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How Oboe Shaper Width Controls Your Oboe Reed’s Pitch, Opening, and Scrape
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Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:51:29 +0000
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How Oboe Shaper Width Controls Your Reed’s Pitch, Opening, and Scrape
I own a large collection of shaper tips, which has given me a lot of hands-on experience experimenting with different oboe shaper widths.. While I enjoy displaying them in my office, they also serve a practical purpose: I use many of them to help customers explore their preferred shapes when buying shaped cane from my business. When I was in college, I loved wide shapes that could take a lot of air and required significant physical manipulation to play in tune. Today, however, I prefer the stability of a narrow shape. Understanding how these different shapes actually function is critical.
When we find ourselves troubleshooting an oboe reed that sags in pitch, collapses, or feels stuffy, our immediate instinct is usually to reach for the scraping knife. But the structural reality of a reed is determined long before we start scraping.
Oboe shaper width is one of the most fundamental variables we manage at the reed desk. It directly dictates a reed’s natural pitch, tip structure, and exactly where you need to focus your knife work. Understanding how shaper width alters these mechanics allows you to make precise, structural adjustments before your knife ever touches the cane.
1. How Oboe Shaper Width Affects Pitch and Intonation
Shaper width establishes the baseline geometry for pitch and register response:
Narrower Shapes: Historically linked to systems like the French oboe, narrow shapes naturally raise the overall pitch. They offer strong pitch stability and prevent sagging, but if you use a shape that is excessively narrow for your setup, it can choke the reed and dampen its natural resonance.
Wider Shapes: Historically aligned with German-style reed making, wider shapes lower the pitch and create a larger internal volume. However, if a shape is too wide, the reed will develop a chronic tendency to play flat, making the extreme upper register incredibly difficult to speak.
2. Matching Oboe Shaper Width to Gouge Thickness
Shaper width fundamentally changes how your cane utilizes the natural circular arc of the tube:
Wider Shapes: These preserve a wider segment of the tube’s arc. This extra width acts like a stronger spring, naturally creating a robust, open tip. Because the extra width is doing the heavy lifting to keep the reed open, you can pair a wide shape with a gouge that has slightly thinner sides without risking structural collapse.
Narrower Shapes: These utilize a smaller segment of the tube’s arc, resulting in a flatter, smaller tip opening. To keep a narrow reed open, vibrant, and rich in low-register overtones, you must pair a narrow shape with a gouge that possesses heavier sides to provide that missing structural support. (For a deeper dive into these measurements, check out my guide on understanding side thickness).
3. Adapting Your Scraping Focus for Different Shaper Widths
Your shaper tip width completely shifts where you need to concentrate your scrape:
Wider Shapes: Because the wide geometry naturally maintains openness and vibration, you don’t need to thin the sides as aggressively. Instead, you can shift your focus toward thinning and clarifying the tip to maximize response and articulation.
Narrower Shapes: Because the structure is inherently flatter and less open, you must carefully balance the sides and back so the reed speaks freely without choking. Precise knife control is essential here to prevent the tone from becoming shallow or overly bright.
Key Takeaway for the Reed Desk
Before reaching for the gouger or switching shapers entirely, evaluate your setup as a complete ecosystem. Your oboe shaper width, the side thickness of your gouge, and your scraping focus all work together in harmony to determine how your reed performs on the instrument.
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Oboe Reed Gouging: Understanding Side Thickness for Better Reeds
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Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:45:28 +0000
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Oboe Reed Gouging: Understanding Side Thickness for Better Reeds
When we find ourselves troubleshooting an oboe reed that leaks, runs flat, or collapses under pressure, our immediate instinct is usually to reach for the scraping knife. But the structural reality of a reed is determined long before we ever tie cane to a staple. It all begins with proper oboe reed gouging.
