Author: d-oboe
Date: 2007-04-27 16:10
I love these discussions.
Of course, you are going to make reeds however you feel like it, and no one can change that. I just like to stir up trouble!
When I say that you consider playing the reed in the oboe, I say that because, contrary to what people have been saying...a LOT of time can be saved! Sometimes the reed's crow won't be coherent early on, and indeed it shouldn't be. But I am amazed at how a reed crowing a whole gamut of pitches, can, despite a disgusting sound, be relatively close to pitch! A reed like this just needs a few scrapes and maybe 2-3 clips, and voila...the crow comes together fairly quickly!
I suppose the reason I'm so adamant on this "play the reed in the oboe" thing is because I became sick to my stomach watching some of my peers freak out adjusting their reeds in orchestra, clipping them until they are 67mm long...all because of this "C crow" principle.
I DON'T deny the fact that the crow reveals a lot about how the reed is vibrating. What I'm trying to argue is that the crow is the RESULT of scraping procedures.. because we scrape the reed scraped a certain way, in order to conform to the sound we want, what feels most comfortable, where the reed feels most centered, and "in the middle". No reed book, even by the best of the best, is not going to tell you what comfortable means for you. Only you can actually know what that means. And you have to be honest when you play the reed in the oboe. No adjustments with the face, very little effort.. Play Barrett melody #1...IS the reed actually comfortable or is there some compensation going on? Can you play this easy melody musically?
I don't know that I could trust the crow alone on this one.
Maybe as a summary: if the reed is comfortable and allows you to do your musical job, then a balanced crow will come quite naturally as a result. Want more crescendo power? More center on the high notes? Better response and control on that low C# dim? These are very specific adjustments that, with the right knowledge and skill, can easily be translated into music that one is playing "right now". Because honestly, if you can REALLY play your repertoire well, and you know how to adjust the reed to make playing the music easier...why does this elusive "crow" even matter anymore?
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