 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Astrobleme
Date: 2006-10-11 14:50
For someone (i.e. me) who is in the early stages of learning, what would you say is better for building up the embouchure - to stick to a soft reed that allows me to practice a reasonable amount of time, or to switch to a med-soft or medium and practice for shorter periods of time?
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-10-11 15:25
You play on the strength of reed that lets you do what you need to do. playing on harder reeds *********************DOES NOT**************** build up your embouchure. It simply forces you to bite, and it severely upsets your endurance.
As your embouchure strengthens (from practicing long tones, and endurance) you may find that the soft reeds are too limiting for you....that's when you move up.
I would suggest getting a few basic adjusting tools, so that you have control over the hardness of your reeds at all times.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-10-11 15:55
Stay on the softest reeds that are comfortable for you, and ones that will give you control over attack, control over all volume levels and ones that will work across the entire range evenly and easily.
If you play on too hard a reed you will find general response and attack difficult, and you'll have problems with control when playing quietly in the lower register.
One thing you don't want is to be regarded by other band members as yet another oboe player who hasn't got any dynamic control.
I've been playing oboe for around 10 years now, and I only use medium soft reeds - I don't see the point in making things any more difficult than they are by strugling with reeds that are too resistant, and with oboe reeds we really do need all the help and ease of playing we can possibly get.
And do learn how to adjust your reeds so they respond well, play in tune and give you the tone you want - and always have several playable back-up reeds just in case anything untoward happens to your favourite reed.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: mosh
Date: 2006-10-12 00:04
I agree ..... Comfortable reeds are the best option at all times...
REED ONLY EXERCISES
If you are looking to do building exercises for your embrochure you should just try "Reed Only" exercises.
Many teachers of mine have spent many hours doing nothing but playing on the reed (without the oboe), this builds up strength and can show your poor articulation very quickly.
There are various thoughts on the Pitch that should be produced with a normal embrochure when just playing the reed.
Some USA people i have meet play the reed at a C', i have done it at a B' for many years (with a short scrape reed) and in a class last year i had an international soloist suggest that you should keep the embrouche the same and "open up" the chest/mouth cavity to sound an A'.
This was a great insite and worth trying to see how low you can play without changing the embrochure, when you go back to the oboe it does open your sound up.
Another really hard one is to just play the reed without holding onto it, just with the embrouchure ( you can NOT do this if you're on those Chudnow staples - there just too heavy !) - after about a minute of playing you will soon get very tired.
Stop and do it again, it is a Chop BUSTER of an exercise, but if done daily will aide your stamana in the lips..
Just some thoughts
Mosh
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-10-12 01:37
I use the thin looking chudnows...the "e" and I can do my embouchure exercises. The fatter looking "s" staples are hard to do the exercises with though...
d
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-10-12 01:55
I will the the black sheep and would like to say something about playing on "bigger reeds". I don't think it's bad to necessarily play on beefier reeds a bit during practice time. When I'm making a major reed shift, I usually do long tones on a bigger reed, making sure not to bite or overcompensate for the extra girth in the reed. When I say beefier, I mean more air is needed for blowing resistance, or the opening might be a bit bigger than I usually play. I do NOT however go out and play a Mozart or something which requires drastic register changes with the bigger reed. This usually gets me started on getting stronger.
Once I feel comfortable on the bigger reeds, I then rotate one day easier reed, one day beefier reed in my practicing. I also practice different things during these two days. (or if you are fortunate to practice twice a day, practice beefier in the morning and smaller at night).
One last comment, beefier does not mean grossly different. It might just mean I'm leaving a bit on in the heart and taking more out of the back for added resistance or such. I'm not creating a Mack Truck out of a Volkswagon beetle.
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-10-12 15:22
Also consider that it's possible to make reeds that respond really well, but also take air. It's completely possible to make one reed that plays very loudly and very softly...just have to go about it strategically...making sure the reed is balanced at all times.
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2006-10-12 17:45
I don't understand the "reed only" exercise: if you only have one pitch, do you just go "dah, dah, dah" at some random rhythm on that one pitch? Or are you supposed to make the reed do different pitches and play some kind of tune with those?