Among all the variables we manage at the reed desk, oboe reed gouging and side thickness are critical—and most frequently overlooked. This is especially true for oboists using a double radius gouging machine. While some oboists like the control and variation they get from a double radius oboe gouger, these machines can also introduce a lot of variability in the side thickness of the cane
The sides of your gouge dictate the foundational structure, tip opening, pitch stability, and overall playability of the finished reed. When your center-to-side proportions are off, you are essentially fighting a losing battle against the physics of the cane.
Troubleshooting Oboe Reeds: When Your Gouge is Too Thick or Thin
When adjusting your oboe gouging machine, hitting the correct side-to-center ratio is everything. Straying too far in either direction creates immediate structural issues. Here is why your reeds might be failing at the desk:
Why does my oboe reed play flat? (Sides are too heavy): If the sides of your gouge are too thick, you will almost certainly struggle with air leakage along the rails. Additionally, a reed with excessively thick sides has a strong, chronic tendency to play flat in pitch.
Why does my oboe reed collapse? (Sides are too thin): If the sides are too thin, the finished reed will lack the structural resilience to stay open, causing it to pinch shut and collapse. Furthermore, thin sides place the corners of your tip dangerously close to the hard outer bark of the cane. Instead of scraping the softer, vibrant inner cortex, you will find yourself battling the dense, water-repelling outer layer—making the final stages of the tip incredibly difficult.
How Center-to-Side Balance Affects Pitch and Stability
Even if your overall measurements are close, how that thickness transitions from the center to the sides is just as important as the numbers themselves.
Asymmetry makes it nearly impossible to achieve a symmetrical opening at the tip. If the sides are uneven, scraping the reed evenly from side to side becomes an uphill climb, directly compromising the evenness of the vibrations.
To prevent this, the center of your gouge must possess enough strength to balance the sides. If this balance is incorrect, the sides of the reed can easily pull apart as the cane dries out, resulting in “loose sides”—one of the most common causes of structural failure. To ensure a smooth, stable response, avoid any sudden drop-offs in thickness. A gradual, seamless transition from the centerline to the sides is essential for oboe pitch stability.
Adjusting Your Gouge for Shaper Tips and Climate
Because the gouge establishes the foundation of the reed, your measurements shouldn’t be entirely static.
Matching Your Shaper Tip: The gouge must balance your chosen shaper. As a general rule, the narrower the shaper tip, the heavier the sides of the gouge need to be to maintain a healthy opening. Wider shaper tips naturally allow you to use a gouge with thinner sides.
Adjusting for Winter Climates: Humidity dictates how cane behaves. In dry winter climates, building more strength into the reed by utilizing a gouge with slightly heavier sides helps the tip maintain a proper opening and keeps the cane vibrating freely in dry air.
What is the Ideal Oboe Gouge Thickness?
To keep your oboe reeds stable and vibrant, standard manuals generally recommend aiming for the following proportions:
Measurement Area
Ideal Thickness
Centerline
0.58 mm – 0.60 mm
Sides
0.45 mm – 0.50 mm
Center-to-Side Difference
0.10 mm – 0.15 mm
For most setups, a centerline of 0.60 mm and side measurements of 0.45 mm (a clean 0.15 mm difference) serves as an incredibly reliable, safe baseline.
The next time you are sitting down for a tying session, take a moment to run a micrometer down the sides of your gouged cane. Tuning this balance at your gouging machine can save you hours of frustration with the knife.
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Oboe Reed Scraping for Beginners: A Three-Line Method
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Mon, 08 Jun 2026 20:59:56 +0000
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Oboe Reed Scraping for Beginners: A Three-Line Method
Learning to scrape an oboe reed is often the most intimidating part of becoming an oboist. Many students struggle with knowing where to remove cane and how deep to go. By visualizing the blank reed as a series of distinct, proportional sections, you can move away from guesswork and start building a professional-grade oboe reed with confidence.
Find more about tying oboe reed blanks here
The Oboe Reed Architecture: A Simple Map
While every cane is unique, you can use these three visual markers to maintain the correct proportions for a responsive reed:
Line 1 (Bottom of the Heart): Place this halfway between the thread and the tip. This serves as the foundation for your heart scrape.
