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Re: Soaking Reeds

Author: GMac
Date: 2004-02-03 04:30

Hey Clarence,

I have only ever met one oboe player who does not soak their reeds...and they were not very nice to play on. To soak reeds, it does depend on the reed...here are a few guidelines:

1) The older the reed is, the longer you need to soak it
2) I like to use relatively warm water and soak my reeds for about 3-4 minutes. The best way to determine the best time is to test the reed periodically as it soaks and experiment around a bit.
3) It is possible to oversoak. Soaking too much will make the reed very stiff and very open. The only way to counter this is to let the reed dry out and try again. If desperate, just try to squeeze the reed shut (not too much pressure!)
4) On old reeds, you may need to use a bit of hot water, but never boiling hot. Also use hot water for shorter periods of time when you're in a hurry (this is hard on the reed)

Hope this helps! If you have any more questions, let me know!

P.S. The cane soakers that clip onto your stand are really handy! Makes it a lot easier for performing standing up because keeping the water on your stand spells trouble (so very easy to spill and ruin your music).

Graham

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