Oboe d'Amore season

Funny thing this year - not as many orders for oboe d'amore reeds as usual. I wonder if this means there are less performances, people who like my reeds have started making their own, or synthesizers are taking over the pits.

We sold a lot more gouged and shaped O d'Amore cane this year, so I'll just pick option two as the most likely. Plus - I just like that option more than the others.

Yesterday was a fairly intense one - Michael and Jen and I packed up about $25,000 in supplies and instruments to ship off to Emory Univ., to arrive next week for the conference. It's a relative relief to have a nice quiet day today, with a bassoonists who came up from Boston to try our 9,000 Heckel and then - probably not much else. Go home early?

Happy New Year!

All 50 reeds turned out perfectly.....

.... just kidding. Sorry.

Seriously, though....

I'll be at Emory University presenting a lecture on how to make emergency fixes on your bassoon at their Bassoon Day on Jan 7th.

Next month I'll be doing the same at The McLean School of Music at Middle Tennessee State Double Reed Day, Feb 11th.

Anybody going to be at either of these?

I really like doing these. They are sort of mini-IDRS's, spread out throughout the year. Instead of having to wait for a full year to get my double reed player fix, I get to meet people all the time! Having lived and performed in New York City most of my life, and then moving to semi-rural New Hampshire, I am starved for double reed player contact. My three local students are great fun, but there's nothing like the hubbub of many players talking reed talk.

Bassoon Reeds Today

This morning I put 50 bassoon reed blanks in the water in anticipation of making Pro reeds. I'll wait about 20 minutes and then get to work on them. The weather is great, my knife is sharp, and my new skis arrived - all is right with the world.

Happy Holidays? Yes, Happy Holidays!

reed lesson leads to interesting idea

I had a fellow observing me make reeds this week for a few hours. He's a professional multi-wind player with considerable experience, so it was a bit intimidating, but a fun experience. One thing that came out of it, that I was not expecting, was his mention that he usually defines the tip of an oboe reed first and then works on the back. I do it the reverse.

I start scraping at the place closest to the string and then work up toward the tip quickly, making almost no definition between the two along the way to begin with.

I can't for the life of me remember what Gomberg or Jerry Roth said I was "supposed" to do or when, if, I changed that.

Strange that after all these years, reeds are still fun.