Author: vboboe
Date: 2006-08-26 16:43
Plan A ... what about a hands-free reed-soak as most convenient solution to your scheduling problem, such as putting reed to soak in water while you're in bathroom doing your teeth or hair first thing in the morning?
Carry reed container from bathroom to kitchen on way to breakfast, and pack up wet reed with oboe on your way out the door to your bus. Aim for soaking time less than 10 minutes, but if reed's a bit over-soaked, it'll have time to dry out some before 9:50
However, think it's very likely you'll need Plan B at school, such as those days when you're running late and don't have time or don't remember to pre-soak your reed before catching your bus. In hot weather or when room's really warm, reed can dry out too much in band class, so you'll need water in the band-room anyway
Here's an idea, does away with reed-vial altogether
Hope it's OK at your school to take * pop-top bottle of drinking water * into classes & band-room? Presume you head for your locker first thing after getting to school? How about keeping a bottle of water in your locker and take it with you to first class, then band?
Try this out, get the right size of thin drinking straw so you can fit your reed tube over it and actually drink water through your reed from the bottle. Cut that straw length to fit inside the water bottle with the cap on but you can still get it easy, and leave the straw in the bottle
When you get to band-room, Big Risk is taking off the cap to get at the straw to put reed-tube over it. Don't lose the cap! Don't spill water!
Also, if put cap on music stand make sure it doesn't leave any water on the stand! (wets your music)
Hold reed in lips around the thread and drink water slowly & gently. Hold enough water in mouth so outside of reed can get wet too. This way you can wet up your reed and drink some water at the same time. Put cap back on bottle when you're done, and remember to put water bottle back in locker for next time
Refill as needed, or change the water once a week, or more often if you'd feel better about that. Change the straw frequently too.
Think of water bottle as something you need for band-class. When band-teacher is chatting to class awhile, reeds dry out, so you would need water in class to wet up again
Also, remember to take a drink of water through your reed at the end of playing, this rinses saliva off the reed before putting it away
Drinking water through a straw is more discrete and less distracting in class, or during performances, than tilting your head back to drink directly from the bottle
Note that clarinet & sax players also have to wet up their reeds, so they need a bit of time for that, should be enough time for oboe to wet up too
Mold? That happens when reed can't dry out quickly after being played.
You want reed to stay moist before being played, but afterwards reeds must be dried out ASAP. Make sure wet reed is always stored in container which lets air in and out.
Those economical double-sided oboe * reed guards * are excellent for this, but can't remember for sure if reed guard's made by La Voz or Fox or ...?
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