Author: Dutchy
Date: 2007-07-11 13:15
I thought this was worthy of a whole separate discussion:
Quote:
One day he will appreciate his collection.
Yeah, we all have "The Junque Box", where we put reeds that didn't work right, reeds that are worn out, reeds we didn't like, reeds that are too hard for us now.
And we periodically go back through them, and because one's embouchure changes from month to month, and even from day to day, especially for beginners, frequently we'll find that a reed that didn't work right, or was too hard, or we didn't like, a few months ago, is now "just right".
We even save reeds that are definitely worn out, cracked, or broken, because you can re-use the staple to make a new reed--that's the brass tube thingy that the cane itself is tied onto. So don't throw those away.
Also, it is possible to play on a cracked reed sometimes, depending on how it's cracked, so just because you can see a visible, obvious crack in a reed doesn't mean it won't play. Don't throw that one away, either.
It's also worthwhile to point out that it's axiomatic in the oboe world that "different reeds work for different people", so if you've purchased a reed from a reputable reedmaker, whether mass-produced or handmade, and your son still complains that "it doesn't work", then it's not the reed, it's him. In other words, you didn't waste your money on a reed that doesn't work--it's just that he doesn't get along with that particular maker's reeds.
Yet.
Because, as I said, your embouchure changes over time, and a reed that "doesn't work" for him in July will probably be just fine for him by Christmas.
Especially as regards flatness and pitch--if he's consistently flat, and he's using a reputable reed, it's his embouchure, not the reed. He just has to be patient, it'll come.
Post Edited (2007-07-11 13:20)
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