I am just starting oboe for concert band next winter, and I am a little confused about soaking the reeds- do you soak the whole thing, or just part? I`ve seen some people say "don`t get the threads wet".. how do you soak them exactly?!! I have a Selmer 104 which is from my school that I am using- and Jones reeds. Do you think I`ll be ok? I have played flute and piccolo for 6 years and so I know all the fingerings and stuff. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi sarah! You don`t have to worry about soaking the reed.Yes it`s true that you have to soak the tip of the reed for about 3 minutes or so.Do not wet the threads or they`ll get loose.The best way of soaking is to get a camers film container( if possible) or any other type like that or get a glass or so.It`s great that you have played the flute and piccolo.I like the souds of both of the instruments, especially the piccolO.It;s a good thing you have chosen oboe to play in the band.Best of luck.

Hey—-I switched from flute/picc to oboe too, years ago! Here`s my advice about reeds--I’ve posted this on this board before, but it never hurts to repeat. You won`t have to learn this stuff the hard way the way I did!

1. For many instruments like clarinet or sax, store-bought reeds aren’t just good, they’re great. By contrast, store bought double reeds are just bad, period. I know private oboe teachers who refuse to teach students who play on store-bought because the oboists just can’t get better on the awful reeds.

Jones, Fibercane, and Rico are just plain trash. Emerald and Gower are the least offensive of the store-boughts, but they should be used only in DIRE emergencies (meaning no other reed in sight!)

2. The traditional advice on soaking: A lot of people say to pre-soak your reeds for at least 3 minutes, preferably five, in a film canister or something similarly-sized. Soak it every chance you get during practice and rehearsal.

If it’s a fairly new reed, hold it up so that you can look down into the cane split and if the top looks open, gently press it closed a little bit with your fingers. But not too hard or you’ll break the reed.

I have found that if you purchase a new reed that seems unusually hard to you, you can “dumb it down” by soaking it for just 90 seconds or so the first few times that you’re breaking it in. So it kind of depends on your style. There’s no hard-and-fast way to do it—my oboe prof went to Juilliard and she swears by throwing the whole reed in a drinking glass full of water.

3. Avoid blowing on the cork end after a soak to get extra water unlodged from the cane. The screws up the way the cane sits and can ruin your reed really fast. Instead, suck on the cane gently instead to get the water out before you insert it.

4. Be sure to cork grease the end of your cork that goes into your reed receiver or else you could warp the staple pushing it in and out of the oboe.

5. Keep your reeds in a reed case. If you keep them in the retail plastic tubes, they crack easier and mildew faster, and the cotton in the bottom of the plastic thingie tangles on the microscopic splinters on the cane. You don’t need an expensive case, but needs to hold at least three reeds (your favorite, the one you`re breaking in, and the backup).

6. Ordering some handmade, pro-tested reeds. They cost a little more than a store-bought, but they will last longer than the store-boughts and sound a heck of a lot better. Good reeds make you sound better—-especially when you’re a beginner. Think of playing on a store-bought reed on the oboe like playing a pure silver open-hole flute with a nickel-plated headjoint on it. Other benefits of pro reeds:

a. Most handmade reedmakers have played on the reed to test it and if it stinks, they don`t sell it. Not true for store-bought reeds. That means about 30% of store-bought reeds are trash right out of the box, whereas with pro reeds, you will rarely get a dud.

b. Pro reeds are made of decent reed stock, which means that when the reed starts to act up, it can usually be revitalized with a cheap product called ReedLife and made to have DOUBLE the life length of a store-bought, often even longer than that.

e. Store-bought reeds can contribute to bad embouchure habits, and if you stick with the oboe, eventually you`re going to have to get handmade reeds. So why not start early before you start messing up your embouchure trying to compensate for a factory-made reed?

f. Once you find a reed-maker that you like, you can order in bulk. For a lot of reed makers, if you order more than 3 or 5 reeds, they give you a 10 percent discount or more. As long as you keep your reeds in a safe place away from extreme temps, they`ll last in storage until you give them their first soak and start breaking them in. So it`s not a bad idea to just have spares on hand--esp. because pro reeds can take anywhere from a week to three weeks to show up at your house.

Ideally you can find a local musician or a double reed shop to make you reeds. In a perfect world, you could buy them from your private teacher (and you have one, right? If you don’t, drop what you’re doing right now and go find one).

Good internet reed dealers:

www.forrestsmusic.com
www.stuart-dunkel.com (his student reed is the bomb and they`re cheap! $10 a pop)
www.oboeworks.com (their "X student reeds" are good for students, about $16 apiece)
www.ritasreeds.com
www.wwbw.com (sells Lesher reeds, which are pretty decent for students—cheap but not the greatest reeds ever)

And of course, there’s plenty of others.

Here! I will make it simple:

SOAK THE REEDS FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES IN WARM WATER (NOT BOILING). Also, if you decide to soak a reed in your mouth don`t always do it because the saliva will make the reed "wear" out faster. I`ve been playing oboe for awhile. Hope this helps!

CHRIS

um...just a question, i just switched from flute to oboe, i bought a reed from my teacher, am I supposed to remove the wire and the plasic wrappy thing before i play?

I suggest not taking off the wire even though regular oboe reeds don`t contain wire. Adding wire is just a easier way of stabilizing the sound of the reed.

My best advice on oboe reeds, after teaching the instrument and performing for over 25 years, is to get with a good teacher! Find an oboist in your area and let them advise you and assist with reeds. I help my students make their own, if they desire to do so. But mostly, I take the commercial reeds and scrape them into something playable. This is not possible with all brands, so seeking the advice of someone who makes their own reeds is critical.

Best of luck! While the oboe can be a frustrating instrument to play, it is also an incredibly rewarding experience when one has a good reed to play on!!

I would suggest soaking in water from three to five minutes, just make sure you don`t drown the thing!
If you have a bobby pin, use it to secure the reed to the side of the canister. It prevents the reed from chipping whilst on the bottom of the canister.
jn4jenny-i`ve been using Rico reeds for one and a half years and they`ve been absolutely fine. It was those or the ones that cost $23 aussie dollars. I reccomend them to anyone!

Rico reeds are not good if you are looking for an amazing oboe tone. It is okay for beginners, but once you get to the more advanced stages of playing you REALLY need to get some handmade reeds.