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-10-12 17:59
Dutchy, et al. :
The "reed only" exercises (which I mentioned recently on another thread) are designed to strengthen and form the embouchure, and reveal articulation flaws. As far as I know, pitch doesn't enter into the equation here, at all.
My teacher has me do them first of all to see if I can hold the reed (no hands) in my mouth at the proper angle, and hold it steadily enough that I can tongue on it without it bouncing around. I have the (apparently unusual) problem of having developed too loose of an embouchure (i.e., the antithesis of "biting"), which results in my playing with a too-loud and harsh sound. She tells me that I must be able to tongue the reed alone (while making a thuwt thuwt sound) without it bouncing around -- if it bounces, I'm not holding it tightly enough.
This has been the single best corrective for my tone production issues. I'm actually sounding like an oboist these days.
Susan
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2006-10-12 18:06
Okay, so, I'm still not getting this: are you supposed to make a musical tone come out of the reed, at whatever pitch, or are you just holding it in your mouth? Are you actually playing on the reed as though there were a phantom oboe attached, or just blowing through it, or just holding it?
Because I can sit there and hold the dang thing in my mouth all day, no sweat, like a thermometer, but I don't see how that's going to build up my embouchure.
Post Edited (2006-10-12 18:07)
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-10-12 20:18
LOL!
Yes, as if you had a "phantom oboe" (what a thought!) attached.
The woodwind nerd's equivalent of the "air guitar" . . . .???
S.
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Author: Astrobleme
Date: 2006-10-12 21:02
Plenty of valuable info there. Thanks, all. Phantom oboe, here I come. :-)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-10-12 21:51
Yeah, I can do the Strauss concerto on the air oboe!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2006-10-12 22:53
The Berio Sequenza 7 would be the 1st on my list of future performances with my trusty air oboe, that is after i get myself an air oboe, Chris does Howarth make one?
mosh
Date: 2006-10-12 00:04
"Some USA people i have meet play the reed at a C', i have done it at a B' for many years (with a short scrape reed) and in a class last year i had an international soloist suggest that you should keep the embrouche the same and "open up" the chest/mouth cavity to sound an A'.
This was a great insite and worth trying to see how low you can play without changing the embrochure, when you go back to the oboe it does open your sound up."
Experienced this myself and was taught many times to do so and couldn't agree more.
ohsuzan
Date: 2006-10-12 17:59
"My teacher has me do them first of all to see if I can hold the reed (no hands) in my mouth at the proper angle, and hold it steadily enough that I can tongue on it without it bouncing around. I have the (apparently unusual) problem of having developed too loose of an embouchure (i.e., the antithesis of "biting"), which results in my playing with a too-loud and harsh sound. She tells me that I must be able to tongue the reed alone (while making a thuwt thuwt sound) without it bouncing around -- if it bounces, I'm not holding it tightly enough."
Somehow i feel that following common sense this would mean that the general reed placement would be much further into the mouth to make the exercise possible (seems like more biting), and to add that into the equation, means that the lips shouldnt be rolled into too much when doing this exercise? Will try it out today to see what comes up. Until now the only logical way for me to practise dynamics IS to play dynamics on the oboe.
Howard
Post Edited (2006-10-12 22:58)
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-10-12 23:14
The reed only exercise originally comes from Tabuteau, who used to stick a reed in a tube and in many of his students such as Joe Robinson and MAck, he'd show them the correct embouchure, tell them to go play on it for a couple weeks and come back to him later.
The reed exercise is for two basic purposes:
1. For a student to concentrate on blowing correctly using the diaphram only
2. For the student to get used to playing without trying to correct their tone or pitch with their embouchure, as many beginners do (and consequentially develop biting habits)
The technique is very basic. A student uses the reed or a reed in a tube of cane (which creates more resistance) and plays on the reed. One example might be:
(all beats at 60bpm)
day 1 - 5 beats on, 1 beat exhale, 1 beat inhale, repeat 4 times before giving longer rest, repeat 5 beats on, etc. (for 2 or 3 minutes)
day 2 - 6 beats on, 1 beat exhale, 1 beat inhale, repeat 4 times before giving longer rest, repeat 6 beats on, etc...
