Oboe Reed Making For My Students
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My New Book On Oboe ReedMaking
I am pleased to announce the release of The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Oboe Reedmaking: A Guide to the American School of Reedmaking, Volume 1. The Encyclopedia, edited by Alan Weiss, with foreword by Eugene Izotov (Principal Oboe, Chicago Symphony Orchestra), contains over 338 color illustrations and photographs (with captions) of the reedmaking process, 222 pages of text and information on reedmaking; an index, footnotes, glossary, list of illustrations, and list of tables. The book is printed in the USA on 80#, acid-free, matte paper in a sewn, perfect binding. It measures 8.5" x 11" x .5". The book is available through www.oboeabode.com.
Volume 1 comes in both a left- and right-hand version.
Reedmaking In Stages
begin at the beginning
- Purchase a good text book, reference book on reed making. There are several good books, but I highly recommend my new book for its comprehensiveness. Visit Oboe Abode to purchase or learn more about the unique features of this new book.
- Learn the names of the reed's anatomy. See lesson 1, Reed Anatomy 101 and 102. Learn basic scraping techniques and theory (lesson 1, part 3) of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Oboe Reedmaking.
- Purchase the rudimentary tools and learn what they are called and what they do.See the lists of tools in the introduction and glossary, as well as the list of tools at the beginning and throughout each lesson. Check with your teacher on specifics.
- As you begin, you will need to learn to sharpen the reedknife--probably turn out to be the most important skill. You will not be able to make a fully functionting reed with a dull knife. See my lens on oboe reedknife sharpening and lesson 1, part 1 of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Oboe Reedmaking.
- Have your teacher show you the basics of making a reed, or follow the steps in lessons 1-3 in the book.
- Start by trying to scrape a reed. Starting with "blanks" can be a possible solution to limit the number of skills that you need to make a reed.See lesson 1, Part 4 in The Encyclopedia.
Items You Will Need to Get Started: Where to Buy Them, Comparison Shop
- Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds - Wedge type razor knife
- Knife, wedge-type razor, double hollow ground, in small, medium or large wood file handle. Price includes sewn leather sheath.
- Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds - India sharpening stone
- India stone, 6x2x1", long lasting, oil filled; coarse on one side, fine on the other.
- Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds - Oboe block (billot)
- Oboe block made with ebony wood. It has a non-slide bottom and is 1 3/8 in. diameter and 5/8 in. tall.
- Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds - Ruler
- Six inch steel ruler with metric on one side and inches on the other.
- Oboe Cane & Reeds- Reed Blanks
- #104 Oboe Reed Blanks Tied at 72mm on the D shape each $7.00
PURCHASE 10-12 BLANKS TO BEGIN - Oboe Cane and Reeds- Oboe Plaques
- #300 Plaques For less wear on knife when cleaning reed each $2.25
PURCHASE 2-3 TO BEGIN - Oboe Cane & Reeds-Norton Sharpening Oil
- #309 Norton Sharpening Oil 4.5 oz. $5.50
- Lansky Knife Sharpener-Lansky Crock Stick sharpeners; Professional, Deluxe Turn Box, Sharp Stick
- Lansky Knife Sharpener-Lansky Crock Stick sharpeners; Professional, Deluxe Turn Box, Sharp Stick
- Spyderco Sharpmaker
- Spyderco Sharpmaker
- THE RAZ-R STEEL - Razor Edge Systems
- The Raz-R Steel opens to give you a perfect angle for steeling and maintaining your edges between sharpening. This pocket size steel fits perfectly in your kitchen drawer, tackle or tool box. Just slide your blade down the pre-set angle steels and youll have the perfect edge every time.
- Forrest's Oboe Mandrels
- #D-12, should fit Stevens #2 Staples (pro)
- Forrests Oboe Electronic Tuners
- Korg TM-40 Chromatic Tuner/Metronome
- Learn About Oboe Gear
- After the oboe, the reeds and the music you think would think that you have purchased everything you need, WRONG. There are so many more things an oboist needs ranging from plaques and feathers to gouging machines and tube cane.
