Finished Photos

Here are some pictures of finished reeds that have been tied, scraped, and tested but can still be adjusted. As Julia mentioned before, test the reed on your oboe to see where it needs adjustments- it helps to play octaves to see if they are in tune. If the reed is too hard, consider taking more off the back. Also, make sure that the reed looks the same on both sides- everything should look identical or at the least very similar. 

-Julia & Olivia

Finishing Your Reed!

Once you have scraped till the the tip of your reed is able to vibrate and you can hear a crow on your reed, it's time for the moment of truth: testing the reed.  Get out your oboe and let the reed soak for about 2 minutes in room temperature water (if it has dried out).  Place the reed in your oboe and simply play a scale, or whatever you wish to warm up and test the reed.  Make sure you have a tuner with you.  If the reed is too sharp, go ahead and keep scraping on it.  Be careful not to take off too much however.  If the reed is too flat, cut off a minuscule amount from the tip.  If you find yourself cutting off more than 1/4 of an inch off the tip, chances are it won't get any better and you will most likely have to play on a new reed.

A Completed Oboe Reed

I hope that all of your reeds play well and in tune :)

Good luck with all of your oboe endeavors,

Julia