After gaining some strength to where the student can play for 10 beats on and 3 beats off, you'd add dynamics, rolling in/rolling out for pitch adjustment, etc.
Again, this exercise isn't for everyone, and I don't know how it'd work for other scrapes other than the American scrape, but it's very effective for basic oboists, and to reinforce the basics.
Many oboists would be surprised at how much we change (unneccessarily) our air, embouchure, and other items in our playing unconsciously which interrupts the musical line and a perfect legato. One exercise Joe Robinson would always do to show me would to make me play the oboe and him finger the notes (He'd be holding the oboe almost upside-down while I blow into the oboe.) This way I wouldn't know when he'd change the notes, so I'd just blow one consistently long tone and he'd play the exposition of the strauss concerto or something.
Don't discredit this exercise. It could your students quite a bit of good. I developed a terrible biting habit before I found a good teacher, who made me do reed exercises for a week, and made me do them for a couple minutes every day afterwards. It taught me how to blow and form a correct embouchure, with or without a perfect reed.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-10-13 01:57
Thanks for the intelligent and detailed discussion of the "reed alone" exercise, Coop. It really does work for me, too. This takes some doing, but it has made a world -- no, two worlds -- of difference in my actual playing.
Howard wrote:
<<Somehow i feel that following common sense this would mean that the general reed placement would be much further into the mouth to make the exercise possible (seems like more biting), and to add that into the equation, means that the lips shouldnt be rolled into too much when doing this exercise?>>
Au contraire! That's why it's such a bear of an exercise to do -- because you DON'T take in more reed, and you DON'T bite. And when you can tongue on the reed alone and still keep the reed steady, you will have a very nice, firm, steady, open foundation for your embouchure.
And the lips need to be rolled all the way in, too.
I had the same feelings as you do about the "biting" thing. I even asked my teacher how what she was asking me to do was different from "biting" (which I have so rigorously avoided that I haven't got a firm enough embouchure).
Her response was that "biting" refers to clamping down on the reed with the (lip-covered) teeth, while this exercise requires (and develops) strength from the lips. The point of contact with the reed is right where your lips stop and your face starts. My teacher's belief is that the rolled-in lips themselves contribute only padding; the muscle for holding the reed is just outside the lips -- where a rim would form as you whistle.
Again, this is all for the American Scrape reed. I don't know how using a different scrape might affect it. It is possible that American Scrape players take in a bit more reed, anyway, than European scrape players.
[Edit: I just re-read the post from Mosh, who is the one who brought up the "reed only" exercise on this thread. He plays European Scrape, and I suppose his teachers do, too. So, that settles that!]
Susan
Post Edited (2006-10-13 02:05)
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Author: mosh
Date: 2006-10-13 04:55
I don't know about the fact that the reed only exercise/s itself came from Tabuteau ( as they are a standard daily thing for Baroque oboe players also ??).. but I do like the details descripton...
As per Air oboe .. have a look at the Air Bassoon Competition Video .... LOL ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jtSpe4YtW0&search=%26quot%3Bbassoon%26quot%3B
Mosh
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2006-10-13 10:47
Thus the International Reed-only exercises will begin!
........Although, my next doubt would be......
What might possibly go wrong, without the guidance or aid of a seasoned professional, when doing these exercises?
Howard
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-10-13 12:11
If someone gives you a pitch you should match, that's pretty easy to keep you in the right ball park. The biggest possibility is that you fail to use all the muscles necessary for focus of air/tone, in which case it's better than developing habits which are incorrect in which you have to learn to undo.
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Author: Astrobleme
Date: 2006-10-13 18:47
Regarding the phantom oboe C/B:
After some reed only sessions I've come to the conclusion that I really need to bite in order to produce a C. Blowing the way I usually do with an oboe attached (or at least think I do) I produce something between a G# and an A#, i.e. averaging around A. I'm not sure how to interpret this fact, but since I am usually closer to the intended pitch when dephantomizing the oboe than to any other of the eleven pitch candidates I suppose I shouldn't worry too much. :-)
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2006-10-14 01:50
I have always wondered....coincidently referring to Astrobleme's problem.
