 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2019-08-02 05:41
I've noticed that some reed makers slightly clip off the corners of the tip of the reed. Is there a reason for this ?
Skyfacer
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Author: Hotboy
Date: 2019-08-02 21:00
Clipping the corners does two things:
- Reduces the possibility of corners catching your lip and tearing off, especially with reeds that have quite a bit of blade overlap.
- Improves the reed's initial response, especially in the lower register.
Dane
Bay Area, California
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Author: oboist2
Date: 2019-08-03 01:56
This used to be a very common practice when I was young, but these days you don't see it so much. It was generally confined to reeds that were poorly made and mass produced, and I was lucky as my reeds were supplied by my teacher, who was a professional player. The person who taught me to make reeds, did not do it, and even though my reed style has cahnged over the years, I tend not to do it as I try to make reeds with no, or very little overlap, and generally happy with my reeds initial response.
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Author: mschmidt
Date: 2019-08-04 20:32
Your question, "Is there a reason for this?", is one of my favorite questions. It has been adequately answered by Hotboy and oboist2 in this case. But I would say, as a general answer for all folk technologies (of which oboe playing and reed making are excellent examples) the answer generally is, yes, there is a reason, but it may be one resting more on history and superstition than on sound scientific reasoning. "This is the way my mentor taught me to do this and he/she was an admirable and accomplished person who obviously knew what they were doing, so I will do the same, assuming there are good reasons for doing it this way." And then you find that a variety of different people will have convinced themselves of different reasons for the practice.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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