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Re: Gouged, shaped and folded.

Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-02-07 06:55

It's like this...

As a professional oboist, you want your reeds to be as consistent as possible. The cane enough is a constant inconsistent factor that you can't control, (no two pieces are the same), so to cut down on factors where you can will produce more consistent reeds.

Three of these ways you can cut down on cane is the sorting, gouging, and shaping.

The sorting is going through pounds of cane and choosing the most straight pieces. Commonly, people who sell gouged/shaped/folded cane will compromise, and sometimes used somewhat warped or mildly warped cane rather than throwing it away like they should. If you buy gouged cane only, take the piece of can, and put the shiny side against a flat edge of a table. Then put a lamp underneith so light clearly shines up. Can you see a lot of space between the piece of cane and the table? Is the cane warped or perfectly straight? This is the first factor.

The second factor is the gouge. Just because you have two pieces of cane that look roughly the same, doesn't mean that they always will gouge out the same way. Making sure that when you gouge, the piece lays flat and tight, (instead of slide around, or move) and is equally gouged in three or four different places along the long piece of cane is important. A digital micrometer is the best way to test this. Also, if the blade is sharp, it will smoothly gouge out the shavings of cane, leaving you with a smoother texture and leaves the fibers more in tact for a nicer, more even quality which comes out in the tone. If the blade is too dull, it has a tendancy to "tear" out each shaving, which again will affect the texture of the quality. This is not something you can easily see, however in scraping, testing, and experience, you will certainly come to sense this. This is the second factor.

The third factor is the shape, and making sure that the sides are evenly shaped. This is clearly the easiest factor to control, however it is also the factor that will have the least effect upon the quality of your cane.

That said, I would like to make the comment that I strongly disagree with the previous persons dimensions, and assessment about a thicker gouge is better for chamber music. When I studied with Joe Robinson, he was crazy about the opening. He didn't care about the quality of the cane, or if it looked beautiful or not, but only cared about getting the right opening. I believe this was also a concept Tabuteau frequently discussed with his students as well.

That said, it is important to have enough meat in the middle of the piece of cane (middle being if you unfold a GSF piece, and measure near the fold,) And most people follow somewhere between .58-.62 mm. However, the most important factor is getting the thickness of the sides correct, and the shape of the curve. The sides should measure out to around .50 for a big opening, which is needed more for orchestral reeds, and .47 for smaller openings, such as practicing a lot or chamber music. I've played a lot with the different dimensions, and a Graf (sp?) Gouging machine is best because it easily allows you to play with the measurements of the middle to side dimensions. Meanwhile, a Ross gouging machine are excellant as well if you can specify to him what measurements you wish, but you can not change the thickness of the sides on his machines, and they are ususally set to .59 in the middle and .50 on the sides.

So, in summary,

Orchestral Reeds: Gouge of .59 in the middle (.61 for a "Mahler" or "Brahms" reed) and .50 on the sides.

Chamber/Practice: Gouge of .59 in the middle and .47 on the sides. I have TMJ which is a Jaw condition, so I prefer smaller opening reeds with .47 on the sides. Good luck, and happy reedmaking.

PS. This is strictly gouging. Shaper Tips play another big role. I prefer smaller tips such as a RDG -1, or Mack -1

PPS. I am from America, and played in the American style. I personally dislike the gouge you are buying, because the sides are thinner than .47.

Blog, An Oboe In Paradise
Solo Oboe, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra

Post Edited (2006-02-07 11:50)

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Gouged, shaped and folded. new

mschmidt

2006-01-31 18:59