Reed Class - MU108
SUNY Fredonia
Spring 2006
This class is a continuation of MU 107, involving all aspects of reed making not covered in the previous semester, and refining the skills of reed scraping which have been newly learned.
Reed Supplies (required):Note: Leave enough money in your budget to buy reed supplies throughout the year. This means $60.00 minimum a semester for cane alone (if you are not taking lessons, you will probably get by with $50 for the whole year). You must always have cane!! Not having cane will negatively affect your grade.
- 1-2 Sharp reed knife(knives)--hollow ground, Vitry or Philadephia
- 1 Sharpening stone--Hard arkansas/water stone/India oil stone
- 1 Bottle oil to clean/lubricate stone as necessary (honing or mineral)
- Cutting block (billot) --wood, not too small, flat with non-stick backing
- 3 Plaques--medium thickness, non-contoured, rounded steel
- 2 spools Thread --FF Nylon
- 1 cake Beeswax
- 60 Pieces Oboe Cane: shaped--get a narrow shape, Mack 1, Gilbert -1, or Brennan X gouged only--get 10-10.5 mm diameter, 0.58-0.60 mm thickness. Get at least two "brands" of cane to alternate.*
- 20 Staples (Tubes)-- 47 millimeters in brass or silver (Pisoni tubes work well)
- 1 Ruler that has millimeters on it
- 1 Mandrel that is lined up correctly
- Many Single edge razor blades for shaping
- 1 sheet 600 wet/dry sandpaper
- 1 set Jewelers screwdriver
- Several packages of cigarette paper, ungummed
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- 6 pieces EH cane MINIMUM!
- 27 mm EH tubes
- EH reed wire (one spool): neadomg wore #28
- 1 pair of wire cutters
- 1 small pair of pliers (for wrapping the EH wire)
- 1 oboe reed tube made fashioned into a “mandrel” for EH reeds
C-clamp
For non-oboe majors, some of these supplies may be borrowed from the school.
* You may get cane from anywhere you like, but it must be open, hard, and a narrow enough shape. You can get that kind of cane from John Hayden, or Robert Sorton. Please consult the instructor for specific recommendations.
Text (in library):David Weber and Ferald Capps, The Reed Makers Manual
Handouts: I strongly advise that you keep all handouts in a notebook or binder!
Policies:
- Grading: Your grade will consist of several parts:
- Performance assessment
- Class assignments: 20%
- Lesson assignments: 30%
- Final Project: 10%
- Final Blank: 10%
- Final Reed: 20%
- Final Written test: 10%
Class Assignments/topics: These will include:
- Making a reed that can pass the following stages (with all it’s parts):
- tongue 5 low "d's" rapidly (five 16th notes at quarter=120) without cracking any of the notes up the octave.
- slur up octaves (mid Bb-highBb, with minimal embouchure, and pianissimo)
- air attack high C pianissimo
- be able to play a 2 octave scale (Bb Major and Eb Major) making a crescendo to the top of the scale and a diminuendo to the bottom so that the highest note is the loudest and the lowest note is the softest.
- make diminuendos to pianississimo on low g with minimal hiss over a 10 second period, the first 5 seconds being the diminuendo, and the last 5 being a sustained pianississimo.
- Different kinds of crows (loose-sides, C-F, etc. see “General Principles Sheet”)
- Gouging of cane (including selecting, splitting, guillotining, and planing of cane)
- Making English horn reeds.
- Basic oboe adjustment.
Lesson Assignments: These will include bringing three playable (meaning you could play a lesson on them) reeds in various stages to each oboe lesson. (For those students with 1/2 hour lessons, you need only bring in 2 reeds each week). Each reed needs to show improvement in the areas that were discussed in a previous lesson, or reed class.
Final Project: At least 10 new entries on the Solution/Problem sheets under the topics of Response, Stability, Dynamics and Tone. Sources include: Reed Makers Manual, The Oboe Reed Book by Jay Light, Oboe Reed Styles by Ledet, reed class (handouts), lessons. I will expect that you have read the entire text (Weber book).
Final Reed Tests (final blank and reed):Bring in a perfect blank , ie: perfect measurements, overlapped top blade to the right and without leaks, and in 8 minutes make a reed that can play Barret #2 with acceptable intonation, tone, dynamics, and response. There will be some subjectiveness in the grading of this reed. Being able to make a sound is no longer good enough. The reed needs to be at least fairly vibrant and stable.
Final gouging/shaping Test: There may be a test of your skills in these areas. You may also be tested on your ability to care for the equipment.
Final Written Test: Mostly a multiple choice test on general reed principles and oboe adjustment issues, possibly including problem solving questions.
RESOURCES
Studio: Jay Light, The Oboe Reed Book (Drake University, 1983)Library : David Weber and Ferald Capps, The Reed Makers Manual (and video), David Ledet, Oboe Reed Styles:Theory and Practice (Indiana University Press, 1981); Robert Sprenkle, The Art of Oboe Playing (Summy-Birchard, 1961); Carl Sawicki, The Oboe Revealed (Carl Sawicki, 1988)
Hamilton : Patrick McFarland, Oboe Adjustment Guide (McFarland Double Reed Shop, 1983).
- The studio owns two oboe shaper tips (Pfeiffer Mack and Mack plus), diamond stone, Jay Light reedmaking book, two gouging machines (Ross and Prestini), one Fox oboe, three Loreé English horns, one Howarth English horn and a Loreé oboe d'Amore.
Bring two opened blanks to every class. Order cane in advance.
| Class #1 | Intro/shaping |
| Class #2 | Low c tonguing Order unshaped cane |
| Class #3 | Low c tonguing |
| Class #4 | Octave slurring |
| Class #5 | order EH supplies |
| Class #6 | Air attack high C |
| Class #7 | Dynamics |
| Class #8 | EH reeds (start 8 minute reed practice every class) |
| Class #9 | EH reeds |
| Class #10 | Gouging |
| Class #11 | Gouging |
| Class #12 | Adjustment/maintenance |
| Class #13 | Adjustment/maintenance |
| Class #14 | Final tests |
© 2008, Dr. Sarah Hamilton - All Rights Reserved