Oboe Reeds

Many woodwind instruments require the use of a reed, such as oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone. However, oboe reeds are far different than any of these other types. It is most similar to a bassoon reed because they are both classified as double reeds, but they are still not that much alike.

Oboe is a double reed instrument. This means that instead of just having one sliver of wood vibrating against a mouthpiece to make sound, there are two slivers of wood that are pressed up against each other. These two pieces of wood are made out of cane. Sound is produced when air pressure is applied to make these two pieces of wood vibrate against each other. The two pieces of can are held together by wrapping them with string around a tube that is connected to a piece of cork. The two pieces of cane are held together around the tube very carefully while they are wrapped and tied off with the string. The piece of cork on the end is then inserted into the top of the oboe and it is ready to be played.

There are three main parts of an oboe reed: the tip, the heart, and the back. The tip controls the vibration and response of the reed. The heart provides stability and control for the sound. Finally, the back controls the tone and sound the oboe produces. These three parts are very distinguished and the place to go when something is not working right. There are also more, less known parts that you can go to work on when something is not right, also. The rails are the parts on the very end of the sides of the reed that provide support and hold the two pieces of cane together. In the middle of the reed on both sides there is a thin layer of bark that is thicker than the rest. This is the spine. The spine also provides support and stability for the reed.

The reed is one of, if not the most, important parts of the oboe. Without it, there is no way to produce a sound. It controls the pitch, tone, volume, and many other things. The reed is very complex and difficult to understand, but I hope I made it a bit easier!