Author: OboePrince
Date: 2015-09-24 15:22
It sounds like your panels aren't deep enough and your tip is probably too short. Cut a little bit more of the heart away and make it become the tip (NOT the whole thing, be cautious and go for little bits at a time) and aim toward the sides of the reed, making the slop between heart and tip have like a treetop shape. That sounds like where your problem is, the slope between heart an tip. Play with the depth and length of that.
I am really good at making for how long I've been doing it. And I throw away less cane than my teacher. The only thing is with me, I sometimes can make a reed that sings like God blessed it personally and they sometimes I make something that sounds like a dying weasel (All still in tune though, so I don't know how I manage that) but damn near everything I make will at least play, even if I wouldn't WANNA play on it.
Some people are too wimpy with their knife and too aprehensive and others are too agressive like myself, and I have the stiches to prove it. And because of my approach I can make it happen quicker than most (I don't rush the final stages of tip refinery, but I don't spend much of my life gently shaping the windows) but when I tear a corner I TEAR it, and I ruin it. But again, I make more piece of cane into functioning reeds (Now he plays a Loree, and those bitches require damn near flawless reeds if you're using American Reeds, which I am sure we all do, though I have used french scrape at Concert Fest to play the solo in "Mock Morris" and just anything by Grainger or such composers) than my teacher, much less any other student I have ever seen.
The unfortunate thing is without watching you scrape I don't know how specifically to help you, because one cannot explain in text how to make an oboe reed. It's done on such a sub-atomic level. 1/8 of a milimeter is a huge measurment. So I can't really explain anything more than I THINK what your problems sound like to me in words, but again, I need to see the reed and your approach.
I play a Rigoutat. Not such a fickle horn when it comes to reeds, so I don't have it as bad as Loree players. But people with Markigauxs could play on a plastic reed and still get a forgiving sound. Screw that brand for being so close to perfect.
I don't like the way Mariguax colors at the top. It's too pretty.
Anyway, good luck with your reeds and if you want my email is rmills@murraystate.edu and we could set up a skype call and I can see if I can help you.
I had a hand injury (I used to double flute pretty fiercely before that) so tying is so hard for me, and most of my reeds get taped (like the entire eastern world) but the scraping part doesn't elude me as much. I'd be happy to help.
American Oboist. I currently play on a Rigoutat Riec. She is beautiful.
Post Edited (2015-09-24 15:26)
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
