I`m a fairly experienced oboist, and my entire career Ive heard about making oboe reeds, but never pursued it very much. Though, It`d be rather conveinent to make my own reeds. Anyone know about this process? Any advice? I`d be very grateful. Thanks.

I`ve never done it before, but everyone I`ve ever talked to who does says it`s hard to learn but worth it. A lot of them tell me you have to make a lot of reeds before they start being decent, but they said it`s cheaper than buying from other people in the long run. Lots of oboe camps offer reed-making classes, but your teacher can probably teach you to do it. There`s some good books on it too available through double reed specialists.

Well, i was just passing by. I`m from Romania(eastern Europe) and i`m in the 8grade now and i play oboe for four years. I made two reeds this year bu ti stopped making them because i had to prepare for a lot od national contests and stuff. There a re a lot of reed tipes/styles - american, french, german, romanian etc. You can find books about oboe reed making on the following sites: www.forrestsmusic.com www.charlesmusic.com and there are a lot of other sites just use the internet. Making oboe reeds is not so hard. It`s just like practicing oboe - you have to practice and if you have talent you will learn really fast. My second oboe reed was pretty good, i practiced couple of days with it but i`m gonna start making reeds again. so, you should by a book and buy the necessary tools and that would do it. It worth`s!

Your are right, Jim. My teacher showed me how to do it but he doesn`t have to much experience. If you get a teacher(you should), get one with a lot of experience, one that makes really good reeds cause he might know a lot of tips about making oboe reeds than any other books. A vital thing in oboe red mkaing are your tools and the cane you use. If you use good cane the sound will be very nice. It depends...i do not have enough time but your teacher will tell you everything you need.

I agree with getting a private teacher. If you need suggestions on making the reeds just e-mail and I will try and answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

CHRIS

I`m at the end of my degree, have started getting professional work and make all my own reeds. You need to be a very patient and questioning person to survive reed-making. Reeds will always change depending on different factors like the weather, gouge thickness, cane qualitiy and scrape style. Once the basic principles are taught, its all about experimenting and finding what works for you. It will be a bit hit and miss for a while, but it will get better. My teacher has played throughout Europe and played principal with the Israel Phil and still has problems. Its a continual learning process.

I have been studying privately for two years. I am a former clarinetist who never made reeds. Let`s face it, clarinet reeds are cheap.
Oboe reed making needs to be taught by a professional. The equipment you need to buy will not be cheap, but think of it as a lifetime investment. I would stay away from the kits that are on the market. A good oboe reed maker is the only way to go. I have been working on my technique for over a year. I`ve thrown a lot of expensive cane away because of mistakes. You have to be patient and willing to spend some money to learn. Good luck to you.

i have been poking around /w reedmaking for a couple months now. So far i have probably made 3 or 4 *playable* (not good) reeds out about 2 or 3 hundred tries.Anyway, my question is, do you guys think that there is going to be some breakthrough in a new scrape? I have used the Philadelphia/American scrape my entire career, and I want to know about any other scrapes or if there will be any breakthroughs in design


A fellow oboist.

i`ve been playing the oboe for 5 years and im getting fed up of making the trek to the shops has anyone got any advice on making reeds im keen to learn and i think it would be intresting my teachers has given me a few tips but she hasn`t been much help. anyone got any suggestion ??. im 16 and live in england
please help someone
kate

keep playing the oboe and live the dream

How do you get your reed otherwise than by making it by yourself :S

i`ve been playing oboe for about 3 years now and i`m a student in high school at a public arts school. i started making my own reeds about a year or so ago and i`m happy i do. they work so much better for me than store-bought reeds do although it takes a lot of patience and mistakes! i would definetly say go for it! start making your own reeds!

Hello everyone,

I`m just puttin this up in case anyone wants/needs help, or just wants to chat. I`ve been playing the oboe for 8 yrs now, so I`ve got experience. Many other people have contacted me so i hope all of you would too..my AIM SN is Chrystie4067 and my email is Chrystie4067@yahoo.com if you`ve got any questions, I would love to try and help. I love the oboe its truly an amazing instrument!!

Peace,
Chrystie

Hi evereybode?
I`m steel looking for how to make german reeds screaping.

For info about reed adjustment, go to this excellent site:

http://www.public.asu.edu/~schuring/Oboe/oboeinfo.html

You can buy a very easy to follow reedmaking guide
(and a starters set of tools) from North Texas Oboe
Reeds and Cane - I have been buying my cane from them
now for about 5 years (gouged only) and it is remarkably
consistent in gauge and quality.

http://oboereeds.safeshopper.com/

Good luck - keep the faith!

I am a craftsperson and I would like to make my son-in-law an oboe reed case from a fancy cigarette case. Can anyone tell me how to build the inside part to hold the reeds in place?? Thanks, Jane