SOME THOUGHTS   
ABOUT OBOE REEDS (1)                                                                                             Bill Roscoe 

FOR NEW OBOE STUDENTS

People often pick up attributes from what they love in this life. Newspapermen are said to have printer’s ink in their veins while railroad people become men of steel. For those who develop more than a passing interest in making reeds for musical instruments, keep in mind: Reed cane is a pernicious weed! Once planted, it is hard to eradicate.

SOME OTHER OLD TIMERS

The reed makers I met early in my career are now all past 70. Bob Stevens, who has made more oboe and bassoon reeds than any person I know, is in his middle 70’s. Jack Spratt, who first helped me with cane and later with tools, has touched the life of most oboists and bassoonists. Lou Skinner, now retired, taught more bassoonists how to make reeds than most other reedmakers.

THE PERENNIAL WEED

Since it grows from rhizomes, reed cane has a perennial root with annual stems and leaves. Botanically it is a monocot (Monocotyledon), a member of the grass family. Arundo donax, (its botanical name) is a species of bamboo widely used in making cane furniture. It makes good fishing poles in addition to reeds for musical instruments. While found around the Mediterranean, much of our cane comes from Southern France. It is prolific in the area known as the Riviera. One of my long term goals is to buy a piece of land in the south of France. Then I should be able to raise cane on the Riviera myself. Reed cane is also being grown in California. The cane I use for my oboe reeds comes from the Var Provence in Southern France.

MY BEGINNINGS

I started making reeds in large quantities by helping Frank Sturchio in San Antonio, Texas in the early fifties. In the spring of 1959, I was making oboe reeds for the Gower Reed Company in Boulder, Colorado. Later that year I started Roscoe Reed Manufacturing Co. in Colorado Springs. Since then I have owned or managed several large reed companies. I started making reeds under my Bill Roscoe trademark in 1985.

THE PERENNIAL PROBLEM

When I began making reeds for others, I did most of the work by hand. As tennis players know well, wrists and elbows do not appreciate a lot of twisting. In time I was getting a cortisone shot in my right elbow monthly to keep down the pain. I then decided to find better ways to make oboe reeds. The design of my reeds is my own as are many of the tools I use. I create my own tools to help me work better and faster. Yet, the final, and most important work of finishing, testing and grading is done slowly, by hand, one reed at a time. I finish each reed myself.

MY GUARANTEE

Bill Roscoe Double Reeds are guaranteed to play. I will replace, free of charge, any
which you return to me for any reason.

THREE IMPORTANT LESSONS
With five reasons

  • (1) Soak reeds in plain tap water.
  • (2) Choose the correct strength
  • (3) Break in new reeds slowly.

LESSON ONE:

  • (1) Soak reeds in plain tap water

The suggestion that you soak your reeds for five minutes before using is given on the strength label in the bottom of each reed box. Here are the reasons why and some more suggestions.

THE REASONS WHY!

1. Reed cane is cellulose in structure. Like a sponge, it is porous and will absorb water. Always keep this fact in mind when using your reeds. As a sponge doesn’t work well when it is dry, most reeds are of little value before you soak them.

2. Soak your reeds in plain tap water before each use. This is preferable to holding them in your mouth to get them wet. There is a lot of protein in reed cane. The enzymes in your saliva will eat away and slowly dissolve the protein, and some essential ingredients in your reed. Your reeds will last longer, and play better when you soak them first in plain tap water, rather than holding them in your mouth, before using them. Once the cell structure is filled with plain tap water, you can keep them wet in your mouth.

MORE REASONS WHY!!

3. An oboe reed is not just a reed. It is also a mouthpiece. The shape of the inside of the mouthpiece amplifies or dampens each of the overtones which influence the sound the reed will produce.

