Author: d-oboe
Date: 2005-06-19 07:59
I will hold by my point -the less we do to reeds, the longer they last, plain and simple. The more we soak, fiddle, twist, bend, scrape, or do WHATEVER with a reed, it is deteriorating the piece of cane. All these complicated contraptions and humidity theories only seem to add more to the catastrophe that is the reed world. I think a bit of logic is necessary here: it's time to BE THE REED. A reed is a living thing! A plant! So, when the cane was growing in the dirt, it had moderate sunshine (and intense sunshine in the drying period) and received a moderate amount of liquid on a regular basis. (Usually by means of rain)
Here's a simple way to replicate that: play your reeds! Everytime you go to practice, give each reed in your case a little dip in the water, even if you don't end up using it in that session. (I have a 12-reed case. If you have a 50-reed case, maybe don't bother with the extra 38 :P) This will keep the reeds from becoming overly dried out, yet it won't drown the reed. And it's easy, requiring little effort. That's what I abide by, and my reeds have yet to utterly fail me and walk off on the job - so to speak.
D
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