Misc. Reedmaking Supplies Required to Make Reeds
May Be Purchased at Drugstore, Hardware Store or Deparment Store
- Emery boards (ladies fingernail files), diamond or sandpaper (coarse and fine)
- Hobby knife, with small disposable, retractable blade
- Work light with bright bulb or high intensity lamp
Laila Storch's New Book on Marcel Tabuteau
Additional Reedmaking books
Reedmaking by Bob Atherholt
Purchase Atherholt's Lessons on Oboe Reed Making
- Reed Making: Scraping and Shaping a Reed Blank
- Bob Atherholt principal oboist in the Houston Symphony and professor at Rice University teaches his method of scraping and shaping a reed blank
Places to Buy Reedmaking supplies and Accessories
This list is not exhaustive.
- Oboe Cane & Reeds
- OC&R by Dunkel and Severson. A distinguished supplier of cane, reeds, and accessories for musical instruments. Highest quality, competitive prices.
- Double Reed Specialist: Oboe Reeds,Bassoon Reeds,Double Reed Supplies
- More than 1600 products make us the best choice for all your double reed supplies, instrumens, tools, music, CDs and reeds - English horn reeds - bassoon reeds - and oboe reeds.
- Woodwind Brasswind
- tools, supplies and accessories
- Roger Miller ROM Double Reeds HOME
- Roger Miller ROM Double Reeds Oboe and English Horn Reed and Cane. New Jersey native, Roger Miller, holds degrees from Miami University (Ohio) and has studied oboe with Charles Lehrer, Louis Rosenblatt, Dennis Larson, and Marc Lifschey. He currently plays 2nd oboe with the Dayton Philharmonic. Roger
- Oboe cane from oboe cane.com. Cane for all instruments of the oboe family.
- Oboe cane from oboecane.com. Cane for all instruments of the oboe family. All oboe cane is personally selected and manufactured by hand with the aid of the most advanced equipment available. Comprehensive range of shapes and gouge thicknesses. Oboe cane is available to buy online.
- Mark Chudnow Woodwinds - Sales & service of double reeds, Oboes, English Horn & Oboe D'amore.
- Specializing in the sales and service of English Horn, Oboe, and Oboe D'amore. Carrying a full line of cane and accessories for double reed instruments, English Horns, Oboes D'amore, Bassoon, and Contrabassoon.
- WEBER REEDS
- WEBER REEDS : Welcome to WEBER REEDS Online Store! - Gifts & Gift Certificates Catalog Closeouts, Special Buys, etc. Documents Accessories Books, Music, Videos Cane Compact Discs Instruments and Bells Reed Cases Reed Making Equip. Reeds Services Reed Making Supplies Reed Selling Supplies Maintenance
- Double Reed Specialist: Oboe Reeds,Bassoon Reeds,Double Reed Supplies
- They carry many high quality supplies, including the Stevens staples.
Oboe Reed Knives
Double Hollow Ground and Bevel
Reed knives typically come in 2 basic flavors: double hollow ground and the bevel knife. Popular today are knives ranging in price from about $20-$120 USD. A few of these brands are: Landwell, Herder/Philadelphia, Charles, Chudnow and Jende. At times I have used a bevel knife for "rough work" and a double-hollow ground" for finishing. Speak with your teacher to see what they like and they can tell you the pros and cons of the knives. Prices vary. Here are some links for your comparison.
Note: Start with the less expensive knives, which may work just as well. Sharpening can be tricky.
- Charles Double Reed Company | The World's Oboe and Bassoon Marketplace
- Oboe reeds, bassoon reeds, oboes, bassoons, reeds, used oboes, used bassoons, new instruments, cane, books, methods, tools, and supplies. The World's Double Reed Marketplace, exclusively for oboe and bassoon players.
- David Schast Reed Service & Supply, LLC: Philadelphia (Herder) Reed Knife
- Handmade oboe, English horn and oboe d\\\'amour reeds. Oboe supplies, accessories, music, recordings tools.