For American reeds....in this case.....do you transfer the 'C' crow embouchure on the reed to the oboe? Or does the reed only have to crow C to show that it can be in tune on the oboe?
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-10-14 02:00
Who said you're supposed to play a C? I think while starting the reed only exercise you're supposed to play closer to an A natural. Later, when you develop strength in your embouchure, you ideally would like to ROLL in and out so that you can play down to a G, and up to a D or so. Obviously this depends on the flexibility of your reed. (Flexibility, not stability. There's a difference.) I hope this helps.
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Author: mosh
Date: 2006-10-16 02:15
With this I think the pitch you shoudl be producing is that of a normal playing embrochure with a strong air stream.
Again, i woudl suggest that people when trying this also explore the idea of finding your "pitch" a c, b, Bb what ever it is.. and once you are comfortabel with it, try playing it lower without changing the embrouchure or air speed.. just relac the shoulders and open-up the oral cavity/chest etc.
You will find it si great for finding resonance when you go back to putting the reed on the oboe. Thsi is much like being on operatic singer and finding responance in the body.
Mosh
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Author: JudyP
Date: 2006-10-16 07:29
How do you know what note you're playing through the reed? Also,
I have noticed, when doing "crows", that I can change the note by
moving the reed at different up/down angles to my mouth. Is this legitimate?
I don't seem to have an air problem as much as a tired muscle problem so that I start blowing "raspberries" around the reed, but I guess this is the way to strengthen the muscles around the mouth. I do this with the oboe too.....after practicing awhile.
By the way, I now play the C, Bb, and A notes, but I still need lots of practice. 
Judy
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-10-16 11:20
Congratulations! PRactice makes perfect! If you play a C on the oboe, and play only on the reed and it's the same note, then you know which note you're playing on the reed only. Yes, you will probably notice that the closer your bring the reed down (closer to your chin) the higher in pitch it will be. Although this is "legitimate" as you put it, we don't typically use the angle to change pitch while playing.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-10-16 12:53
My understanding of the "reed only" exercise is that it is not about pitch. I suppose one *could* determine what pitch or pitches are occuring, but I don't think that is the point of the exercise.
The point of the exercise is embouchure development -- to get you to a point where you can hold the reed steady, consistently in one place, without biting, and tongue at the same time, without having the reed bobble around.
As Judy notes, every little movement of the reed creates a corresponding modification of the pitch. That's what we *don't* want to have happen (at least, not unintentionally) when we are playing -- we want to maintain a consistent pitch center.
The angle of the reed is important. You don't want to hold it straight out, trumpet-like. Rather, it should be a bit angled down, as if it were in the instrument.
In my case, this exercise was helpful, because I was definitely not holding the reed firmly enough, or in a consistent position. I was bobbling it like crazy -- and my pitch center was all over the map. I had to learn to get my chin down and my (turned-in) lips rounded around the reed.
Once I "got it", though, it was like riding a bicycle. Today, if I am practicing and feel that things are a little off, I go back to the "reed only" exercise for a minute or two, then try again, and it almost always clears things up.
Susan
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-10-16 13:04
I want to address the issue of the "crow" pitch versus the playing pitch of the reed.
My understanding is that to "crow" a reed, you blow it *without* embouchure refinements, putting your lips all the way down over the threads. This tells you what the unmodified pitch of the reed is. And someone has divined that, if the reed "crows" at the proper pitch, it will play in tune in the instrument -- all other things (such as the player) being equal.
What is the proper pitch for an oboe reed to crow? I've read various sources that suggest the crow should be at Bb, or at C, or at C# -- I imagine this is a matter of "diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks". The most common prescription that I see is that the reed should crow no higher than C. Some folks talk about being able to get three octaves of C on the crow, but I don't think I've ever had a reed that would do that -- or else I just don't know how to do it.
But anyway, my point is that "crowing" a reed is different than "playing" a reed, with or without an instrument attached. N'est-ce pas?
