It`s normal for a reed to wear out. Some of my reeds only last a week and some last for two months (sometimes they only last a day - though that is because the cane had an inherent weakness and it cracked). Your reed is made from a piece of swamp grass each piece of cane is different. Usually the reed tip is frayed and feathered when it has finally died or the tip just won`t stay open any more. I usually play between 8-12 hours a week. In spring this includes a weekly 2 hr wind ensemble rehersal and a 1.5 hr lesson + whatever practice time I can get in in the evenings. The rest of the year is just lesson & practice time or the occasional 1hr rehersal if the choir director needs an oboist.
Sounds like your teacher is actually a "doubler" I recomend getting a few oboe centric books and read & absorb.
These two get into a lot of reed adjustment tricks & reed making. the Art book also has some general oboe tips. You may have to mail order these, but some music shops in your area may have them.
The Art of Oboe Playing (Sprenkle/Ledet)
The Oboe Reed Book (Jay Light)
this is just a good one to have - it has an expanded fingering chart and if you are sticking to the oboe for a while to come, you can`t go wrong having it in your library. most music shops should have this one.
Barrett Oboe Method
For your purposes, I would suggest some of the reeds from here (
http://www.nielsen-woodwinds.com/c-133-oboe-reeds.aspx ), even their pro reeds are reasonably priced. I`ve tried their green, purple, and blue pro. I didn`t care for the purple one, but green was OK, though the tip was a bit long. the blue pro was quite good, but it`s also a bit more expensive. Stick with M or MS strength, the M ones can be lightened up by your teacher.
Your really should get a reed kit of some sort. Even if you don`t try making them right now, you can at least doctor the ones you buy. There is an inital pricey investment of about $100 to get the kit, but it`s something that you will continue to use.
I recomend getting a reed making kit that includes at a minimum:
knife (double hollow or bevel & use pisoni DHG and bhosys bevel)
mandrel (loree compatable - I use a rigotti & pisoni they both fit the loree staples my teacher uses, I use rigotti & USA Artist - which has synthetic cork & fits my rigoutat best - it has a super tiny reedwell, the yamaha is hit or miss with the synthetic - it`s reedwell is far larger - nat. cork works best with it)
2 x-thin plaques (these are easy to lose, keep a magnet around)
chopping block at least 1" round
ruler kits usually come with plastic - I like metal
fishskin/goldbeaters skin or teflon tape
somewhat optional if you are just going to adjust reeds from another source:
1 spool thread FF is good - any color you want!
5 staples (pisoni, rigotti, & loree are good names)
15 pieces shaped cane (I use Gilbert/RDG -1 shape, but other common shapes are fine, too)
you can get a razor knife for reed trimming @ a hobby store
teflon tape should run $.99 at the hardware store
a box of razor blades (of 50) at the hardware store should run less than $10
I got an excelent ruler for $2 at home depot in the tool isle - it`s labled a depth gague - it`s about 6" with english and metric.
I never bought a kit, but assembled my pieces over a few months & I keep them in a cute kaboodle.
these have everthing you need to get started
http://www.charlesmusic.com/cgi-bin/theo?action=product&product_number=4-1-150
http://www.mmimports.com/Catalog.cfm?Action=ShowProducts&LowCategoryID=27
(the books I mentioned earlier are avail from this MMI link & most of my supplies have come from MMI)
I like to use itty-bitty hair elastics (sometimes found in the ethnic hair section, usually I find it next to the regular pony-tail holders) to hold the cane in the folded formation when tying reeds - the cane will grip the staple on it`s own this way - these have about a 1/4" diameter and I usually get the clear ones rather than rubber ones (rubber tastes bad).
I`ve lately been making reeds like crazy as I`m in the process of picking out a new oboe & I need some good reeds for that. I currently own a very old (50+ years) Rigoutat that is very nice, except that mechanism is worn and doesn`t stay in adjustment (but I know which 4 screws to touch & how to adjust them regularly) and it was cracked earlier in it`s life so the top joint doesn`t have the best seal. I`m getting a Yamaha 841 (whether or not I get a 3rd octave key or not is another story) - I just got two on trial, one is definitely going back (it sounds kinda stuffy) but they are going to send two more as we had concerns about some tuning in the upper register of the other (the C# was slightly flat) and it had some stiff keys (nothing some adjustments probably couldn`t fix) but otherwise it is a great instrument with a wonderful rich sound.
I`ve got a lot of oboe links here
http://samantha.carrotware.com/default.aspx?tag=oboes