Line 2 (Back of the Blend): Mark this halfway between Line 1 and the tip. This defines the back of your blend area.
Line 3 (The Tip Area): Place this between Line 2 and the tip. This is where your thinnest cane will reside.
The Key to Resonance: The Progressive Taper
The golden rule of oboe reed-making is the taper: your reed must be the thinnest at the very tip and become progressively thicker as you move toward the heart. Mastering this gradient is the most important skill for achieving consistent vibration and tone.
Step-by-Step Scraping Workflow
Follow these stages to build your blank systematically:
Define the Tip: Start by scraping back to Line 3. Ensure you remove the bark (epidermis) and the milky-colored cortical parenchyma layer.
Define the Blend: Once the tip is clear, extend your scrape to Line 2. Remember to carry your strokes all the way off the tip of the blank—never stop in the middle of a stroke.
Define the Heart: Finally, lengthen your scrape up to Line 1. Maintaining a smooth transition here is vital for a responsive reed.
Pro-Tip for Better Reeds
Allow your cane to rest. I strongly advise letting your reed dry completely after these initial steps. Returning to your reed a day or two later allows the internal stresses of the cane to stabilize, which leads to a more stable, longer-lasting, and better-playing instrument.
Learn how to tie an oboe reed blank
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The Art of the Perfect Wrap: A Step-by-Step Guide to Tying Oboe Reeds
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Sun, 07 Jun 2026 23:53:02 +0000
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The Art of the Perfect Wrap: A Step-by-Step Guide to Tying Oboe Reeds
For every oboe player, the journey from musician to craftsman begins at the tying block. Tying—or binding—your own reeds can feel incredibly daunting at first. You are managing wet cane, high-tension nylon thread, a brass staple, and a mandrel, all while trying to maintain precision down to the millimeter.
If you’ve ever wound up with a pile of split cane or a reed that leaks like a sieve, you aren’t alone. The secret to mastering this process isn’t just manual dexterity; it’s understanding the mechanical relationship between the cane and the brass tube.
Here is a comprehensive, easy-to-follow breakdown perfect for keeping open on your workbench.
Phase 1: Preparation & Setup
Before you touch a spool of thread, your materials need to be perfectly prepped. Shortcuts here will ruin the reed before you even begin wrapping.
Soak the Cane: Immerse your gouged, shaped, and folded cane in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes. If it’s too dry, it will split down the center the moment you apply thread pressure. If it’s over-soaked, it becomes mushy and won’t hold its structural memory.
Prepare the Thread: Ensure your nylon thread is unspooled slightly and anchored securely to your tying table or peg. You need enough resistance to pull against to create maximum tension.
The Mandrel Handle: Place your brass staple securely onto the mandrel. This isn’t just a placeholder; the mandrel acts as your handle, giving you the leverage needed to handle the high tension of the wrap.
Phase 2: The Step-by-Step Guide
1. Mount and Fold
Take your soaked cane and fold it precisely over your thumb or a folding knife. Slip the bottom tabs of the cane over the top of the brass staple. Slide the staple onto your mandrel so you have a solid, steady grip.
2. Align and Measure
This is where patience pays off. Look down the sides of the reed to make sure the two blades are perfectly parallel and aligned—this prevents “slippage” where one blade shifts left or right. Use a ruler to set your total starting length. For standard staples, you are aiming for a total length of 72mm to 73mm from the very bottom of the cork to the tip of the cane.
3. The Anchor Wrap
Hold the cane firmly against the staple with your non-dominant hand. Take your thread and wrap it around the cane just below the top of the staple. Make a simple crossover knot to anchor it. Keep a firm grip on the thread to maintain high tension from this moment forward.
4. The Critical Ascent
Begin wrapping upward toward the ears of the cane, keeping each rotation of the thread perfectly flush against the last.
