Valparaiso, Indiana

There are a wide variety of oboe reed making tools to both adjust reeds and to make your own reeds.  If you take the process of reed adjustment one step at a time you will become more comfortable handling your oboe reed, adjusting it to improve your sound, and less fearful of splitting  the cane as you fine tune your reed with slight adjustments.

# 1

Play your oboe reed on each side.  One side usually plays better than the other.  Play low “D” followed by half-hole “D” and finally high “D”.  All three notes should respond with an open embouchure (like yawning with your lips closed) and your air blowing upward (not downward through the oboe towards the floor).  If your high “D” does not respond you need to either take a little more reed in your mouth or close the reed slightly.  This test tells you how your reed is vibrating in each of the three registers and if it is vibrating to its maximum potential.

# 2

Purchase a few oboe reed making tools starting with a plaque (Forrest Music (1-800-322-OBOE). There are many different types of oboe plaques to chose from; however, starting with the blued steel oboe flat plaque is best.  Plaques are inexpensive and easy to lose or misplace; thus, ordering 2 plaques is advisable.  Keep your plaque in its plastic container when you are not using it.  The plaque can slide easily between the two oboe reed blades and clean food particles out of the inside of your reed.  All oboists need to clean out their oboe reeds as food particles can easily collect between the two blades and  reduce the vibrating potential of your reed in all registers.

# 3

The technique of cleaning food particles from your oboe reed begins with opening one side of the blades after your reed has soaked in water for five minutes.  Simply push your first finger gently against one side of the blades and the opposite side will open allowing you to slide your plaque between the blades.  Be sure your plaque is vertical with your oboe reed.  The side of your plaque is sliding between the two blades of cane.  As you slide your plaque between the blades gently scrape the plaques against the inside of one blade and exit your plaque all the way through the other side of the reed.  Clean the food particles off you plaque.  Repeat the same process with the other blade of cane.  You may need to repeat this process two or three times to remove all the food particles.  Be sure you are using the side of your plaque when you are scraping the inside of the blades and not the tip of the plaque.

# 4

Place your oboe reed into your oboe well and play your favorite scales followed by the octave “D” exercise mentioned above.  You should immediately feel that the reed is easier to play,  the reed is vibrating more, and there is more ring to the sound.  Check the opening of the reed now that the food particles have been removed to be sure it has retained his original crescent shape.  This small adjustment of cleaning the blades of your oboe reed  often surprises oboists as there is such a dramatic difference in both the quality of the sound and much less resistance in playing your oboe in all registers.  Clean the blades of your reeds at least two or three times per week.