Susan
edit: to unmangle my French
Post Edited (2006-10-16 13:08)
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Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2006-10-16 17:05
Now this thread has come to a very technical standpoint where i find to be very interesting indeed. All the posts had points to ponder and now i post these following questions:
1. (Hopefully there are no misunderstandings before i asked these) If Susan's definition of a 'crow' (same as mine) is what everyone agrees of, then someone should re-post a summary of the reed exercises mentioned here with precise description of reed placement etc. So...what is a 'crow'?
If we all follow Susan's definition, it will probably mean tat playing lower than C, which is the usual case on the reed itself when in normal playing placement, is acceptable. Most American style oboists i have met has taken the C ideal as the very important in the 'crow'.
3. Mosh's post "With this I think the pitch you should be producing is that of a normal playing embrochure with a strong air stream....etc" is very logic to me, which brings me to another question, what are we trying to achieve in doing these exercises?
Howard
(We might come to some very interesting conclusions here, i hope =/ )
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-10-16 21:47
You know...to heck with the crow.
To work, the reed needs a certain feel in our mouths. It should play in tune without biting, without sagging...it should allow us to play loudly, softly, and articulate in all registers. The only way to find out if the reed can do this is to *******play it in the oboe*********
If notes are honking out, and the pitch is everywhere, or you have to bite to keep high notes in tune, it really doesn't matter if the reed is crowing C. I've had perfectly good reeds that crow a stable "B" that felt much better than an unstable "C"-crowing reed.
I also have reeds that work well and crow C#.
Of course, you can use the crow to figure out what isn't right in the reed, at any pitch.
-Cleaning up loose rattling noise
-checking for instabilities: pitch falling down/pitch flying up
-listening for tippy distortions (chirps, shrilling...etc)
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Author: JudyP
Date: 2006-10-17 01:01
I'm doing crows to strengthen my embouchure and to acquire a feel
for the reed on my lip. I play my DVD everyday, the same thing, to see how the reed is placed on the lower lip and the upper lip is brought down on top of it, using the tip of my tongue for a "too" motion for crisp notes. Then I do the same thing with the reed in my oboe while trying to accustom myself to the feel of the oboe and it's weight on my right thumb nail (which hurts like crazy).
All in all, I still have to find my C note by positioning the oboe up or down because the C isn't a true note until I find that correct angle. Eventually, I expect it will come automatically. When my C note matches the one being played on the DVD, I know I've got it. Has anyone else tried to locate the true C note by adjusting the position of the oboe?
I still don't understand the difference between crowing the reed and playing the reed.
Judy
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Author: JudyP
Date: 2006-10-17 01:13
I just blew on my reed and found the note on my piano which is out of tune, but I was blowing a high A note. I turned the reed over to blow again, and it was a bit lower. I couldn't find the right note either. "A" seems to be the note I'm crowing or playing.
Is it a problem to blow an A note on a reed? If so, I wonder what I'm
doing wrong.
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-10-17 01:25
Judy,
Please be careful when using the terms "crowing" and "playing". I think you're confusing us all. Crowing has a very specific usage when discussing oboe, and it's taking a reed and putting your lips clear on the string and blowing to get a shrill sound. The pitch of this sound should be around a C. The purpose of this sound is to get an idea of the kind of reed it is, and is probably most important while making reeds.
Putting you lips on the reed (not the string) as if you're going to play is considered playing on the reed. This is very different from a crown. So when you say "I was blowing a high A note" then we assume you were playing on the reed.
d-oboe says "To heck with the crow..." however I think most of us would disagree with this statement. If the reed is not crowing at C, or slightly above a C, it's not playing up to pitch, which would force you to bite or compensate for the lower pitch (unless you have a ridiculously sharp instrument, which being a the fox model that you have, it shouldn't be.) I make my reeds almost entirely by crow until i'm really ready to start thinning the corners of the tip of the reed. I've never had a reed that didn't have a good crow and didn't function well, nor have I have ever had a reed that crowed below a C that I played up to pitch. Obviously sometimes your aperture (opening) closes up, making your crow a higher pitch, but if you open it up to where it's comfortable it should be around a C or a flat C sharp.