The Golden Rule: You must stop wrapping exactly at the top edge of the internal brass staple.
If you tie even a hair past the brass, you will “choke” the reed, sealing the sides together and ruining its opening. If you tie too low, the reed will leak air from the sides, and it won’t speak properly in the low register. Finding this exact boundary line is the hallmark of a great reed maker.
5. Lock and Cast Off
Once you hit that sweet spot at the top of the brass, reverse direction. Wrap back down over your initial threads to lock them in place. Finish the reed with three or four half-hitch knots (casting off) at the base of the cane to secure it completely. Trim the excess thread cleanly with a sharp knife or razor.
Pro-Tips for Troubleshooting
Watch the Opening: If you notice the cane opening is dropping flat or closing up as you tie, your tension might be uneven, or your cane wasn’t centered on the staple.
The Leak Test: Before you even think about scraping, seal the bottom of the staple with your finger and suck the air out of the reed tip. If it holds a vacuum and “pops” when you let go, you’ve got a perfect, airtight seal. If it doesn’t hold air, the thread didn’t cover the overlap correctly
Learn how to begin scraping oboe reeds in the next post
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Reed Knife Sharpening, A Guide For Reed Makers
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Fri, 15 Oct 2021 15:38:16 +0000
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I am very grateful to be able to share this incredibly helpful sharpening guide with website visitors. Thank you to Daryl Caswell for writing this amazing little reed knife sharpening guide, the oboe community really appreciates you for sharing your great knowledge of sharpening with us. I am especially fortunate to have been given permission by Daryl Caswell and Barbara Schneider to scan and post a PDF version of this book. I hope that you find this manual as helpful and enlightening as I did when I first stumbled upon it years ago.
Printed copies of the book are available through ALakotareeds.com by following this link.
Buy Landwell Reed Knives here
1. Introduction
This guide provides an analytical, scientific approach to sharpening reed knives. By understanding the metallurgy of your knife and the physics of the scraping process, you can adapt your sharpening technique to different cane qualities, humidity levels, and stages of reed making.
2. Key Sharpening Concepts
Understanding these fundamental terms is crucial for successful sharpening:
* Rake Angle: The angle at which the scraping burr cuts into the reed.
* Chip Thickness: The amount of cane removed per stroke.
* Scraping Force: The downward and horizontal pressure applied to the knife.
* Lift Angle: The angle at which the spine of the knife is raised from the stone.
* Burr Root Thickness: The thickness at the base of the burr, which determines burr strength and flexibility.
3. The Sharpening Process (Double Hollow Ground)
Step
Purpose
Tool
1
Set the first angle (for completely dull knives)
Fine diamond stone
2
Form a rough burr
Fine diamond stone
3
Smooth the burr
Fine India oil stone
4
Stiffen the burr
Fine India oil stone
5-6
Remove/Refine the burr
Fine India oil stone
7-8
Set the scraping profile
Fine India oil stone
9
Final cleaning stroke
Fine India oil stone
4. Troubleshooting
Problem
Likely Cause
Suggested Solution
Burr crumbles
Burr breaks instead of bending (root too thick)
Reduce root thickness by grinding on a diamond stone
Edge skates/chatters
Improper rake angle
Repeat refinement steps with lighter pressure
Edge wears quickly
Root thickness too small
Wear edge down, then restart sharpening process
Landwell reed knife sharpening guide copy
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Review of the Fox-Laubin oboe
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Wed, 26 Oct 2016 17:49:53 +0000
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Two Great American Oboe Makers Into One; A Review Of The New Fox-Laubin Professional Oboe
I recently had the opportunity to try a couple of the new Fox-Laubin oboes. I have been wondering about these instruments since I saw the release on the Fox website months ago. Being a long-time fan of everything Laubin since I was twelve years old, I wanted to get my hands on one of these new oboes. My first teacher played on Laubin oboes and I knew the name from an early age. They have always been the gold standard of oboe within my mind and for good reason.
