Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-05-13 17:54
Let me preface by saying I'm a semi-professional woodwind doubler, a studied but still amature oboist, and I say this not as fact, but as what I believe currently. You may agree or disagree. So...
Shapers seem to be relative to your personal scrape and embouchure, so it's probably best to start with a medium shape, and work from there. People seem to like Brannen X or Pfeiffer-Mack. I happen to like Adams Shapers, probably because they seem to be easiest to compare between themselves. This really should rely on what the teacher is comfortable using.
So I guess the question would be, when I change a certain parameter of the shape, what are the effects? What are the parameters that can be changed anyway?
The easiest parameter to understand would be Tip Opening. This controls how much air is allowed into the instrument. If you are happy with intonation throughout the instrument, but need more or less volume, changing to a smaller shape of the same type (e.g Joshua +2 to Joshua) will decrease the Tip Opening, while keeping the same shape. The smaller should make it easier to play softer, the larger would allow you to play louder.
The rest of the parameters seem to involve how the shape tapers. Measurements at specific points don't provide the whole story, and can really only be used modestly in comparison between different shapes. The reason being that tapers in different shaper tips start at different points, and have different angles.
The main thing that might be true is that the shape acts as a baffle for air. If the space gets smaller, the air speed is sped up. If the space gets larger (this doesn't happen in reeds, but after entering the staple), the air speed is slowed. If the space remains the same, the air speed is unchanged.
So what are some examples that can help improve response?
If the high register is pitched too high compared to the rest of the instrument, possible try a shape with more of a flare at the tip. (Like moving from Joshua +2 to Sansom +1)
If you need a shape with more lows or to help with the low register, moving to a shape that is parallel at the top, and has a dramatic taper at the throat may help (Possibly moving from Sansom +1 to Caleb)
If the low register is pitched too low, you could move to a shape that has longer taper, that is thinner at the throat. (Caleb to Joshua +2)
Of course the lines of a shape could be completely straight or have a slight curve to them. These will have different effects. It is important to know that if the shape gets smaller, the air stream will consequently move more quickly, like putting your finger over a hose. I feel it is not what size at what point in the shape that makes the tone, but how the air moves through the whole shape that really creates the effect.
Drew S.
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