Author: Dutchy
Date: 2012-01-24 22:05
Mine need about 5 minutes of soaking. If I forget, and leave one in the little cup soaking, and go downstairs to do something for an hour or two, when I come back, it's very stuffy and foggy and won't play right. If the two halves of a reed are waterlogged, they can't vibrate against each other as they're designed to do, and so you get a very stuffy sound, instead of a good distinct "reedy" sound.
Also, leaving a reed wet 24/7 would encourage bad bacterial growth, i.e. "slime". Which you probably don't want. :D
You wouldn't leave your toothbrush soaking in water 24/7 for the same reason--the bacteria that live in your mouth will happily colonize anything (producing "slime") that you put in your mouth, which includes toothbrushes and oboe reeds. You let these things dry out in between uses in order to discourage the bacterial growth.
ETA: If you are in a situation where you're going to need to get out of the car, walk into a room, whip out your oboe, and begin playing, with no time to soak the reed, what you do is, dip the reed into water beforehand at home, and then very carefully put it back into its reed case. It will retain a drop or two of water in between the blades of the reed and will be playable.
Post Edited (2012-01-24 22:20)
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