Author: cjwright
Date: 2009-09-06 17:07
I don't think he meant that he wanted kids to play on bad reeds that created bad habits, but many oboists simply throw out okay or decent reeds (i.e. reeds that are responsive, stable, vibrate correctly, and take the wind correctly, but don't necessarily have the best tone) because they don't have embouchures flexible enough to dampen a bright reed or so. But I don't think anyone would say that it's okay to play on a reed that makes someone bite hard. From someone who developed TMJ after studying with an oboist who's reeds were more than I could bear, I can certainly attest!
I think the critical concept here is "flexibility", and yes, if your embouchure isn't flexible to roll in and out, then you're probably going to bite and "struggle to compensate for inferior reeds." If you're relatively flexible, then this shouldn't be a "struggle".
Obviously the better in shape you are, the more flexible you are, which is why making reeds for a lot of adult amateurs is so difficult. They don't have to practice, usually not more than 30 to 45 minutes a day, and so their embouchure isn't in very good shape, so to compensate they need ridiculously refined reeds that make them sound like John Mack! (Which, despite how good the reed is, probably won't happen unless they blow correctly and have a big lower lip to cover the reed like he did.)
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
