Author: RobinDesHautbois
Date: 2012-06-15 10:32
Back to the topic,
yes, wide reeds will fatigue your embouchure really quickly under the following considerations:
* if your reed plays implicitly flat, your instrument and your habits will naturally and automatically want to raise that.
* this raising requires lots of strength that you're not even aware you're using.
This is true for wider reeds and also for longer reeds. But longer is less tiring.
It is possible to go too far with reed width. I have tried a lot of oboe reeds made with an RDG 2 (no minus) and Kunibert Michel 750 (for oboe d'amore). The sound coming from them and the ease of playing are phenomenal, but the pitch is so low and the unconscious-adjustment detailed above really wrecks the mouth. So far, very open staples only compensate a little bit for this.
I suggest that shapes similar to RDG -2 are a good balance. I have tried samples of it and liked it a lot. I also use the Kunibert Michel 725 and love it completely in all aspects.
But my best advice is to find a shape, length and scraping style that does not fatigue your embouchure (i.e. you can practice for hours and THEN have rubber lips) and work your breathing and embouchure to keep the pitch low, if need be.
Robin Tropper
M.A.Sc., B.Mus., B.Ed.
http://RobinDesHautbois.blogspot.ca/music
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