Valparaiso, Indiana

Archive for the ‘Oboe Reed Adjustments’ Category

Reed adjustment techniques are best learned with a private teacher.   It is important for an oboe teacher to model the techniques of reed adjustment and work with you to be sure that you are having success and that correction and suggestions can be made immediately to improve your techniques.  If you are taking oboe lessons weekly the summertime is a good time to take a double lesson-one lesson on oboe playing techniques and one second on reed adjustment.  The goal is to move from reed adjustment to reed making.  However, this is a gradual process that takes time and practice to achieve the results you are looking for-a better oboe sound immediately!

# 1

The tip of the oboe reed is the most important aspect of reed adjustment.  It is important for the oboist to practice working with a plaque and reed knife on old reeds over a period of time to become comfortable hold the knife, shaving the tip, and holding the oboe reed with inserted mandrel.  The oboe reed is one of the most delicate objects among one’s possessions.  The tip is transparent.  When you hold the oboe reed up to the light you can easily see the various parts of the oboe reed with the tip being the most transparent.  We are asking the oboist to shave on cane that is transparent!  It is a very delicate process requiring much practice to achieve the desired results.

# 2

Insert your plaque between the blades of your oboe reeds.  With your knife in hand begin gently  shaving the tip of you reed using your wrist to move the knife back and forth.  This technique requires no pressure down on the cane.  Your knife will come off the tip of your reed and on to the plaque and make a clicking sound.  Ideally, you do not want to hear a loud or snapping sound when you knife leaves the tip of your reed and moves on to the plaque.  One of the magic spots on the entire reed is the tip of the tip of the reed.   The key to success is to have the tips on both blades identical, especially the tip of the tip of each blade.  If you hear a clicking or snapping sound when your knife blade moves from the tip of the reed on to the plaque you know that the tip of the tip is too thick.

# 3

As you proceed to work on the tip of the tip of your reed, your guide continues to be the sound to the click of your knife against the plaque.  It is possible for the entire length of the tip to be too thin.  This will create an unpleasant buzz to the sound as only the tip is vibrating.  If this occurs you need to clip the tip (hairline width) and reshape the tip so that there is a gradual shape from the heart to the tip of the tip of the reed.  Be sure to check both blades.  It is easy to have one blade to thin and the other too thick or one tip longer than the other tip.  This creates an unbalanced resistance and the feel of the reed is awkward and unpleasant.

# 4

Once you have both tips balanced test your reed.  If the sound is too thick and the reed is hard to play you need to continue the above process.  If the sound is too think you need to clip off a hairline width of the tip of the reed.  Immediately test the reed in all  registers after each reed adjustment.  This process may need to be repeated until the reed is vibrating to  your satisfaction.  Be patient with this process.

# 5

The length of the tip can vary from being quite long to quite short.  Different reed makers have their on style.  However, there needs to be a clear tip of the reed for the best results and the best sound.  The bottom line is how the reed sounds and how the reed feels to the oboist.  No one cares how the reed looks, only how it sounds.  However,  all great oboe reeds have a great tip, heart, and back that are vibrating in sympathy with each other.

# 6

Remember that rolling your lips around both blades produces a warmer sound.  When you look in the mirror at your oboe embouchure there should be no red parts of your lips showing.  You top lip is worth $1 million in producing a great oboe sound.  Your bottom lip is not.  Keeping a firm upper lip (like ice, not jello-o) with a pointed shape to your sound (the shape of an arrowhead, not like the shape of a hand fan) guarantees you the best opportunity for a great oboe sound at all times.  Your air speed, air direction, and breath support can change a good sounding reed into a great sounding reed with no reed adjustment.  Finding the “sweet spot” on your reed that vibrates the note “G” gives your reed the best opportunity for the maximum vibration resulting in an oboe sounds with the rating of “10” on a scale of “1 to 10.”