I have a long and wonderful relationship with Fox products as well. I grew up playing a Fox Renard 330 intermediate oboe from the time I was 14 until well into my third year of college. The 330 is the best intermediate oboe on the market in my opinion. Whenever I am asked by band directors or students what they should purchase I without hesitation advise them to purchase Fox 330s. They sound good, have a good scale, are very durable and hold a very high resale value.
I am a total “gearhead” when it comes to oboe related products. When presented with the question “What would you do if you were rich” my answer is, exactly what I do now, but I would have hundreds of oboes and reed making machines, ohh and I would probably buy a new car. I love trying new toys and I like to see what new developments are happening in the oboe world in terms of instrument design or reed making tools. When two of the great U.S oboe makers came together in collaboration I knew I wanted to see and hear what was happening.
I was very excited to hear that two of the companies with the greatest influence on my oboe education were going to collaborate on a project together. I wanted to know a bit more about this instrument, and I wanted to try the Fox-Laubin oboe myself. I reached out to Fox in an attempt to have them send me an instrument to try and review. Sarah at Fox and Alex Laubin worked with me to try the oboes and share my thoughts with the oboe community. I am grateful for the generosity of time and resources provided by both companies.
An introduction to Laubin and Fox oboes
I am sure most oboists will be familiar with both Laubin and Fox. They have both been making high quality products for the better part of a century. For anyone new to either maker let me share a little history and my thoughts about the individual makers.
A.Laubin Inc
“The story of A. Laubin, Inc. began in 1931 when Alfred Laubin, a professional oboist and instrument repairman, dissatisfied with the quality of professional oboes available at the time, built his first oboe. After several attempts, Mr. Laubin was able to make an oboe which met the demands of his own playing career.
A painting of Al Laubin at work.
The intonation and reliability of his instruments impressed his professional oboist friends, many of whom began requesting and playing his oboes.
By the 1950’s, oboe-making had become a full-time occupation, and more musicians had the opportunity to own Laubin instruments. Around 1956, Alfred’s eldest son Paul joined the business, doing repair work and eventually learning every aspect of oboe-making before taking over the business when Alfred died in 1976.” (taken from )
The two most important oboe makers in the united states historically are Loree and Laubin. Loree became the choice instrument for many oboists due to the influence of Marcel Tabuteau. He brought the American school of oboe playing to the United states and along with it the Loree oboe. Loree was prominent within most professional orchestras until Laubin started making oboes to compete with the French maker. I have heard and read on several occasions that until recently (1990’s or so) it was said that 80% of American players used Loree instruments, and the 15% played on Laubin oboes . Laubin’s smaller market share being limited to their output of only a few instruments being produced every year.
I currently play a rosewood Laubin made in 1985. The instrument I play is actually the first oboe I ever heard played in live performance. It was my teacher, Tamara Field’s instrument, she gave it to me as a gift several years ago. “Rosie” as it has been named, was the instrument that brought a tear to my eye and made me understand that I was going to be an oboist.
The Laubin oboes I have tried over the years have a certain difficult to describe characteristic within the sound. The sound is complex and resonant within the whole overtone spectrum. To my ears I describe the quality like this; Laubin oboes do not filter overtones out of the sound, which I find to be the case with some other makers, which I feel leaves a stuffy feel and sound. The Laubin oboes I have tried seem to resonate within the core and center of the sound not filtering out undesired sound but amplifying the desired sounds. The oboe unifies the whole overtone spectrum within the sound into one homogeneous sound. The sound has more dimensions to it than simply “dark” or “bright” two terms I attempt to avoid when I describe sound. Where I would describe some sounds to be flat or two-dimensional in terms of depth of sound, Laubin oboes always seem to have a third dimension in the sound that is difficult to describe in words. This is an ill-articulated description of my own perception of the sound I hear, every oboist may hear and describe it differently.
