Danny began to go on....and on.... and on... etc about the beginning of oboe reed making. Basically, he had a lot of information to share with us. He explained the four types of cane that can be purchased. Progressively these include: tube cane, split cane, gouged cane, and shaped cane. After this step you would move on to a blank reed, a first scrape (cut, profiled, shaped and scraped but not done), and a completed reed.
Next, Danny explained the numerous materials that are involved in forming and creating an oboe reed. He recommends two brands of cane for beginning students, Rigotti and KGE. If you are looking to buy cane from another source, make sure to check out where the cane is grown. Danny explained that where there is good wine, there is usually good cane. He gave us a break down of how much each stage of cane would cost and provided his recommendation, shaped cane.
- Gouged--2-3 dollars
- Shaped--4-5 dollars
- Finished reed--12 (less good) - 20 (more good) dollars
He also recommends purchasing locally made reeds because they are more reliable than factory made reeds. While factory made reeds are less reliable than hand made reeds, you will need some tools and materials. A good place to purchase these is Mark Chudnow Supplies http://www.mcwoboe.com/.
The supplies you will need include (but are not limited to):
Staples (Not actual staples for a stapler--these are different. TAKE NOTE!)
Sierra or Chudnow (Chudnow is reusable but have mixed ratings)
Knives (Not just a table knife--you need a special one)
Need at least one, some use more than one
Landwell (decent and cheap) or Jende (good and expensive)
Use fingernail test to see if it is sharp enough: place blade on fingernail, apply minimal pressure, if
blade moves across nail it is not sharp enough!
*Bassoon knives do not need to be as sharp as oboe knives*
Stones (Not pebbles you can find in your yard--again, these are different)
Diamond Stone-used for sharpening knives
To use: wet stone, keep blade mostly flat and drag across the stone, dry
Crock Sticks (Has nothing to do with sticks found with crocodiles)
Takes off less steel than the Diamond Stone
Jende Steel (Sounds like and Kung-fu movie--NINJA!)
Similar to Crock Sticks
Mandrel (I definitely heard "Man-Drill"--Suddenly I have an image of a half-man, half-drill thing)
Stick the reed on the end to make holding the reed more comfortable
Thread (YES! This is actually what you think it is!)
For tying
Use beeswax to help make the reed tighter
Cutting Stone (No comments here)
Tiny stone used when cutting the reed
Flat Plaque (What? Like cavities?)
Goes between the reed-allows for finer work
First Aid Kit
BEWARE the razor blade!
PROJECT!
CREATE YOUR OWN OBOE KIT!
For all your basic oboe needs!
- Pencil Box
- Millimeter stick
- Mandrel
- Flat Plaque
- Razor Blades
- Stone
- Staple
Some other notes include:
Don't finish a reed on a day with odd weather because it will only work on similar days
Oboe cane soaking is way easier than Bassoon cane soaking
Just leave it in a tub of warm water for 30-40 minutes
A good book (e-book) on how to make reeds is Making Reeds, Start to Finish by Nancy King
Has interactive videos and good instructions
No comments:
Post a Comment