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Re: Humidity level for reeds?

Author: Craig Matovich
Date: 2006-12-28 22:53

I have wondered about the humidity thing for many years.

I have noticed the reeds change when weather changes, usually for the worse. (Playing a wedding once during a thunderstorm rendered the reeds nearly useless.)

But the question I trouble myself with is, is humidity or barometric pressure that is the major variable when changing conditions cause unwanted effects.

Whatever the ambiant humidity, high or low, we soak those suckers in water or saliva (gin, vodka, wine, etc.) to the point of saturation anyway and the air humidity around them seems a feeble approach to what happens inside them.

What I gather at this point in my oboe life is there is a relationship between when the reed is made and when it is played. Even in Colorado I have noticed 'summer reeds' and 'winter reeds' and they do not cross seasons well. The gouge, shape, cane and scrape remain relatively constant and yet the reeds play very differently.

At the John Mack camp one summer he explained reeds need to dry out. They are weakest and prone to cracking when drying and if not permitted to dry thoroughly, will tend to crack more readily. Remositening a damp reed caused him a lot of grief on one tour until he figured this out.

I continue to wonder about it, but we still soak those suckers like crazy anyway.

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Fantasy invention ---- a plaque-like device sculpted to the 'proper opening' of an oboe reed. It gets inserted into the reed before going back into the case (case designed to accomodate.) As the reed dries it retains its optimal opening.

I actually have similar devices for the drying treatment of my single reeds. It helps stabilize them, they play better, and they last longer.

I wonder why we oboe folks do not have such...

Post Edited (2006-12-29 17:33)

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