Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-08-04 23:53
Don't confuse a hard reed, with a reed that can really take air. They are two different things altogether. A hard reed needs more air *just* to make it vibrate normally. A reed that can take air requires almost zero embouchure because it is vibrating so well.
If you listen to the crow, there should be at least two, or three octaves in the crow. This means that the entire reed is vibrating properly. If there is only the highest C - whether it's a hard crow or a thin whiny crow - the reed will not accept air properly.
If the reed feels just a little hard and stuffy, but otherwise good, thin the sides and ends of the tip without pressing down, or ripping off cane. Keep going until you can play a low Bb without honking. Now, really slam a low Bb: does it jump the octave? If it does, keep thinning the edges and the extreme tip. ONLY those areas.
After a while you will start to see a "double tip" emerge. You will see the extremeties where you have been scraping will be white, but the center of the tip will still have some darker "fuzz". This contrast is what allows you to blow.
If, at this point, the reed has become a little soft, give it a tiny clip - and test the notes again. Keep repeating the above scraping procedures until the reed no longer jumps the octave. This will leave you with a reed that allows you to blow...just like you've always dreamed!
D
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