Complete Oboe Reed Adjustment Guide [+ PDF Download]
Common Oboe Reed Adjustment Guide ~ by Oboist Khara Wolf
In this oboe reed adjustment guide we will be taking an analytical approach to assessing the crow and reed playability. Start by acessing your crow and how the reed is playing:
Thread Crow: Mouth on the thread (not the cane)- blow with a lot of air and there should be three octaves of a “C”
Play the reed in the oboe to check for stability and tone
Things you are looking for:
Does it sound buzzy? Stuffy? Bright? Ok?
Does it crow flat? Sharp? Does it play flat? Sharp? High notes flat?
Are some notes flat and some in tune? Do you have to fight to keep it up to pitch?
How much air does it take to start making a sound? If it takes more then the slightest start of air, you will have that much more effort just to get the reed vibrating (let alone playing it!)
How much air does it take once the reed is already playing? Too much? Too little? You need some, but not too little or too much.
If you get stuck... some helpful oboe reed adjustment guide resources!
High-altitude reed making with Jennifer Stucki in Boulder, CO—Online Course
5-Minute Reed Maker with Jennet Ingle—YouTube Videos
Quick Adjustment Guide
| Diagnosis | Suggested Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Crows a C, but it is not responsive and is stuffy/bright sounding when played | Lighten up the tip first to get it responding and then take a little out of the back to help darken the tone. |
| Crows a C and is responsive, but is too buzzy sounding when played | Clip the tip as little as possible to help reduce the buzzy sound. If it goes sharp, scrape a littel bit out of the back. |
| Crows a C, is responsive, but is stuffy/bright | Scrape a little bit out of the back of the reed and the very corners of the tip (right above the heart) to help darken the tone. |
| Crows flat, has a wild crow, and is not responsive (hard to play) | First check the opening and make sure it’s not too open. Then clip the reed up to C, and lighten up the tip until it responds easily. |
| Crows flat, is very responsive, but is buzzy sounding when played | Clip the tip until it crows a C. This should help with both pitch and tone. |
| Crows sharp, is not responsive, and is stuffy/bright sounding when played | First, make sure there is a decent opening. Then, thin the whole tip to get the response going. Next, scrape the channels of the heart to get it vibrating and drop the pitch. Clip back to C if needed. |
| Crows sharp, is responsive, but is just a little stuffy or bright sounding | Scrape a little bit out of the channels of the heart to drop the pitch and get it vibrating. Clip back to C if needed. |
Table of Contents
THE OBOE REED ADJUSTMENT GUIDE
Crows a C, but it is not responsive and is stuffy/bright sounding when played
Start by making the whole tip a little lighter (be sure to stay away from the center of the tip!). Once it is responsive (passes the ha ha test), check for the following issues:
Now it’s flat: Clip it back up to pitch. If it goes back to being unresponsive, lighten up the tip even more and clip if needed.
In tune, but still stuffy and bright: Once it’s in tune and responsive, you’ll need to make sure all three C’s are crowing. Usually you’ll only have the top two. To get more vibrations going, smooth out the blend area slightly, look for imbalances, and scrape a little out of the back. If it goes flat clip it first, and if it now has a wild crow, refine the sides and corners of the tip.
Crows a C and is responsive, but is too buzzy sounding when played
If the crow is mostly high and middle C’s: You need to get more of the lower vibrations going to darken the sound. Scrape a little out of the back and smooth the blend area. This should drop the pitch slightly, do a small clip until it’s back up to a crowing C.
If the crow is wild: Refine the sides and corners of the tip. Clip if needed to keep the crow at a C.
*This can happen when too much has been taken out of the center of the tip. If the reed is collapsing, there is probably too much out of the heart.
Crows a C, is responsive, but is stuffy/bright
You need to get more lower crow vibrations going. If the heart is still thick, scrape the channels lightly, scrape the blend area, and lastly the back. Once you have all three crows going, clip if needed to bring it back to a crowing C. If it has a wild crow, refine the sides and corners of the tip.
*If there is already a lot out of the heart, make sure the tip is thin enough- often stuffy reeds can be confused with non-responsive.
Crows flat, has a wild crow, and is not responsive (hard to play)
This is what most store bought reeds feel like at high altitude, or what a brand new reed will feel like the first few days of scraping.Also check to see if the opening is too big- new reeds can sometimes handle a little “gentle pressing” on the tip to encourage it to close down.For scraping: first, clip it up to a crowing C. Then you need to lighten the whole tip (stay away from the center). Do this until it passes the responsive ha ha test. Often store bought reeds have too long of a heart area and too short of a tip. Check the proportions.Once it passes the responsiveness test and crows a C:
If it’s stuffy and bright, you need to get more lower vibrations going. If the heart is still thick, scrape the channels lightly, scrape the back, and scrape the blend area. Once you have all three crows going, clip if needed to bring it back to a crowing C. If it has a wild crow, refine the sides and corners of the tip.
