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 Re: Making Oboe Reeds, How hard is it really?
Author: d-oboe 
Date:   2005-07-05 21:10

The unfortunate thing is, with reeds, if you are going to make take the plunge and start making your own, then you will have to lay down a considerable size chunk of money.
Honestly, I would wait until you have a teacher available to you before you start reedmaking. The books that are out there tend to really focus on finishing a reed - they miss out on a lot of the steps on *getting* the reed to that partially finished stage. If at all possible, try to find someone who knows how (even if it is in a big city and you have to travel) and arrange to take a day, or a weekend to have a starter lesson.
The truth is, a teacher can make a diagnosis that a book can't. In the beginning stages of reed-making, there are a million things to think about, and unless you are being corrected on a regular basis by a teacher, it will be a very slow process.

As for perfecting reeds, I rarely get a really good reed. The bulk of my reeds work, but are mediocre at best. That's just the way things are. There is also the learning stage, in which you *learn* to make reeds. You will likely have to make about one thousand reeds before you will really feel confident in what you are doing, and can simply just *make* reeds.

Like I said, making reeds is only worth it if you are ready to go all the way. It would be frustrating to spend 200$ on reed tools, and then rarely use them, if you end up using store reeds anyways.

However you do have options - there are a very few select decent shop bought oboe reeds. Try to find a double reed store that specializes in oboe products, and that they have a professional handmaking the reeds they ship out. These are a little more costly, but are worth it.
Then, all you have to is buy the hardest strength they sell, and then soften it a little until it responds well for you.

D

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 Topics Author  Date
 Making Oboe Reeds, How hard is it really?  new
Ashley91489 2005-07-05 14:11 
 Re: Making Oboe Reeds, How hard is it really?  new
d-oboe 2005-07-05 21:10 
 Re: Making Oboe Reeds, How hard is it really?  new
vboboe 2005-07-06 18:01 
 Re: Making Oboe Reeds, How hard is it really?  new
Arnoldstang 2005-07-06 21:25 


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