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Re: Refine Tone

Author: oboedrew
Date: 2009-09-05 18:44

mjfoboe wrote:

> This is an excellent suggestion which I will definitely
> pursue. And yes - I do sometimes rely of the windows
> to solve tone problems! I probably start them too early
> in the process.

Just to clarify, I do add windows later in the process. Making a reed without windows is just an exercise, a check to ensure the tip is good enough before moving on. I think we long-scrapers sometimes forget that our reeds are just modified short-scrapes. The windows and spine and all that stuff in the back... not really necessary! A reed can be fully functional and can sound beautiful before the knife touches the back.

mjfoboe wrote:

> The trick with the tip is getting it just right -to
> ensure there is no edge to the sound. The
> proportions are crucial - as is the blend.

Precisely! The secret to the sound is in the taper of the tip. I always explain to my beginning reedmakers that the long-scrape evolved out of the short-scrape. Sometimes the curious ones ask me to make them a short-scrape reed to demonstrate. They're usually surprised when my short-scrape reed sounds and feels surprisingly similar to my long-scrape reed! Hehe... we oboists are silly sometimes, arguing about European vs American styles of reedmaking.

Cheers,
Drew

www.oboedrew.com

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