 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: mschmidt
Date: 2015-04-25 21:05
I don't know if this will be helpful to anyone here, but it's a realization that has grown on me in my adult years. Because my job requires a lot of me, and because oboe is not part of that job, I don't practice or make reeds as regularly as I should. But when I have limited time, I opt for practice over reed making--I have to keep my embouchure in shape, my fingers in shape, my tongue in shape. And my reeds don't wear out all that fast when I'm not playing that much.
But if I neglect reedmaking, I forget all the subtle things that make it work. A feel for when the knife needs sharpening. Recognizing what's wrong and what needs to be fixed. All sorts of little things. And reed making then becomes frustrating, and I waste a lot of cane. I need to keep my reed making skills as practiced as my performance skills. Because the act of making a reed is a performance of its own. Everything has to go just right.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2015-04-25 21:58
Unfortunately oboe practice and reed making are equally important. It is a real pain in the 440=A to say the least. There are very good reed makers out there ... my teacher buys reeds from time to time - she makes a living as a free lancer.... time is very important to her.
I recommend Bethany Slater http://www.bethanyslater.com/ReedShop.html
So if you don't have the time ... why suffer? The only downside is the cost per reed if you buy them rather then making your own.
Mark
Post Edited (2015-04-26 01:51)
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Author: Jim22
Date: 2015-04-25 22:13
I am just starting to learn to make reeds. I waste time and cane because I don't even know what's wrong or needs to be fixed. I'm nothing if not persistent, though. The variety of things to mess up is boggling. Need a list!
1. Overall length of cane on staple.
2. Thread wrapped just at end of staple.
3. Cane positioned aligned with wide diameter of staple.
4. Cane positioned to close evenly and fully when loop tightened.
5. Leaves slipped so lower leaf closes outside upper on left, inside upper on right.
6. Don't mess up 1 through 4 fiddling with 5!
7. Cane aligned lengthwise on staple.
8. Crossover loop on upper leaf.
9. Wrap tightly, loops packed neatly without gaps.
10. Don't mess up 1 through 7 fiddling with 9.
11. Keep wraps tight while knotting.
And that's about as far as I've gotten.
Jim C.
CT, USA
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Author: oboi
Date: 2015-04-26 03:16
Not that I have many long lapses in reedmaking, but I find it most frustrating when I've ignored my reeds for a long time and have to relearn each of their tendencies. That involves a lot of testing and scraping to restablish the current state of my arsenal. This can waste a lot of time, as instead of taking a known reed and using it for a specific purpose (this one is for the performance, this one is for high notes, this one is out of tune but good for sightreading, etc...), I end up swapping and testing endlessly instead of going about doing what I intended to do (which is practice).
I don't forget how to scrape, I forget how to approach each particular reed (each requiring its own unique knife finessing).
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2015-04-26 06:27
To add insult to injury every piece of cane is different. The most frustrating thing I find is that a I can scrape some reeds in the most usual manner and get a great reed quickly; and then scrape another piece(s) of cane and have trouble(s) to solve the reed's problems. It drives me a bit nuts to say the least. Some reeds settle in quite quickly and others may take a few days and need multiple slight adjustments.
Mark
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Author: mschmidt
Date: 2015-04-26 22:09
> So if you don't have the time ... why suffer?
If I don't have the time, why do I play the oboe at all? Part of what I realized in thinking about reed making as performance is that I enjoy making something out of cane, tube and thread that can turn breath into beautiful sounds. Playing the oboe is challenging, reed making is challenging--I do them both for the satisfaction of trying to make something beautiful in spite of the challenges.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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Author: robertargoe
Date: 2015-04-27 05:22
You might consider other than the American scrape. It's been written several times that one must fill a laundry basket with mistakes before one really gets the knack of making American scrape reeds. Unless you are going to dedicate your life to oboe playing at a high level, you will spend a lot of treasure and frustration chasing the white rabbit - so to speak.
In other parts of the world, the long - or American scrape, is not revered as it is here. Consider also that Europe has many oboe soloists that are widely appreciated and I doubt they use the American scrape.
Check out the European, or short scrape. Once you learn how to tie-on and create a good blank, the short scrape can be learned pretty well without all the grief.
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2015-04-27 11:31
I am proficient in making both types of reed - American scrape, and European. I often start with a European scrape and then dig out the back if I find the reed too heavy or unresponsive, with good results.
I have to say that there is no difference in the skills you need for either scrape.
The knife technique is the same for both, and in both cases the trick is knowing where to scrape to achieve your goal.
J.
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