 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2010-03-02 20:30
I have a fairly good reed that has been closing up on me lately. I'll press the two sides so the blades come apart, and it will play better for a minute or two, but then close up again.
Is there any way to cure this? Thanks.
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Author: Ehafb
Date: 2010-03-03 05:37
do you not wire reeds in USA?? Here in UK nearly all are.
Bryan
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2010-03-03 09:49
In my opinion, adding wire to an unwired, dying reed almost never works. If you are going to wire your reed you should do so at the beginning, and balance accordingly.
IF you are so hopelessly in love with the reed that you don't mind destroying the tube, you can try the pliers trick, which I think comes from Evelyn Rothwell's reed-making guide...
1. Soak your reed well.
2. Insert your mandrel into the tube to the end, then pull it back about 4 mm.
3. With a pair of snipe-nosed pliers, position them on the thread as if you are about to squeeze the reed closed (yes!), but leave 3-4 mm of thread showing between the pliers and the cane.
4. Squeeze gently but firmly, and watch the reed opening as you squeeze. Rotate 180 degrees every so often, to even out the pressure.
What happens is this; you are actually deforming the tube slightly, behind the top of the tube. However, you are NOT deforming the actual top. This changes the angle of the blades a tiny fraction, enough to add a bit of spring to the reed.
Do this a tiny bit at a time - you can easily make the blades stand apart, after which the reed is toast. Oh - and when it does die, throw the tube away. You won't see any difference to the tube, but trust me - it is deformed, and will never make a reed that seals again.
So, in spite of the beautiful Taps rendition, reports of your reed's demise may be premature ...
J.
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Author: johnt
Date: 2010-03-03 14:57
Why fuss with a reed that's gone? You do all that changing of the staple & you'll mess up the dimensions of the air column. As Cooper says, it might play fine at another time of the year with different weather. A more rational approach, IMHO.
My 2ยข
Andre Rieu is a phenomenal musician & his players as well. Tickets to his shows on the Left Coast are always sellouts, hard to get & very expensive. He's a gem.
Best,
john
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2010-03-03 17:13
Nope. Almost never. I know one reedmaker who wires her reeds, and she does it to keep the openings propped open, but it's not suggested.
Professional American EHornists will tell you that with the American Reeds, the wire on English Horn reeds should lightly touch the sides to create a node to help with the high register, but should not effect the opening of the reed. Carolyn Hove, the EHornist of the LA Phil says that with the right gouge and scrape, you shouldn't need the wire, and that she encourages people not to use wire simply because she's seen it put on wrong too many times.
Cooper
Blog, An Oboe In Paradise
Solo Oboe, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2010-03-03 18:46
I wire my dying reeds, works good for me. I use 32 gauge hobbyist beading wire, two turns around it just at the base of the scrape VERY VERY gently. You don't want to wire it firmly as though you were closing a Baggie tie--you just want to bolster the base of the blades, give them something to push against. I tweak it a bit with the tiny jeweler's pliers, give tiny little twists tighter or looser until it plays right. And then I can slide the loop of wire up or down as I choose. Wire-further-up makes the lower notes easier to play but sacrifices pitch and tone on the higher octave. Wire-further-down makes the lower notes impossible to play since the reed is collapsing, but the pitch and tone on the upper octave are better.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2010-03-03 20:53
Dutchy,
I read your earlier post on this subject, and decided to give it a try, because I have been having the devil of a time with (new) reeds closing up on me this winter. (Same reeds I've used for a long time; they just are closing up this winter.)
Works like a charm! But as Dutchy says, just do it lightly, at the base of the scrape. This is not orthodontia.
Susan
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Author: Ehafb
Date: 2010-03-04 19:19
susan ur vision of orthoditst made me laugh. We seem to struggle so much for the perfect reed. Sometimes its better to cut our losses.
Bryan
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