 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: SarahC
Date: 2017-06-15 07:56
Ok..
So my favourite short scrape are howarth academies...
But the only long scrapes i have tried are jones medium and the ones barry made.
So i am wondering if anyone has favourites. I am finding the jones mediums close up very quickly .. But are enjoyable to play until that happens...
Wondering if also puttig some wire on the jones reeds would help stop then become closed.. They close within one practise session basically..
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2017-06-15 14:50
Sarah,
Technique with US reeds is different to European scrape reeds. European reeds have a lot of natural spring to the opening, and we all tend to use quite a lot of lip to keep the opening at a useful size while playing.
Not so, US scrape reeds.
These reeds are designed to have the ideal opening up-front, and all you should do with your lips is seal around the reed. It is a different technique, and takes some getting used to. In the meantime, your reeds will (as you have discovered) have an extremely short life ...
For a US embouchure you should keep your jaw open and roll your lips in, keeping the corners pursed. Think "blowing out a candle at at a distance", then roll in keeping the corners tight. Seal around the heart, don't squeeze. Control the reed using mainly the airspeed which you control from your abdominal muscles. Don't bite, and don't smile.
Hope this helps.
J.
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-06-15 22:36
Hi Sarah. Sounds like wiring them would solve the problem. Remember that before you use a reed. to soak in room temperature water up to the wire or perhaps even to the binding for about five minutes. This will open up the reed. Doing this may result in you not having to wire up.
Search Utube by typing in Double ReedGeek or DoubleGeek and you should find at least four videos on how to use this tool on Oboe reeds.
As for wiring an Oboe reed it is a 'fidderly' job to do and you need the correct gauge brass wire.
Skyfacer
Post Edited (2017-06-17 15:14)
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Author: SarahC
Date: 2017-06-16 03:50
I left facebook again barry... So no!
Thanks for that j. That is useful. And explains why i killed my reeds so quickly. But definitely enjoyed playing a lot more with the us style reed...
I will have to sit down with all my reeds and decide which to use for my exam then...
I just discovered that my legere reed doesnt even fit into my new oboe!!! That was a surprise...so no plastic back up for this exam!
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-06-16 05:00
Hi again Sarah. Read carefully what Jhoyla (Jeremy) is saying about the embouchure of that style of reed. It was what I was trying to describe to you when I was with you last weekend.
I have noticed also that the Academy reeds are a type of longer European style so we seem to have basically three different profiles of Oboe reeds. I actually use the 'American' embouchure on these as well and it seems to work quite well.
Skyfacer
Post Edited (2017-06-16 05:03)
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Author: KJC
Date: 2017-06-17 18:45
Jones reeds are some of the worst commercially made long scrape reeds you can buy in my opinion.
I had to run to the local music store because I had left my reeds at home on the stand and home was too far to drive to make rehearsal. The store was a general local music store and only had Jones reeds. I played it and while very vibrant, it's too bright and the tone is extremely nasally like the caricature of the worst oboe sound possible. I had to exert extra embouchure and breath support just to make it sound well and on pitch because this reed had no center!
Just awful. I have noticed other oboists, band directors using these reeds, and I don't know why other than they are relatively cheap and easily available. The tone one can produce is not nearly as good as it would be with a professionally made reed--one that is made by an oboist who really knows how to make reeds.
There are many oboists who have sites selling much better long scrape reeds.
Consider buying from another site and learning how to play on a really well made reed.
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Author: oboist2
Date: 2017-06-18 03:03
As I play on long scrape reeds, here in Australia, I can second all the worthwhile advice above. American reeds are also considerably with less resistance than European reeds to play with, so require a lot more abdominal support and their airspeed and focus of airstream is a lot more crucial to making a good sound on them. I make reeds for my students and they get a really long life out of them....I would never make money out of them on reeds. I would not however wire the reeds - that dampens the vibrations considerably, and the only time I ever wired reeds was in summer in Christchurch ( as it is hot and dry with a lot of drying norwesters) or when I studied in Adelaide in my youth ( But I was using short scrape reeds then). There are good professional reed makers out there in the long scrape style, and a lot of them are initially contactable on eBay. it is worth trying a few, but you may need to adjust them a little bit when they get to Australia. Usually I have found the tip doesn't need it but the blend or the front area of the heart may need a little very gentle scraping, just to free it up and get the response more immediate. Good luck.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2017-06-18 08:35
While I would rather not wire a reed, one can minimize the damping of a reed with wire by putting the wire very near the thread. This can give a bit of control of the opening without much damping of the reed. Good luck!
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-06-18 09:25
Just speaking for myself. I"ve never really noticed much difference in the effect of a reed with or without wire. The Howarth Academy reeds are not the American profile reeds but are a sort of a longer scrape variation of the European profile and they are wired 5 to 6 mm above the binding. I can detect no problem with them as to responce ect.
Skyfacer
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2017-06-18 14:48
I would only ever wire a reed in order to close it down a little, and then only temporarily (I remove the wire after a couple of hours playing - no longer necessary).
Wiring a reed open will never have the effect you desire IMHO. There are other ways to open a closed reed at a pinch Put your mandrel in the reed, draw it back out about 2mm (but keep the angle!!), then with some smooth, snipe-nosed pliers, pinch the thread about 3mm below the cane parallel to the blades. Flip 180 degrees and do it again. If it has no effect, try again and squeeze a tiny bit harder.
The objective is to deform the staple just below the end so that it "flares" a tiny, tiny bit. There is no going back - but if you have a dead reed, what harm?
You will need to wrap the base of the cane with fishskin/cling-film to seal, once you have opened it in this manner.
The next thing to do is MARK this staple with nail-varnish, and THROW IT AWAY when the reed is done; a misshapen staple will never work again and you could ruin gobs of good cane trying to figure out why your cane keeps cracking when you tie on.
Good luck!
J.
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