 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: dblomd
Date: 2012-10-25 17:35
How can you tell if a reed is dead? Is that it just won't play in tune or is it something else?
Senior Music Education Major, Proficiency Piano
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Author: Oboelips
Date: 2012-10-25 19:29
Some reeds are dead before they even lived. But...what I typically call a 'dead reed' is one that has outlived any usefulness--not even good enough for practice. They usually have a sagging scale, no power/projection left, often a more muffled sound than they used to have. Also, when it cracks, it's dead. And yes, there are degrees of "deadness"! A 'somewhat dead' reed can sometimes be brought back to life for a bit with a few strokes of the knife. But after I determine a reed is "dead-dead", I'm taking the cane off the staple to re-use the staple again.
Deb
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-10-25 20:59
If it doesn't do what you want it to do (assuming that it did once), then it's dead. You can try not playing it for a few days and see if it restores somewhat, it could be waterlogged. If again you play it at that time, and the response isn't what it used to be, it's probably not a usable reed anymore.
Drew S.
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Author: oboi
Date: 2012-10-25 21:46
Have a "potentially-dead" pile of reeds which you may try over a period of days to see if it is just an "environment" thing. Never just use visual cues, as my ugliest reeds are often the best. In general, when I have a good working reed, I know it is going when the tip starts to close and I have to pinch it open over and over. It will sound weak. If even dipping it in water for a long while doesn't open it any longer, then it goes bye-bye. So, I can easily tell when a good consistent reed dies, because it just becomes harder and harder to play when it was fine before. The unstable reeds -- or the ones that only like to work on a Thursday at 4:05 pm and only in my house.... -- I save for a while, since I don't know if I just need to scrape on it more or it's just a weather thing. Often they will suddenly work again.
So, in general, when the tip closes up beyond helping and where that an additional clip/scrape isn't possible to prolong it for a bit longer.
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Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2012-10-26 02:44
The legend goes that Zombie reeds infest our reed cases.
They creep in and do their evil to our playing and slowly change our normal playing until we can only play on the dead ones.
It is the oboe version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.
Clean out the gunk using pipe cleaners, hydrogen peroxide or your plaque.
Clip the smallest amount possible off the tip and the dead will rise to play another 440 or 2. 442 to be clear, but squeeze the reed open, reduce the blade slip and play out further on the end.
But beware... that is part of the deadly intoxicating cycle that turns you into a Zombie reed player. Muuhaa! Muha!!!!
Abandon all hope ye who pass here.
Post Edited (2012-10-26 02:45)
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2012-10-26 03:30
Oh, dear Craig, happy Hallowe'en to you too!!!
Sometimes it feels really, really good to take the knife to the thread of a dead reed, and watch the dang thing tumble off the staple.
Other times I feel like 'extinguishing' a frustrating reed as if it were a cigarette and I just got some bad news...
Muuhaa! Muha!!!!
GoodWinds
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Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2012-10-26 03:36
Happy H'lo'ween to you Mary!
Love knowing you here on the boards.
If you get to CO near Denver please consider it an open invitation to visit and stay here. Bring you and your's.
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Author: Jeltsin
Date: 2012-10-26 06:11
The "life" for a normal read for me is:
1) I buy the reed and I do some changes to it to make it possible to use.
2) I let it rest for 4-5 days och then I do some minor changes
3) I use it for about two weeks, and this is the best period for the read.
4) Now the read is to hard, so I had to do some adjustments.
5) I use it again during a week
6) The reed is to hard again and the following adjustment make the reed to crack.
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Author: Old Oboe
Date: 2012-10-26 13:45
I didn't have a name for my "dead" reed collection until I read Craig's post. Hope springs eternal, but the image of the zombies invading my oboe room is creepy! Maybe it will motivate me to cut those threads and release their souls into the ether!
Muuhaa! Muha!
Linda
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2012-10-26 16:08
Let's make a distinction between a "dead" reed and one that never was any good.
A dead reed is one that has outlived it playability. The reed does not vibrate easily ... pitch probably would go up, and you blow harder and harder with as the reed dies its slow death.
Putting a reed in a sonic bath, cleaning it out, cutting the tip all may resurrect the reed for a short period of time. But alas ... unlike zombies ...... it must eventually die!
At times it is really difficult to let go of a beloved dying reed and we mourn at its lost.
So it is ...... in life. ![[frown]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie2.gif)
Mark
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Author: ptarmiganfeather
Date: 2012-10-27 23:38
I could offer a no holds barred reed destruction service for dead reeds. Send me your dying reeds and I will perform the Stand Test (learned that from the Army Oboe video) on them once and for all. It's like thinning seedlings in a garden. You just have to close your eyes and just go for it.
I can hear a small comical cha-ching in the back of my head every time I destroy a reed.
I know I have a dead reed when it closes up after playing nice for maybe ten minutes or less. Or stops playing altogether. Or it just goes all wacky on me.
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