What reeds are you playing on? Cheryl's? As mentioned previously, I think she plays on very hard reeds which are low in pitch, so an "A" crow would not surprise me. Send me an email at coopsdeloops (AT) gmail.com and I can discuss this a bit more with you.
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Author: mosh
Date: 2006-10-17 01:27
Judy P..
Hand Position
As per your complaint about the weight placement of the oboe.. the thumb rest should be on the flesh side of the thimb and not actually sitting on the thumb nail.. this may help you with positioning of your right hand in general - See your teacher about this they should be able to sort it out quickly.
With the playing of an "A" - I woudl think this is fine for the reed only exercise. You just need to make a consistant note every time, with a well closed embrochure and good support. If it is an A then it is an A. Don't worry too much about the actual note and get into actually building up your embrochure.
Mosh
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2006-10-17 01:43
<<resting oboe on thumb-nail hurts like crazy>>
amazing what aches & pains turn up, eh?
It's better if you can position the rest on your first thumb joint, but if your hands can't hold around the lower pipe comfortably just now (beginner hands not always the right shape, have to be trained by doing) you may find additional thumb-support helpful right away
Sometimes the thumb-rest isn't the best position (up or down) for the thumb either. I've found my oboe's more comfortable if my thumb's about half inch lower than the rest. The oboe's weight feels better balanced there. Test yours temporarily by making various sizes wads of paper a bit wider both sides than your thumb-rest and tape it onto the metal top surface (NOT the cork underside!) to see if that helps ease pressure on your nail by distributing the weight over more of your thumb; if it does, you might want to invest in an official thumb-support, or else use black cloth tape to make your home-made thumb-support more pleasing on the eye.
Or you can simply wear a band-aid to cushion your thumb for now
play the reed = lips at the reed's "sweet spot" where steady tone is easily maintained and sounds good, IMO it's too early for you to tell right now because your embouchure isn't developed enough, so just keep daily practice going until you discover it for yourself one sweet day :-)
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Author: oboeblank
Date: 2006-10-17 04:48
I agree with cj on the crow aspect. If you neglect the crow, you neglect the information the reed is trying to relate to us. I have never had a reed that played up to pitch that was below a "C".
However, I think the crow is only one part of judging the pitch. There needs to be a relationship between the "A" and "C".
I play the reed and get and "A", then pop the reed into my mouth and crow getting a "C", so you get this kind of straight tone moving a minor third to the crow; like an inverted donkeys bray.
Right here is where the relationship between crowing and playing shows itself. If the A is below pitch then the chances the C will be low are pretty good, meaning you will be flat and will have to bite.
It's no good using just the crow as the sole determining factor for pitch: we don't play with the reed in that position. Likewise, just playing the reed and gunning for an in-tune "A" means very little if the crow of the reed is a C# or D.
There needs to be a relationship between the crow and the playing of the reed.
Hope I have explained myself fully, and that some of you try it for yourselves.
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Author: JudyP
Date: 2006-10-17 05:00
Thanks for your advice, vbo. I'll certainly take it under consideration.
Judy
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Author: JudyP
Date: 2006-10-17 06:38
The A note I get is not the A above middle C on the piano, but the
A in the next octave.
I'm still not sure of the difference between playing the reed and crowing it. According to the DVD, I'm following the directions for crowing, but my sound is different than the sound of the boy on the DVD. His sound is like the heavy static I remember on my Dad's ham radio when listening to various stations....a screeching sound. Mine was a more clean, high pitched horn sound....like a New Year's Eve horn, and I've been participating in this thread because I know that I must be doing something different than the boy in the DVD. He's crowing his reed, but I must be playing mine. Is that right?
I'll definitely bring this up to my teacher when I get together with her this week.
I appreciate you all. Thanks.
Judy
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2006-10-17 07:38
Judy,
If you send me an email with your phone number/address I will:
1. Give you a call and listen to your crow/blow through the phone
2. Send you three reeds to help you out.
Just an offer.
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The Clarinet Pages
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