Mr. Olsen

How Long Does a Reed Last?

So what happens when you come to the point in your reed journey that you actually end up with a great reed?

Well first, CONGRATULATIONS!

For getting this far is really no small feat.

So now what?

As you know, new reeds have a vibrancy to them that makes them exciting but also a little raw. As you play on them, they will get more yummy and comfy and you will come to know each of your reeds personally.

Some people call this "breaking in their reeds." You really can develop emotional attachments to reeds (trust us, it is better not to)!

The life of your reed will probably be between 6 and 12 hours of playing time depending on who you are and what you do. When a reed is past its prime, it will feel worn out and used up. It may be closed and may no longer let you use as much air as you once did. It will feel mushy and it will be very cushy in the low register (great for second oboe reeds!).

As your reeds complete their life cycle, it is important for you to have "up and comings" in your case at every stage of completion---

That way you'll always have reeds moving up the ladder to replace those that are dying out.

Also keep in mind that reeds go through fluctuations due to variables that are completely out of your control, such as weather.

No oboist will ever love all the reeds in their reed box!

In the meantime, consider saving some reeds you absolutely adore for performances, and play the rehearsals on the ones that aren't quite as magical.

Many beginners and even intermediate to advanced oboists are perpetrators of their own downfall because of bad habits formed out of ignorance or delinquency. Of the many detrimental behaviors oboists take on, the three most common are:

1. Biting the reed

2. Tension

3. Closed throat

To remind one student not to bite down on the reed, the late Marc Lifshey said, "Oboe embouchure is like an amoeba; it moves all the time......but you, you like to take the whole reed in your mouth like some kind of great chomping machine, and the sound you get is just like that: all mechanical, and no caress!" A more concrete method to encourage proper breath support and embouchure is to rotate the reed 45 degrees in the oboe and play without adjusting the position of the head or hands. It is almost impossible to bite on a reed with this technique. You can regulate the angle of rotation to return gradually to the normal horizontal plane as a fuller sound and un-pinched tone develops.

Tension often shows up in elevated shoulders, a closed throat and wild fingers. Maintaining good posture by using a mirror and playing while standing with one’s back against a wall will show immediate improvement. Assuming the oboe is in good adjustment, little pressure is required to close or open the keys. To combat tension in the fingers, keep fingers close to the keys and imagine slowly squeezing a tube of toothpaste when practicing.

Humming while playing the oboe is generally agreed as an effective remedy to tension in the throat, even if the terms “open” and “closed” are disputed. It is important to remember the oboe only requires a small amount of air but a large amount of breath control.

Being thoughtful and observant will prevent these bad habits from dominating your playing.

At some point all oboists experience embouchure fatigue while playing, regardless of whether they are a beginner or professional. However some performers seem to be able to play endlessly with little effort, while others tire after only a few long-tones. Naturally, credit for increased endurance goes to the person who practices regularly and for a significant duration each session. Even so, there are things an oboist can do to increase the time before embouchure fatigue sets in.

Increasing the strength of the embouchure through regular practice and playing on reeds stiffer than normal, be they new and not yet broken-in or just heavier, will strengthen your chops. This method however has limitations because the facial muscles are extremely thin and are not able to be developed in the same way as the biceps or quadriceps. Therefore, other methods of increasing endurance must be used.

Playing on the very tip of the reed allows the oboist to control the intonation and tone more easily than if the embouchure surrounds the reed further back where the cane is thicker. One method of practicing this is to attach a neck strap to your oboe and adjust the length to the point where, when the strap is pulled gently taut, your embouchure can only but play at the tip of the reed. You’ll find, with time, your embouchure will be what Jay Light calls “an outward pucker”. With the correct breath control and acclimatization to this new position, you’ll find your tone, projection and endurance will all improve.

Another impediment to good embouchure endurance is an unstable or inefficient reed. While you might have a reed that blows as light and easy as a flute, it might very well lack stability causing you to overly control the pitch; often ending up sharp! An inefficient reed is one that yields very little sound or volume compared to the amount of wind or effort put into it. This is easily checked by gently blowing into the reed and slowly increasing the air until it begins to sound; first the initial “C” then the second and third “C’s”. Be mindful of how much air and force you must use before all three pitches will sound. If you’re getting red in the face before the second “C” the reed is too inefficient. Scraping in the right place or two will allow more vibrations to sound earlier and allow you to lessen your effort.

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Mr. Olsen

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