 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2005-09-28 20:34
Hi Dutchy --
Well, I don't recall ever having an Evans reed that I thought was too hard or too resistant (there may be a difference between "hardness" and "resistance" -- I think what we normally call "hard" would actually be better termed *resistant*). If anything, the problem was the opposite.
Do you recall that, somewhere on this board, I wrote that in my first year or so of playing, I thought almost all reeds were "too hard" -- and then when I went to a teacher and figured out what was wrong with my embouchure, all my "too hard" reeds (many adjusted) were suddenly "too soft"? You may be travelling on that same road . . .
I would definitely fool around with them for a couple of days. They will change. The first day with a new reed, I treat it rather gingerly, and don't play it very long -- just long enough to get some idea of what it sounds like and how it responds. Second day, I play a little longer, and start to pinch, etc. By the third day, I have a pretty good idea of what the ultimate character of the reed is going to be, and I might make a few adjustments (as described in my post above, in this thread).
Reeds DO change over time. I continue making adjustments over the life of the reed, in many instances. A reed that was "just right" one day can seem impossible the next -- and if you have to play that day, you have to adjust the reed to where it will work at the time.
I have had the experience of getting a reed that I thought was perfectly awful, tossing it unhappily into the box I reserve for such things, and then come back to it weeks or months later and find out that it is pretty good, after all. The opposite also happens -- a reed will start out great and then wimp out after a day or two.
Sounds like your next investment should be a plaque and a little cutting block, and maybe a knife (although I have gone this far with nothing more than the razor blade). The plaque and block will not set you back very much -- I think about $5.00. The knife can cost as much as you want to pay. My teacher -- who is telling me I need to get one now, because I am going to start scraping reeds (from blanks, not from scratch!) -- says you can get a good knife for $20.00. I think that sounds low from what I have seen, but I will let her advise me on this.
Courage! Maybe we should talk about embouchure next?
Susan
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Dutchy |
2005-09-22 23:56 |
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Dutchy |
2005-09-23 00:45 |
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ohsuzan |
2005-09-23 01:56 |
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Dutchy |
2005-09-23 02:35 |
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Arnoldstang |
2005-09-23 05:14 |
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sömeone |
2005-09-23 09:03 |
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Dutchy |
2005-09-23 12:27 |
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sömeone |
2005-09-23 13:32 |
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d-oboe |
2005-09-24 21:15 |
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oboist |
2005-09-25 23:41 |
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d-oboe |
2005-09-26 17:21 |
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ohsuzan |
2005-09-23 13:41 |
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winstondawg |
2005-09-23 17:47 |
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vboboe |
2005-09-24 04:22 |
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sömeone |
2005-09-24 08:43 |
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Dutchy |
2005-09-24 13:08 |
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ohsuzan |
2005-09-24 15:14 |
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Dutchy |
2005-09-24 20:08 |
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d-oboe |
2005-09-25 21:09 |
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Dutchy |
2005-09-28 16:12 |
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sylvangale |
2005-09-28 17:26 |
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oboist |
2005-09-28 18:42 |
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Re: I just bought 2 Charles Reed reeds, & the upper register won't sound. Now what? new |
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ohsuzan |
2005-09-28 20:34 |
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sylvangale |
2005-09-29 17:20 |
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Dutchy |
2005-09-30 23:15 |
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ohsuzan |
2005-10-01 02:37 |
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rgombine |
2005-10-01 03:58 |
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sömeone |
2005-10-01 12:16 |
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sylvangale |
2005-10-04 07:25 |
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sömeone |
2005-10-04 09:26 |
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Dutchy |
2005-10-05 02:04 |
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ohsuzan |
2005-10-05 02:27 |
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The Clarinet Pages
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