 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Thomas.
Date: 2006-06-14 10:47
Do you make your own reeds? If so, how long had you been playing the oboe when you started to own reeds?
Here in New Zealand i have never met anyone who makes their own reeds, even professional players. From what I gather, everyone here used to make their own reeds as bought ones were terrible, but then Ke-Xun came along and now pretty much everyone uses his reeds.
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2006-06-14 12:57
I think that is also the case in Malaysia. Everyone buys and adjusts Ke-Xuns.
Even the professionals.
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Author: mschmidt
Date: 2006-06-14 20:00
I started to make my own reeds after playing the oboe for a year. My teacher didn't want me to play on the commercial reeds available at the time, and got tired of making reeds for me.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-06-14 20:20
I make my own reeds.
I played the oboe for 1 year without instruction, just in band and such. (I had to unlearn a lot of things let me tell you!) I then studied with my first teacher for one year, and at that point started making my own reeds.
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Author: GMac
Date: 2006-06-14 23:03
I make my own reeds, I started when I came to University (aka college if you're from the US). Before that my teacher made all of my reeds for me. It certainly was a sheltered existence...
Graham
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2006-06-15 06:02
hey, that's interesing about popular reeds in the Far East, but the annual cost must be a staggering overhead expense?
... i started with oboe teacher in private lessons at 15 in UK and of course couldn't play much on oboe right away, limited blow power, lips jello, dizzy spells, etc. so lots of free time to fill up hour lessons, reed making instructions began fairly soon after teacher drilled me thoroughly with umpteen run-throughs of proper oboe and reed handling do's and dont's
... teacher provided very first reed, after that, parents had to make sure i had a playable reed for every lesson, if necessary purchased from ... Howarths in London (dad worked in London, wasn't a waiting game for the post) ... while i had to attempt to make my own and bring a new one next week until we had a set of three that actually played, including any store bought reeds. Thereafter, i had to replace reeds in the trio as they died, make my own if i could. Dear old dad always seemed to have one available in my many bad weeks
... aah, memories, linen thread, beeswax, goldbeater's skin and a permanent set of red and sore grooves in fingers from working with the thread
... beginner's reed, basic 'thumbnail size' U scrape tip on a long reed (about 72 mm) which got trimmed back and scraped further down the back as the tip frayed with use and was clipped off, until about 65mm, too short, break the reed now, teacher said. Salvage the tube, tie another one and scrape it down for next week, teacher said. Cutting back a reed seemed like such a sensible and economical method ... until i realised i couldn't play in tune, then teacher smiled and said the reed has to be made in such a way to help you play in tune! Next fine detail stage of reed-making began, student's eyes glazed over (:(
... second year's reed, first term, sculpted the bridge (hump) to stiffen up the reed for my stronger embouchure and when i could finally play that pretty well, second term, we did the spine with upper and lower windows. End result, tri-zone U-scrape reed, tip, bridge, knob on top of the spine (centre of the heart) and two zones in the windows all played depending on octave or desired tonal colour, nibbling (rollover and rollout) exercises began in earnest then. End of school years, end of lessons.
... rich in theory and instructions, but knife and me didn't turn out many reasonable successes, teacher salvaged some i thought were hopeless, but more often identified my errors, made me take notes to do something differently next time, then ... broke the reed i'd laboured on for hours that last week, boo-hoo! Salvage the tube, tie another, scrape it RIGHT for next week!
That was then, long-long ago. Now i'm relearning reed-making over here using american scrape with current oboe teacher. Haven't bought a store reed for about 6 months, and i've got 9 that can be played, none wonderful but two are definitely better than the others and a third comes close enough.
Somedays i ask myself what the heck am i doing?! That's when i play recorder for a while, but oboe wins me back every time ... all those extra tone-hole caps and glittering silver keys are so much easier to play
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-06-15 21:26
Google it!
I ordered a couple of his American scrapes last year. It was VERY expensive to get them sent! They are good enough reeds, and beautifully made, but nothing any better than what you can find here in the U.S.
IMO, you'd be better off just using one of the favorite reedmakers mentioned on this board (which you can find using the search function, above).
Susan
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2006-06-16 00:36
It's obvious that he doesnt make very good American scrapes, being late Anthony Camden's pupil. =) At least we won't expect them to be of better quality than those made in the United States. But sure, again i must say that they make very good European scrapes (I guess they are more English so to say).
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2006-06-17 06:34
postscript ... was doing some browsing elsewhere and discovered the French style of reed-making favors the long 72 mm reed with narrower 10mm cane and u-scrape tip
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