Lol I was only really joking, a reed graveyard would be where you bury your reeds (in the garden) when they're dead. I have heard of someone doing this though.

Does anyone know any quick fixes for an almost dead reed?

If you have the right equipment you can open the reed up a bit more, which could give a reed some life. We really need a reed-wise person in this forum.

there is really nothing you can do to fix a "alomst dead reed". no matter how much you cut the reed will not improve since the pectin in the cane cells has decreased. If the tip appeture is very closed you can add a wire but this will adversly effect the reponse, stablity and tone of the reed. My suggestion is to get a new reed. Reeds only "play in their prime" for a couple of days to a week. the best way to increase the longevity of the reed is to get about 5 or so of the same reeds and rotate them everyday or every other day. this is better then playing a reed till it dies also it builds the ability to adjust to different reed, even though a reedmaker's reed sould be consistent

A week?! Would this be different for a beginner though; can a beginner use his/her reed for longer. I don't practise 100(+) minutes a day, like some people on this forum, and also I'm not so concerned about a reed being in its prime as long as it is reasonably playable .

My reeds have lasted 2 to 3 weeks before. But after a week the reed begins to lose "crispness" and will gradually break down from the amount of playing. A pro will usally use a reed for only one pracice session or concert. they achieve this by making a atleast 3 reeds a day. It's not uncommon for a pro oboist to spend two or three times the amount of hours making and fixing reeds then actually practicing their music.

Oh okay, I understand. I agree reeds do start to lose a lot of dynamics and tone as they age. You'd have to get a fair amount of money if you wanted to be a pro, 1 performance!

well the investment in the begining will pay off. You can buy a pound of tube cane for like 100$, but for a pound you'll get about 120-140 tubes which will yeild 360-420 peices of oboe cane. so you'll eventually pay off the cost of your supplies and machines.

whoohoo, reed cracking stories!
actually, they weren't exactly funny at the moment... lol.

this was way back in middle school when i first started oboe. i had a plastic mandrel-style reed case that snaps to close. well, the reeds were never properly in place or necessarily protected in the case. after band rehearsals (yuck, band! i love full orchestraaaaaa now haha, anyway. i snapped my case close and somehow it snapped off the tip of all my reeds. bleh.

hmmmm. another story. all-region tryouts. the day before, i don't like to over-practice and wear myself out, but i just test the reeds to make sure i know which one i want to use. well i started to practice on my newest reed, and it felt perfect. the next morning, i opened my reed case and it was cracked! and i freaked. so i tried an extremely old reed, probably 2 months or something. yeah yeah eww whatever lol. but it was AMAZING. i get my reeds from my private lessons teacher, and one time she didn't have any made so she gave me one of her reeds (which she used better tube & cane than the ones she sells. we're getting ripped-off! lol jk) but yeah. it was really good so that story had a happy-ending.

Lol, how many reeds did you have in the case when all the tips came off?

i'm extrememly frustrated with the tounging on my instrument right now.. my teacher pointed out that i wasn't tounging to the tip.. which really, i dont think i was tounging the reed at all.. just blowing to make the sound and stop blowing when i finish playing.(yes, i know i sound !****!ed but i didn't know) is there any way to make tounging to the tip of the reed easier? BESIDES PRACTICING IT WHICH IS ALL I'VE BEEN DOING!

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what age would you recommend for someone who's only been playing for two years to start making their own reeds?

I started to make reeds after about a year of playing. I started reedmaking two years ago at 14. My teacher started my on it almost instantly but i have been only seriously making them for about a year or so. So you can start at almost any age.

Hi, for the tonguing try going "tu" into the reed. If you haven't been doing this it will take a little practice. Try this with easy notes and easy rhythms, like g-b and all crotchets. Keep going "tu tu tu" into the reed at the start of every note. Get into the habit of tonguing every note unless there is a slur. A slur means you tongue the first note but not the ones after it (under the slur). Tonguing will become natural after a while.

It gives notes crispness and is an important part of playing, and it helps distinguish between a normal note and a slur. It is also important for staccato.

Hope this helps with the tonguing problem .

yeah it's gotten a lot easier now. i can finally play sixteenth triplets and consistant sixteenth notes=] thanks

Ah....Reeds. Me and reeds don't get on. I find it hard to suit a reed to me and my oboe. I'm not sure what kind mine is. Maybe my teacher makes them? Hmm.....
I find medium is best suited to me. Maybe even soft. Kind of in between.

I met a girl yesterday who took an allergic reation to her reed. Her face swelled up and everything. Blimey.