I’ve seen many oboists use this when they scrape their reeds, and I have never given it a shot until now. What is it? Try using a pipe cleaner in the reed when you scrape the back. It holds the reed open just enough, and gives a bit of extra support in the back so you don’t loose the form of the reed and take too much out of the spine.
To try it, just insert the pipe cleaner into the bottom of the tube. Push it up until it almost reaches the tip. Don’t go any higher or else you can damage the tip area. Scrape normally and see if the back has a bit more strength in it.
Give it a shot, it might work.
If you have a neat tip or trick, send it to me and I can put it in the next newsletter. There are very few absolutes with reed making and experimentation is sometimes the best way to learn!
