The Oboe BBoard

The Oboe BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Re: What would you do?

Author: Hotboy
Date: 2020-02-01 12:19

You didn't provide enough information about why you are having the problems you are. What are the symptoms of the reeds that don't work for you?
- Too open or closed?
- Too easy or stiff?
- Too flat or sharp?
- Too bright or dark?

I don't buy the "clutziness" diagnosis. In my experience, often the problem is lack of patience or the willingness to try new methods. Either that, or you are using a dull knife.

If you live in any decently populated area, there must be a professional oboist/teacher fairly nearby from whom you can take some lessons. He/she will help you with the following:

1) How to really sharpen a knife. Without an extremely sharp knife that is properly sharpened for reed-making (different than sharpening a kitchen knife), the chances for success adjusting a reed can be quite low.

2) How to select a knife that you can sharpen. There are many knives that are nearly impossible to put a good edge on without automated equipment.

3) How to select cane with a hardness, density, diameter, and shape that will play well for you.

4) How to select a scrape style that works at altitude.

There are YouTube videos that show what to do to adjust reeds, like these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zirrVds90Ck&t=61s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sruDRdzEUhU

There are also some great videos by Pierre Roy on YouTube that show you how to make reeds from scratch, like these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q-2DRZMWVM&t=28s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06xYFxAWZmQ

If all else fails, buy reeds from somebody who specializes in high-altitude reeds, like https://kharawolf.com/buy-oboe-reeds/. I bought reeds from Khara a few years when I needed to play a wedding at 4500 feet (I live at sea level and my standard reeds collapse at altitude). With a little playing in and hand adjusting, Khara's reeds worked great for me. There are also some other high-altitude reed makers inked to on her site.

Dane
Bay Area, California

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics