The Oboe BBoard

The Oboe BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Re: Diagnostic Crow

Author: jhoyla
Date: 2009-09-24 20:41

David Weber and Ferald Capps wrote an excellent book called "The reed maker's manual", and IMHO it is still the best medium-sized text for reedmakers. Unfortunately, it has been out of print now for many years. I think there was also an accompanying video tape which may still be available. Chapter four describes the crowing technique in detail. How to crow, and what the results should be on a good reed. The rest of the book describes reed-making with continuous reference to the crow - how it changes as you scrape, what to aim for, and how the crow is affected. If crowing interests you then I really cannot recommend this book enough - try and get a copy any way you can.

David Weber's ideal crow will be pitched C, only the top C for low wind speeds, two octave Cs at medium speeds and three octave Cs at high wind speeds. Pitch should not sag or vary.

One thing I always listen for in the crow is if there are any high-pitched whistles or chirps. This is nearly always due to an unbalanced tip or blend - an area that is overly thin or too thick - and tip balance is critical in so many ways.

OTOH, there are excellent reed makers (Kerry Willingham is a fine example) who can scrape a reed start to finish with hardly a crow, so your mileage will almost certainly vary.

J.

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics