reed." (This from a good friend who studied with him. She took home my best reed from a friendly duet session that day after sharing that with me.)
I cannot imagine the quick and cheap reeds being anywhere near to this w/o some modifications. So again, good is fine, and great is well worth the extra efforts and costs.
Post Edited (2011-06-06 21:57)
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