Sound and Perception Ramble I recently came across a book which describes the painting techniques of Leonardo Da Vinci. He was able to produce images with great depth and life-like qualities, unlike any other painter before him. He succeeded in this by layering many very thin sheets of color which varied in pigment, one on top of another. This layering created a shimmering effect in the paints that brought spirit into the work.
When I came across this information my mind went to sound and music and I began drawing comparisons between the layers of thin color and sound quality. I often describe the overtones within a tone as “the sound within the sound” to my students. They are the layers within the sound , like the thin layers of paint one on top of another. Dependant on how these layers are placed the artist can create different effects. My own taste in tone wants to hear a sound that is made up of many different layers to create a complex and rich sound. To me, this richness brings more life to the sound and music.
Like a painter, we oboists must discover our own styles to bring life into what we do. I perceive some oboes create a sound which is flat, like one color mixed and spread onto the canvas. The color itself may be gorgeous to look at on a wall but does not bring life into a work of art.
The sound quality is not only about the presence of overtones within the sound, but how those overtones blend together within the sound. Some oboes have a very complex and rich sound but the overtones all sound like separate entities to my ears when I play the instrument. I would describe it as too much distance between the different overtones. For me it decreases the dolce quality within the sound and limits my feeling of expression. When I try different oboes I am attracted to an instrument that produces a sound that is rich in many thin layers and not a solid color. This is a matter of taste and perception and not advice or a rule so much as sharing my own preferences. This may give an idea of how I am evaluating the Fox-Laubin oboes.
The other characteristic I have always admired in Laubin oboes is the is not just the sound and even scale, but the connection between notes. How fluidly an instrument connects one note to the next, is a quality I always listen for whenever I am trying any oboe. I find Laubin oboes have a very fluid connection from one note to the next. I understand this quality has a lot to do with with the undercutting of the tone-holes and bore design in the production of the instruments.
Fox Products
“Fox Products Corporation is an American manufacturer of bassoons, contrabassoons, oboes and English horns. The founder of the company, Hugo Fox, was an American bassoonist. In his time as principal bassoon of the Chicago Symphony (1922-49), he conceptualized the possibility of world-class bassoons made in the United States. During the summer after his retirement in 1949, Mr. Fox returned to his hometown of South Whitley, Indiana, where he opened shop in pursuit of this goal. After two years of arduous tuning and acoustical work, he finished the first Fox bassoon in 1951
In the 1960s Hugo’s son, Alan, began to learn the art of instrument manufacturing. Alan led Fox Products Corporation for more than fifty years and oversaw developments in both the company’s acoustical and manufacturing capabilities. In the years since its initial offering of bassoons, Fox Products has developed a contrabassoon (1970), a complete line of oboes (1974) and English horns (1999)”. (Taken from the Fox Website )
I will admit that I have not played on too many professional Fox oboes. I did try the new Sayen professional oboe a couple years ago and I was very happy with the quality. I found them to have a rich sound, be very comfortable in the hands, and visually appealing with their gold posts. I was trying them at the University of Massachusetts double reed day, so I did not have a chance to give them the full run down. I recently had a short conversation with Pedro Diaz about the Sayen oboe and he said “ The tone is robust, even, the scale is easy. It has just the right amount of resistance for me.”
The Fox-Laubin oboe
I took a trip to the Laubin shop recently with Basil Reeve and had an opportunity to talk about the Fox-Laubin oboes with Paul and Alex Laubin. Alex told me a little about the collaboration between the two makers. The initial woodwork and keywork are done by Fox. The Oboes sent to Laubin have a smaller bore than a finished oboe . The instruments have the tradition cork and skin pads that all Laubin oboes are made with. Unlike the standard Laubin oboes, the Fox-Laubin has a third octave key, a feature many oboists have come to expect from elite level instruments.
Laubin then finishes the bore and tone holes with their tools and machines, a process that takes many hours of precise work. The result is an instrument that feels and looks like a professional Fox oboe, but has a sound and playing quality more similar to the Laubin oboe.
