Who’s from Niigata Japan?
Tuesday July 31 2007
One of my biggest readers is from Niigata Japan. They check my blog at least 3 or 4 times a day. Whoever you are, I’d love to hear from you! Please drop me a note!
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Who’s from Niigata Japan?
Tuesday July 31 2007
One of my biggest readers is from Niigata Japan. They check my blog at least 3 or 4 times a day. Whoever you are, I’d love to hear from you! Please drop me a note!
Read the RestWho’s from Niigata Japan?
Tuesday July 31 2007
One of my biggest readers is from Niigata Japan. They check my blog at least 3 or 4 times a day. Whoever you are, I’d love to hear from you! Please drop me a note!
Read the RestOn the oboe Bboard…
Tuesday July 31 2007
Someone wrote:
I have been told that reeds that overlap (or not) would eventually overlap more and more as time goes by. Is this true?
My response:
Definitely not. Unless your gouge is not correct and encourages them to do so.
I think a lot of oboe players are afraid of the gouge, or think it’s some mysterious secret only revealed to the holy and sacred.
I know you’re probably tired of hearing me say it, but I believe the gouge is everything. A good gouge can compensate for less-than-stellar cane. And the whole process of reedmaking should tell you about whether the gouge is acceptable or not. I can tell if I like the gouge after gouging, folding, shaping, tying and scraping just 10 scrapes of bark off, and clipping/overlapping.
- While folding the cane over my finger, I can tell the thickness of the sides and the thickness of the center.
- While shaping the cane, I can tell if the sides are too thick for me by how the cane comes off the side of the shaper tip (does it follow the shaper tip or does it pull away from the rest of the cane, tearing parts off of the sides?)
- While tying, I see how fast the sides close, and the general shape of the swell as I look from a side profile. It shows a lot about the thickness of the center and “beefyness” of the gouge.
- While scraping, I can tell the rate of taper of the gouge as it tapers from the thick center to the thinner sides
- Finally while clipping and overlapping, I can tell how tight the sides will hold together and seal. The overlap HAS… TO make the “Click” sound when it is set after the clip. The louder the “Click” the better. This shows how tight the sides “grab on to each other”. If it didn’t click, I’d be working the curve of the blade or adjusting the sides to make sure that it did.
Pay attention to your gouge! It’s important, and can save you a LOT… of time. If the gouge isn’t right, don’t even bother with it. It’s just a waste of your time, unless you’re willing to play on inferior reeds.
Nissen Tubes
Tuesday July 31 2007
A while back ago I wrote a note regarding Nissen’s tubes. Well, he wrote me and offered me two FREE… tubes. I thought it was a very generous offer, and at the time, it just so happened that one of my good friends was in Denmark, his home country, so my friend was able to make payment to him and I sent him 15 tubes (10 weber tubes, 5 Chudnow CA nickel silver staples). So I got 15 converted tubes for the price of 13.
Well they arrived today, and first of all, they just look AWESOME…. I tied two of them up, scraped the tip and clipped. I’m going to leave them tonight to let them dry and scrape some more tomorrow. Stay tuned for a full report.
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