How To Make Oboe Reeds Cropped

Reed Making Technique

We musicians discuss technique a lot in private lessons. Whether it is keeping your fingers close to the keys, or fine-tuning your embouchure, classical musicians constantly think about their technique. But what about when we are making reeds? The one reed-making technique mistake that I often see is too much tension in a reed maker’s (more…)

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Oboe D’Amore Reeds

If you can make oboe reeds then making oboe d’amore reeds should come naturally. They each require a different staple and a different shaper tip (though my gouge measurements for oboe and oboe d’amore are very similar). An oboe d’amore staple will be 25 mm (or close to that) and you will tie the reed…...

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Innoledy Gouging Machine

First off, is this gouging machine pronounced ‘Innoledy’ or ‘Innoledy’? I was told it was pronounced ‘Innoledy’. Hope that helps! This post and video will give you instructions on gouging cane with an Innoledy gouging machine. There are many different parts, and I’ve seen people assemble it differently. Just reading the directions can be daunting (more…)

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5 Reed Making Resolutions for 2021

Here are 5 reed making resolutions for 2021. Will these resolutions last until the end of the year? or at least until February? Time will tell. 5. Always keep your reed knife as sharp as possible! If your knife isn’t as sharp as possible, take the time to sharpen it before scraping your reeds. There (more…)

How To Make Oboe Reeds Cropped

Oboe Reed Diagrams

This oboe reed lesson discusses the opening of your reeds and how that affects your sound and control. These oboe reed making diagrams will help you diagnose common problems with your oboe reeds.

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Reed Making Video

This oboe reed making lesson will show you up close how to scrape an oboe reed. You will see how to scrape the different sections of an oboe reed and how to adjust an oboe reed.

How To Make Oboe Reeds Cropped

Reed Response

In terms of reed response, we often see Hard, Soft, or Medium reeds advertised, or we will say that our own reeds are too hard or too easy. In this post, I want to go through how I think about response and easiness levels in my reeds. Some people might see this topic differently than (more…)

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Interview with Tim Gocklin

A reed making interview about making reeds for playing on tour and at high altitudes and for performing chamber music.

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The Joy of Scraping

This reed making lesson entitled, ‘The Joy of Scraping’ was written by Courtney Miller; Oboe Professor, University of Iowa.

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Easy Oboe Reed Adjustments

If you do not have reed making tools available to you to fix reeds, check out these hints for making your oboe reeds work for you.

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Constantly Moving Targets and Dial Indicators

Learning to make oboe reeds is a very big endeavor to undertake and has always been extremely difficult and time consuming to learn. With this oboe reed lesson, you can become a more consistent reed maker.

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How to Avoid a Reed Rut

Sometimes you will go through periods where you are not making great oboe reeds. Check out this online oboe reed lesson to learn the major reed making missteps to improve your reed making consistency.

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One Overlooked Way to Improve Your Reed Making!

An oboe reed making lesson that will help you adjust your oboe reeds more consistently. This article will help you expose any reed making misconceptions you might have.

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Leaky Reeds, Duck-Billed Tips, and Loose Sides

You never want to play on a reed that leaks, has a duck billed shaped tip, or loose sides. Here are a few strategies to adjust your oboe reeds to avoid those problems.

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Step by step instructions for making oboe reeds

Step By Step Reed Making Introduction

This post will tell you where to look for the information that you need to know. Also provides a general step by step instruction for how to make reeds.

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Step by step instructions for making oboe reeds

List of Supplies

On this post you will see a list of vendors who sell reed making equipment. You will also see pictures, descriptions, and some personal thoughts on what reed making tools you need to make oboe reeds.

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Step by step instructions for making oboe reeds

Cane Selection

This post has a few tips on buying cane and shares some thought on how to select cane. You will see supplementary pictures and a video.

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Step by step instructions for making oboe reeds

How To Prepare Cane to be Gouged

After you have selected your cane, you will need to prepare it for your gouging machine. This includes removing some excess cane and chopping it down to size.

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Intro to Gouging Cane

A quick post on how to use an Innoledy gouging machine and a double radius gouging machine. Contact the maker of your gouging machine for more specific information.

Step by step instructions for making oboe reeds

Shaping and Tying Reeds

Shaping and tying reeds is one of the most crucial steps. The shape of the cane and the resulting length at which you tie the reed can make a huge difference in response, flexibility, and intonation.

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Step by step instructions for making oboe reeds

Scraping Diagrams

Helpful diagrams to show you how and where to scrape your oboe reed! Use these as a reference to know where and how to scrape a reed.

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Reeds That Are Too Open

Oboe reeds that are too open will normally be flat and while it is largely determined by everything you do before tying a reed, here are a few strategies to help your reed making.

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Reeds That Are Unresponsive

Oboe reeds can be unresponsive in a variety of ways. This oboe reed making lesson will help you determine why your reed is unresponsive and how to fix it.

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Reeds That Are Too Sharp

This online oboe lesson will help you fix oboe reeds that are too sharp. Often times, sharp oboe reeds simply need more cane removed, but this reed making lesson will show you a few other tricks.

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