Author: mschmidt
Date: 2007-04-25 18:27
Glad you asked this question. I've been wondering some of the same things.
Schuring's site (http://www.public.asu.edu/~schuring/Oboe/Reedguide.html) accepts that a reed can go as low as B. I've found that the pitch of the crow doesn't necessarily correlate with the pitch of the reed in an instrument; I've had reeds crowing at B flat that are well in tune in the instrument, and reeds crowing at C that are flat in the instrument. The pitch of the crow does matter, but not as a simple predictor of pitch. However, reeds where the crow pitch is dependent on the air pressure seem also to be more "flexible" in pitch in the oboe.
The presence of multiple tones in the crow seems to be the more important diagnostic overall. I often get two, but reeds that give three seem to be pretty good reeds, though more susceptible to "chirp" when tonguing.
As for the "octaves," well, I have a bad ear, but when I crow for the chromatic tuner, I get readings for both "C" and "F," which suggests that fifths are also a possibility, and reeds sounding a fifth lower in the crow seem to be pretty good.
I always crow without any lip on the reed, and it seems to be a good diagnostic.
I used to think the crow wasn't that useful, but as my reedmaking has improved, I've come to accept it as a pretty good diagnostic.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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