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Re: New Blog

Author: WoodwindOz
Date: 2013-11-18 05:50

Hi Cooper,

I just wanted you to know that I have been following your blog and I find myself nodding along to everything you have written, as right now I am experiencing a lot of it on a much smaller scale.

I have been back home in Perth for 5 months now (wow!). I learnt to make reeds while I was in the US, so now I am returning to Oz as a self-sufficient oboist for the first time. When I got back here, it was just starting winter, and Illinois hadn't quite finished its own winter, so I got a lot of cold weather for months on end. Summer has hit us two months early here now, and it was a shock to the reed situation. I am finding out new things about my reeds since changing climate, and a lot of it is the same as you. Heat is a huge factor right now! It was 41C/106F the day of my last rehearsal last week! But then air conditioning kicks in, and changes the story! Like you, I am leaning towards a wider shape consistently and prefer old reeds whereas I used to play on relatively new reeds. Old reeds don't care about the climate changing! This of course means that I am going to have to practice more outside of rehearsals in order to break in reeds, which I am not so good at.

I am also developing 'chops of steel' as I have been asked to play principal in one of our local orchestras for this season, we are doing Mahler 4, Mozart Piano Concerto no.10 and Marriage of Figaro. Additionally, I am doing a community band (Christmas carol season) and a couple of quintet gigs. It has been a few weeks since I have experienced fatigue as I am playing so much, and I hope it can stay like that!

Best of luck to you, Cooper, but I am sure you will succeed in doing whatever it is you wish to do. I am happy you have had this chance in Thailand.

Rachel

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