- knifes
- Reeds'n Stuff-Homepage - Innovatives und bewährtes Zubehör für Holzblasinstrumente
- Reed Knife, Herder Style (Germany) [RKN-008] - $35.95 : WEBER REEDS
- WEBER REEDS Reed Knife, Herder Style (Germany) [RKN-008] - Double hollow ground knife with a hardwood handle. This German-made knife is an excellent, easy to s ...
- Online Instrument Catalog for Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Saxaphones, and More
- Midwest Musical Imports Online Catalog lists new and used musical instruments and accessories for bassoons, clarinets, English horns, flutes, oboes, and saxophones. Order online today!
- Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds - Philadelphia (Herder) knife
- Original Herder (Philadelphia), double hollow ground with wooden handle. Price includes sewn leather sheath.
"Death by Oboe"
- Death by oboe. - By Jan Swafford - Slate Magazine
- "In the modern world, nothing in music is more tragicomic than the subject of double-reed instruments like the oboe and bassoon. If you're an oboist or bassoonist in a high-school band, you buy ready-made reeds. Otherwise, you make your own from scratch, using expensive aged cane from particular terroirs, preferably in southern France. Cutting and trimming and binding and shaving reeds consumes a good deal of your days, while other musicians are practicing and regular people are having fun or making love. If you play the oboe seriously, much of your free time is spent making reeds, not love. Besides being ridiculously fragile, reeds are also sensitive to humidity, which on a soggy night can turn an orchestral woodwind section into a squawkfest.
A professional oboist will tell you more than you need to know about what constitutes a Mozart reed, a Mahler reed, a Stravinsky reed, and so on. If he plays in a pops orchestra, there's probably a Lennon/McCartney reed. If he wants to show you his reed knife, which is razor sharp, you should keep an eye on the exit. Reed making and the pressure on the brain that comes from blowing into an oboe can do unpredictable things to a person."
See Lesson 5 on Shaping Oboe Cane
A Few Words on Shaping Systems
The most commonly used system in the USA is the shaper handle with a removable shaper tip. Folded, gouged cane is placed over the tip and shaped by hand with a razor blade. Here is an example of a shaper tip and a shaper handle.
The flat shaper is rarely seen in the USA but still available. This a contoured metal bed made in the desired shape. The gouged cane is placed flat on the shaper. The cane is locked in place with screws and the excess cane is removed by hand with a blade. The shaped cane is removed from the shaper and then folded.
I have not tried the shaping machine nor have I seen one used in the USA but understand it is popular in Europe and perhaps other parts of the world. The machine is considered more accurate because the cane is not folded over a tip or shaped by a hand-held blade.
The choices of which system and shape to use depend on a combination of factors: your national style of playing, required tuning (A=440),oboe,altitude,gouge, desired tone, budget.
Shaper Tips
- Oboe Shaper Tips-Westwind Double Reed
- Westwind helps take the frustration out of finding the perfect Oboe shaper tip by offering proven shapes with unsurpassed consistency, durability, and symmetry. The best shapes made better.
Shaper Tips
See Lesson 6 on Gouging Oboe Cane
Oboe Gouger
Maginifyers
- Low Vision Aids, high powered reading glasses, magnifyers. @ DebSpecs Store
- Low Vision Aids, strong reading glasses, high powered magnifiers, electronic devices, illuminated and hands free magnifying glasses, fast shipping, hi optical quality, affordable prices at Debby Burk Optical.
See Lesson 4 on oboe staples
Don't give your tubes a free pass
New Text List
See Lesson 6 on using the Guillotine
Staples
- IDRS forum (TM) / Stevens oboe staples
- IDRS forum (TM)
- Roger Miller ROM Double Reeds TOOLS & ACCESSORIES
- Source of Stevens staples
- Oboe Staples, Oboe Tubes, English Horn Staples, English Horn Tubes
- Forrests carries the Stevens staples and others.
New eBay
New eBay
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by annoboe
Ann Rosandich is an experienced professional oboe performer, teacher and reedmaker. She was appointed solo English horn of the New Mexico Symphony... more »
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