Author: kroboe
Date: 2005-09-13 13:18
I understand that views differ on this issue, and that people have different opinions based on their own experiences. But, to be able to just order some reeds that will suit you perfectly whenever you need them, that seems almost unreal to me. I doubt that this is widespread. And I think perhaps that it is often also an illusion. Because, I think that with little or no experience in reedmaking, and only by playing on finished reeds, one never realises the full potential of the reed to change the entire instrument, and one never realises how many problems significant to playing the obo that can be manipulated by choosing between differences in reed qualities. Because reed quality affects so much more than just sound. My own experience is that there is no way around this. Reeds are made of wood, a never resting, live material that will keep vital qualities of your instrument as a whole ever changing.
To tackle this you have to have intimate knowledge of the factors involved and how to deal with them. To me the only way has been to make my own reeds, and by that learn the secrets from inside, so to speak.
There is only one opinion in this string that I strongly object to, and that is the statment that professional oboists can play equally well on any reed, and that due to their professionalism they have so to speak risen above the whole reed problem. This is simply not true. What is true is that professionals, due to the sheer amount of practise hours they put down, develope an embouchure and diaphragm strength and stamina to tackle a wider variety of reed qualities than what amateurs can expect to do. But that does not make them less choosey in picking the right reed for a performance. I have seen so many times how principal oboists can fuzz around with their reeds, testing their entire collection to pick just the right reed for this evenings performance. This goes to show that nothing affects your playing more than the qualities of your reed does, and that goes whether you are amateur or pro.
kroboe
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