Author: huboboe
Date: 2012-07-20 02:13
OK, I see what you are doing. I hold with my advice on sharpening - you've gotta have a sharp knife, and if the blade isn't flat to the stone it won't happen. Don't be too fast to blame your stone...
The instructor's knife (if it is also a beveled blade) may have been backwards to you. If he is right handed and you are left handed I think the bevel on your blade needs to be opposite his to do the same moves, though I think you could learn to use either bevel for shaping...
My suggestion for scraping came from my teacher at the SF Conservatory, Jean-Louis LeRoux, a Paris Conservatory trained oboist and principal oboe in the SF Symphony at that time, the late 60's. He had adapted his playing to the American style, so he made reeds with a spine down the back and the typical blended tip.
What I saw him do, but could never successfully copy, was to put the tip of the wrapped reed on his thumb and scrape two 'channels' down the sides, defining the spine, and then turn the reed around and put the tip on that.
I always over-scraped the heart, making it too thin, and gave up because my way worked. (!) We all (hopefully) arrive at what works, but there is no firm 'right way' to do any of the stuff we do in our craft.
I'd love to hear more about how you end up doing what you're trying to do.
I'm envious of you folks who have started playing the Baroque literature on the instruments for which it was written. I love the period, and the current performance practices are truly fulfilling. Keep up the good work!
Robert Hubbard
WestwindDoubleReed.com
1-888-579-6020
bob@westwinddoublereed.com
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