If it now has a wild crow and is buzzy, make sure it’s clipped up to a crowing C, and refine the sides and corners of the tip.
Crows flat, is very responsive, but is buzzy sounding when played
First clip it up to a crowing C. Often this will solve the issue, but if the crow is still wild, refine the sides and corners of the tip. If it gets stuffy after clipping and is still responsive, lightly dust the blend area and/or the back. If it’s no longer responsive, lighten the whole tip.
Crows sharp, is not responsive, and is stuffy/bright sounding when played
This is what new reeds sometimes feel like after they’ve dried out. First get it responding by scraping the whole tip (avoid the center). Once it’s responsive you’ll probably need to get some more lower crow vibrations going. Smooth the blend area and channels of the heart, then do a little in the back. Clip if needed. If it gets a wild crow, refine the sides and corners of the tip.*if there is already too much out of the heart/back, check the proportions. It’s possible the tip is too short and the heart is too long or the whole reed is now too short.
Crows sharp, is responsive, but is just a little stuffy or bright sounding
Make sure it’s not too closed or doesn’t have too much of an overlap. Try opening it gently (after it’s been soaked), and continue…Dusting the blend area a little should solve the problem. If needed, a little in the back, and lastly, the channels of the heart. Be careful not to take too much as this reed is already in tune and probably just a little stiff. Once you have all the C’s crowing, clip if needed and lighten the tip if it gets un-responsive.
TROUBLE SHOOTING
© Martin Schuring ASU
It chirps!
This is caused when the tip (or another area) is thicker at the end and there is a thinner part before it. It can also be caused by knicks from the knife. Look for imbalances and with a very sharp knife, gently try and smooth over the imbalance.
No matter what I do, it just keeps getting worse
First, let the reed dry out and take a fresh look at it in about 24 hours. Reeds need time to dry out and adjust. Usually if you come back it will present with a new diagnosis and you can keep working. If it still doesn’t get any better after drying out, check for places where you may have taken too much cane out (like the heart or center of the tip). Also check the proportions and make sure the tip, heart, and back are in proportion to each other and the whole reed isn’t too long or two short.Still not working? Bring it into your teacher! Or, start over. Remember, it takes a whole laundry basket full of reeds to get some consistency and you are learning something that is very hard to do!
I took off a chunk of the tip
This happens when your knife isn’t sharp. First, sharpen your knife! If your reed is still long you can afford to clip off the chunk and re-lighten up the tip. If the reed is already at a finished length, you can clip a small amount, but if the missing chunk is causing issues, let this reed go.
My knife keeps getting caught and causing “nicks”
It’s time to sharpen your knife! This happens when you are starting to press down too hard. Make sure your knife is sharp, and scrape with a very light hand. You should be able to smooth out the nicks.
It leaks
This usually is caused by a tying issue. Make sure your reed seals as you are tying it by seeing if those sides seal with your mouth. Sometimes reeds leak from poor shaping, poor gouging, or bad staples. If you are already scraping and then it starts to leak, use some Teflon or goldbeaters tape (not my favorite choice because it inhibits vibrations, but it works!). If the leak is too high for tape, toss the reed.
It’s unstable when I play it and the crow is one mono-tone of C (not three separate octaves)
This can be caused by too much out of the heart. It also can be caused by a reed that flares out at the top (which is often from a bent piece of cane). You can do some scraping adjustments, but otherwise it will be a bit of a wild card to play on.
Too closed
Especially at high altitude, reeds that are too closed often are from cane that is 10.5 or wider. At high altitude, it is important to use 9.5-10 mm diameter cane, which is only available as a handmade reed.Other issues that can cause this issue: reeds that are starting to wear out, reeds that have too much of an overlap,
Too open
This is usually indicative of a new reed that has a nice sized diameter and is a strong piece of cane. Work with the adjustment guide to continue breaking it in slowly. Once it’s soaked, you can also gently press the tip down to encourage it to close down a little.
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General Observations and Reed Making Tips
Sharpen your knife. I usually sharpen my oboe knife on the leather strop (2000+ grit) every 5 minutes of scraping. I then sharpen my knife on my stone (1200 grit) to put the edge back on every 15 minutes of scraping. This may seem like a lot. However, the number one thing I see is students don’t sharpen often enough!
Don’t forget to adjust for the function. It is easy to adjust your reed purely on tone, especially in the beginning. When you are finishing your reed, try playing an etude or part of a solo piece. Don’t just test your reeds on “doodles”.