There were not any finished Fox-Laubin oboes at the Laubin shop when I visited , but Alex kindly agreed to send me a couple upon completion in a few weeks. 6 weeks later I would receive the instruments for trial.
Arrival of the Fox-Laubin oboes
I heard the knock on my door, signaling the arrival of my new toys for the next week. I order and receive supplies for my reed making business nearly every day, but I still get excited opening those packages up and pulling out the contents. I sometimes joke that the only reason I make oboe reeds professionally is to support my oboe reed making habit. Sometimes I feel as though I play the oboe to support my oboe reed making habit, I am not sure my priorities are straight. I was looking forward to receiving this package from Laubin all day and I quickly skipped into my home and opened it up.
I pulled the two cases out from the sea of packing peanuts and examined the sleek french style cases. I have seen the Fox-Laubin logo several times up to this point, but it still surprises me to see the two companies marked as one on the case cover. There is a fresh turkey feather nestled between the case and case cover, a tool Paul Laubin swears by in the cleaning of oboes.
I open the cases to see a couple shiny brand new oboes in front of me. The fresh silver keywork against an ebony and red back drop is a beautiful sight to my eyes. I can’t help but think “ahhh pretty”. I had a few colleagues over to try the oboes over the next week and their reactions were similar. What is it about those new, untouched keys that are so visually appealing, Something lodged within our psyches saying “shiny is goooood”.
The oboes rise from their slumber to play a few minutes of long tones before I need to leave to teach a lesson. I bring one of the oboes with me. I arrive at my student’s house and rush inside to have him try my new toy. I explain why I have the instrument and let him try it. He plays a few notes and expresses that he likes it. I sit and listen for a couple minutes and get a sense of the resonance as an observer.
This student is an advanced high schooler and he currently plays on a Fox 330. He plays beautifully on that instrument. We talk a bit about the instrument and compare it to his oboe. He expressed that it feels very similar to his ergonomically, but is heavier due to the grenadilla wood body. I try both oboes and agree that that do feel very similar, which I would have expected since the keywork is made by the same maker. I find both oboes to be very comfortable to play ergonomically. There is not too much reach for the pinkies, a characteristic that can vary a lot between different oboes.
The student asks about the third octave key, and I explain that it is an option that is standard on most professional oboes and is expected by many oboists .The recent Fox Renard 330 oboes also include a third octave key but his does not. I explain to him that Laubin does not usually install a third octave key due to the impact it has on the bore of the instrument, but in this collaborative effort they agreed to include it since it is something many oboists expect. I pry the oboe from his hands, we finish the lesson and I return home
I play the other instrument at home and leave them both for the next day. Over the next week I play both instruments for small amounts of time each day, listening and evaluating them against my own taste, but also what I might expect from the two makers.
I also made a few reeds for each instrument, trying to figure out what type of oboe reed works best for these specific instruments. I sent these along with the instruments when I returned them, so you may receive one of these reeds with your trial of the instruments from Laubin. ( oboe reeds available at ALakotareeds.com)
My Evaluation of the Fox-Laubin oboes I received.
Tone-
The tone of both instruments was very rich, complex and beautiful. I would describe them to have the quality of depth in the sound I hear within the other Laubin oboes I have tried. Neither of the Fox-Laubin oboes I tried felt stuffy or had a “dead” sound. The sound was even and balanced within all octaves. I thought the overtones blended nicely allowing a lot of flexibility in tone color.
Pitch-
Both instruments played right at pitch for the reeds I use on my Laubin and Loree oboes. I did not need to adjust my reeds for the overall pitch of the instruments.
Scale-
When I first received and tried the instruments there were a few notes that did not seem to “lock in” in terms of the scale with my reeds. The scale observations are to be expected to some extent with any variation in oboe and reed. Over the week I made a few different reeds for the instruments and I was able to find a solution with just reeds. The reeds I settled on were a bit thinner on the side integration of the tip to heart with slightly less taken from just behind the heart an area I like to really dig out for depth of tone. This is a reference to my own reed making so your results may vary. There are likely as many ways to a similar outcome as there are oboists.
