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Re: Staples

Author: mschmidt
Date: 2017-07-17 01:41

I would guess that as long as every other part of the reed is made according to some arbitrary standard, getting a reed to crow a C indicates that the tip is thin enough and short enough. (Some book I read--I think Weber and Capps--pretty much explicitly says this is the point of getting the crow up to a C). However, if the rest of the reed is not made to that arbitrary standard, one might have a tip that is thin enough and short enough while still crowing at B or B flat. My most recent instructor--someone who plays in a major professional symphony orchestra--told me her reeds don't usually crow where they are "supposed to" either. My reed making has been influenced by hers, with more taken out of the sides of tip--which, in my experience, is the primary reason for the lower-pitched crow.

I could try to explain with hand-waving physics why a reed that crows at B flat still manages to play in tune, but I don't feel obligated to do so. As far as I know, nobody has a good physical explanation why a reed that crows at C is ideal. It's a empirical correlation that some people have noted, and works well for them, but there seem to be other people who have different experiences. It is very nice to have some rules of thumb that allow one to head towards a reed that sounds good and plays in tune, but we shouldn't pretend that anyone really understands (in terms of verifiable physics) how reeds and instruments interact to influence pitch and timbre.

As far as I know, European-scrape reeds do not crow at a C, and yet people manage to play in tune on them. The American style evolved out of the older European styles, and some oboists like Allan Vogel have come up with reed styles that are intermediate between the American and European styles. Do these crow at C? I dunno; Allan showed me his reeds once, but I didn't get to crow them.

Mike

Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore

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