 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2012-01-17 14:31
Hi,
Can some players share their tips for adjusting reeds to speak easily in the lower range - C and below.
I usually adjust the center blend/tip slope to accomplish this task with good results; however, I have a concert coming up with much quick work in the lower register (Randall Thompson Trio) and I would like to adjust the reeds even more without losing tone and pitch stability.
Suggestions.
Mark
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Author: oboeobo
Date: 2012-01-17 15:40
Well, I don't know what works for everybody else but I'll throw in my two cents.
I really have to make sure the whole reed is vibrating, maybe more than you want it to. The vibrations for low C and below I really feel are in the windows, so I would make sure that nothing on the reed is inhibiting that flow of vibrations from the tip to the back. Assuming the reed is utterly symmetrical and the scrape has no nicks in it, blending more and/or scraping the heart thinner are pretty much the only fixes I can think of. If you are going to make a different reed, leave the tip thicker in the middle.
Please let us know what works!
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2012-01-17 16:41
I'm a veteran amateur reed-maker, but this is what I do:
1. make sure the reed crows well, overall
2. go for 'response'; I tend to lighten the blend/lengthen the tip at the SIDES to increase this
3. keep the reed centered in your mouth and open your jaw slightly when playing in the lower register. Of course, this is very individualized and will depend on not only the reed but the oboe as well. I just found that in a 'sticky' situation adjusting the embouchure slightly will help some.
GoodWinds
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2012-01-17 17:14
One thing that I did notice as well as my repair person and something which I never gave much thought to .... is this:
I wonder if one could adjust the spring tension - mechanism (C#) to allow for a quicker smoother action so the note would speak quicker?
Comments.............
I know this is slightly a different issue but related to low note playing.
Mark
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-17 18:18
To make the low notes speak easier, scrape the reed at the base of the scrape, but do this a little at a time and check your progress. This can also make things play flat if you take too much off, so go easy.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: sylvangale
Date: 2012-01-18 09:42
Scraping the heart will open the bottom end right up. I usually scrape the heart a little in the sides of the spine (think heart windows) and if that wasn't enough I'll thin the spine as well and trim rails if they look a bit thick. Going back and forth between heart and blend little by little to find a good balance.
♫ Stephen K.
Post Edited (2012-01-18 09:43)
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2012-01-19 15:52
I find a wider shape speaks easier in the low register. You lose a little quality on the top notes, however.
J.
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