Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-07-11 03:13
>>So...the harder the reed, the less prone it is to weaken and collapse???<<
Well, yes . . . but . . .
Some of the "collapsibility" has to do with the size of the opening in the first place (which has to do with the shape and gouge and width, and other reed arcana that I have not yet understood).
It takes longer for more open reeds to flatten themselves out. But too open reeds sound and play awful, so there is a limit to what you can hope for on that account. In fact, I believe that many of us have developed the habit of squeezing down our new reeds a little, to make them more responsive and to give it a more refined, less hooty, tone. (Just be sure the reed is wet when you do this, and don't get carried away -- just a little push.)
Most of the time, when we say "harder" reeds, we mean *more resistant* to the breath and tongue. Again, there is a limit to how much of this sort of hardness you want to have, because you do want a responsive reed that doesn't feel like a bad balloon to blow -- it needs to be relatively comfortable, or again, you will be hooting and honking.
There is also a "hardness" degree in reeds that pertains to the cane itself, and here is where I think the longer-lived reeds dwell.
I think you know, from your clarinet life, that there are more dense and less dense brands of cane available, in whatever strength. Compare, say, a Mitchell Lurie 3 to a Gonzales FOF 3 or a Rico Grand Concert Select. Different beasts, right?
The same thing is true of oboe reeds. There is hard cane, and there is soft cane, and all degrees in between.
Softer cane is easier to work, but makes reeds that don't hold up as long. Harder cane is sometimes a pain to work, but makes reeds that last longer, all other things being equal.
About the hardest cane I have seen in an oboe reed is the K.Ge stuff (search function or Google it). It looks like furniture-grade cane, only smaller. I think most experienced reed makers prefer a somewhat harder cane to start with, although I may be wrong about that.
Anybody who makes reeds have any comments about this?
Susan
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