Your reed should start with very little air and be able to accept a lot of air. Aka, if you had to come in on a low E or D in the orchestra at pp, could you do it? If you had to project a beautiful solo at forte to the back of the audience, will the reed allow you to do that without sounding shrill?
Check the opening before doing anything else. If the reed is too open or too closed, this can affect how it crows and plays. If it seems too closed, soak the reed and then open it gently with your fingers. If it is too open, soak the reed then gently hold it closed for a few seconds with your fingers. Crow and play. Now you can better asses what it needs next.
Start to learn the “pro” and “con” of each scrape. Every scrape as an action and reaction. You’ll get more response, but the pitch might drop. You’ll clip it for tone, but it will get too stuffy. The most challenging part of reed making is taking small steps to find this balance with each scrape.
If you aren’t sure where to start, go back to the basics (response, resistance, tone, stability).
Does it respond with very little air? Think, a low note at pp.
Does it have some resistance, but not too much. You don’t want it to make you light headed. But you also don’t want it to feel too “free”. Trying to control a reed that is “too free” will cause tension and fatigue.
Is the tone acceptable? It may not be perfect, but how does it play?
Is it stable? Are you having to control certain notes? Maybe high notes are sagging?
Test the reed after each adjustment. This may seem obvious, but as you begin finishing your reed, there is a certain point where you’ll want to make small adjustments and test after each one.
Clip less as the reed gets more refined. In the beginning you’ll take bigger clips, but as the reed gets more refined, these clips will become “as little as possible”. Sometimes the tiniest clip (barely visible) will make all the difference. Be sure to us a new razor blade, as needed, to get super small clips!
Consistency of materials – only experiment with one thing at a time. Some changes have a bigger impact. For example, the diameter of the cane can make a huge difference in the opening without affecting the pitch or tone. Compared to changing shapes, which can affect the opening and have a significant effect on the tone and pitch. Get a solid system, then test one thing at a time.
Check the overlap. Another obvious one, but if the overlap isn’t correct, it can inhibit vibrations making the reed stuffy and difficult.
Make sure the sides are tight and don’t leak. If the reed leaks at all, it won’t play. If it leak at the very bottom near the thread, you might be able to seal the leak with Parafilm. If it leaks higher up, toss it. A reed that leaks in the middle or top can’t be saved.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to make an oboe reed easier to play?
To make an oboe reed easier to play on, first check the opening. If it looks very open (almost “round” instead of oval), soak the oboe reed and then gently close the tip with your fingers. If the opening looks good, or close it down doesn’t help, the next step is to adjust the oboe reed.
To make the oboe reed easier to play on, test the response and the pitch. If it is crowing a C already, gently scrape the very tip of the reed to help it respond quicker and easier. If the oboe reed is crowing less then a C, use a razor blade to clip off a tiny sliver. Repeat this step until it is crowing a C. Clipping the tip may make the reed a little stuffier. You can scrape the tip a little bit to bring back the response.
How much of the oboe reed should be in your mouth?
Only the very tip of the oboe reed should be in your mouth. The tip of the oboe reed is the thinnest part. It is the easiest part to control without getting fatigued. If you have so much reed in your mouth that the heart of the reed (middle part of the reed), is on your lips, then you have too much reed in your mouth.
The mouth, or embouchure, should wrap around and cover the tip of the reed. If the middle of the reed is in your mouth and the tip is “free” inside the oral cavity, you have too much reed in your mouth.
A good way to check to see if you have too much reed in your mouth is to be careful of tone quality and fatigue. Playing with too much reed in your mouth will cause you to get fatigued quicker, and it will result in a brighter tone.
What to do if oboe reed is too open?
If an oboe reed is too open, soak the reed for 1-2 minutes then gently close the tip with your fingers. You can repeat this process while playing on it for 10-15 sessions until the reed breaks in. In most cases, it will close down as you play on it. However, if you have reed-adjusting skills, you can often close the reed down by scraping on it some more. In particular, scraping down the sides and back will help it collapse. Read this article to learn more about how to close down an open oboe reed.
What pitch should an oboe reed play?
An oboe reed should play (crow) a three-octave concert “C”. If you aren’t getting three octaves of concert C, you may need to adjust the reed. Most often you will be missing the lower octave. This means the reed will play sharp with a stuffy tone. In many cases, scraping a little out of the blend area (between the heart/tip) will get this going. Depending on your reed, you may also need to scrape a little bit out of the heart and/or back. Keep in mind, scraping out of the heart will cause the pitch to drop. You may need to clip the pitch back up to C after doing some scraping adjustments.