When the reed is dry it contracts. The thick parts can arch while the thin parts can flatten. This distorts the opening inside of the mouthpiece function of the reed. When it is wet, the cane swells and returns to its original shape. If your reed is fully dried out, it takes about five minutes to fully saturate the cane. I take care in making my reeds to insure they play well when wet. Soaking the reed in plain tap water allows the reed to swell to the correct shape for the mouthpiece to function as it should.

EVEN MORE REASONS WHY!!!
  1. There is a complete difference in the flexibility of wet, as opposed to dry, reed cane. Dry cane is very brittle. Cane does not vibrate well when it is dry. Trying to play on a dry reed will always cause some of the fibers to break and could easily crack the reed. When wet, cane is pliable, alive and vibrates well.

AND FINALLY!!!!

5. You can soak a reed too much. If you leave your reed in a glass of water, you will almost always put too much water into it. Dipping it in water, then setting it someplace safe (a reed case is the best place) is a good practice. When a reed is too wet, it opens too much and seems harder than it really is. Watch professional oboists during performance. You will often see them putting the reed into their mouth. This is the best way to keep a reed at the correct moisture level after you have first soaked it in plain tap water. This is the first lesson a new oboe player must learn. ______________________________________________________________________________________

LESSON TWO

  • (2) Choose the correct strength

                   THE FIVE STRENGTHS

                     Soft
                     Medium Soft
                     Medium
                     Medium Hard
                     Hard

If you need a soft reed but have a hard one, you might sound more like a duck than an oboe.

THE SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS

There are two specific strength qualities I use in grading oboe reeds. The first is the resistance the reed has to blowing air through it. The second is the resistance the lip feels in holding the reed at the correct opening. Both increase as we move from soft to hard reeds. There must be a good balance between these two strengths. If the lip resistance is too soft, in relation to the air resistance, the reed will be stuffy. If it is too hard, the reed will be wild and hard to control.

THE GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF:

                             SOFT

Soft oboe reeds are designed for the very young, beginning student who has no previous experience in playing a woodwind instrument. If the student has played a clarinet or flute, a medium soft reed might work better. The soft reed has very little air or lip resistance. You can hold it in the corner of your mouth and play from low "C" to "G" above the staff with fairly good intonation. The low note plays easily but the high note are difficult. This reed is seldom sharp and tend to play flat.

MEDIUM SOFT

The medium soft reed is designed for the new oboe student with some experience playing another woodwind. This strength should be used by new students during the first year of playing. It
should play easily from low B flat to high C, but can become difficult above high C.

                    MEDIUM

The medium strength reed is the best, all around reed for most students who have played for a few years. It should play well from low B flat to high F and has the best dynamic range.

                         MEDIUM HARD

The medium hard reed is for the student who has some ability to scrape the reed by hand. It will usually play the high notes better than the low notes and might tend to be a bit sharp. Articulation can be a bit sluggish.

                        HARD

The hard reed should not be used by a beginning student nor one who does not know how to scrape and adjust the reed. Low notes can be difficult to play and the dynamic range is limited. I can play a hard reed but it makes me dizzy.

                 LESSON THREE

  • (3) Break in new reeds slowly.

THIS FINAL LESSON IS SHORT, BUT IMPORTANT.

Reeds change considerably once you start playing on them. And, they lead a life of their own, which is interesting. A reed is never at its best when you first meet it. It gets better and better as it is broken-in. It will reach the point where this stops. The reed then become less responsive. I have found it is a good idea to have three reeds working at all times. One that is near the top to use for performances. One that is coming up, used for most practicing. Finally, a new one being broken-in, and used only for playing long tones. If you will practice long tones for just 10 or 15 minutes a day, you will gain four benefits. (1) You will have a better sound, (2) better intonation, and (3) better dynamics. Take just one scale, using a two octave range. Play each note for sixteen counts starting as soft as possible, increasing to a double forte, then decreasing as soft as possible.

WHAT IS THE FOURTH BENEFIT? (4) You will enjoy your oboe more! I guarantee it!!!!

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