As I reflect on the oboes and how they felt I think I would try using a shape with slightly narrower throat and more flare at the tip. A Pfieffer/Mack shape comes to mind… don’t mind me, I am thinking out loud.. well in text.
Body and Keywork
The keywork is very comfortable. I would describe it as having a slightly lower profile than Laubin oboes, meaning the keys feel slightly closer to the body of the instrument. This a professional level oboe with all trill, third octave and alternate keywork (no left C# just in case you were wondering). The Grenadilla wood was very smooth and tightly grained.
Connection of notes
I had no problem phrasing from one note to the next with either oboe. The oboes allowed subtlety of phrasing and smooth core sound connection between notes. The low profile keywork adds a great feeling of connection with the sound for me. Smooth fingers and keys equal smooth sound within my mind.
I have my theories that this quality has to do with the undercutting of the tone holes bore design and the skin pads. I feel the skin pads may offer slightly more cushion in contact which transfers into the sound quality. I am hypothesizing here and may be outrageously wrong. I am interested in experimenting on my Loree oboe (blasphemy?!?)
Overall impression
I think these oboes are worth a look for anyone in the market for a new professional level oboe. They are expertly made inside and out. With a price tag under $7000 they are slightly more affordable than some other makes of professional level oboes.
Laubin oboes currently have an 8-10 year wait and cost over $12,000 each. I have been on the list for a few years now and am currently looking for a buyer for one of my kidneys on the black market for the time when my name finally comes up. Private message me if you are interested in a slightly used organ. (This is a joke please do not message me about black market organ sales).
These instruments will provide a great upgrade to any student playing on the intermediate Fox Renard instruments. They feel very similar ergonomically and will provide a very smooth transition.
These oboes are available in limited quantities through Laubin and Fox Dealers. Please find more information on the website links provided.
If you have tried the new Fox-Laubin oboes and care to share your own impressions please feel free to do so in the comment section below. Also feel free to share your thoughts on the other Laubin and Fox products you have tried if you feel so inclined. I am always interested to hear everyone else’s thoughts and opinions. Happy oboe-ing.
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An Introduction To Breath Support For Oboists.
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Sun, 18 Sep 2016 17:07:28 +0000
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What is breath support/Air support?
Recently, I had a brief interaction with a young oboist on the IDRS Facebook page about feeling discomfort while playing the oboe. The conversation went into the topic of breath support and how to breathe properly into the oboe. I spend a lot of time thinking about this topic since it has been a rather tough lesson for me to learn. I work very hard to find proper breathing and support strategies. I attribute improper breathing and air support to a lot of the challenges I had early on in my playing. it is something that must be felt to understand. It is one of those concepts that a teacher may try to explain for years, but the student will not understand until they find the correct sensation. Perhaps I am projecting my own difficulties onto others, and this is not such a challenge for other oboists. I hope the oboists struggling with support and tension might find my perspective helpful.
The oboe has been described as “the ill winded instrument that no one blows well.” I take this to refer to the somewhat counter-intuitive process of supporting without overblowing. I find it helpful to separate the concept of breath support from the air itself. The support controls the air but it is not the air. The support is the bodily sensations and muscles that pressurize the air within the system. I like to relate breath support and air to an air compressor. The body system is not so different than an air compressor in function. The compressor pressurizes the air to a certain level within the air tank and it is released through a small valve. The oboe player pressurizes the air similarly with their body and the air is released through a small valve, the lips, and the oboe reed.
Each system must pressurize the internal environment to a certain level to function optimally. The oboist must use their muscles to pressurize the air to the needed level. The support is the system within the body that creates the pressure. The air is affected by the support, however, I feel the two can and should be separated conceptually. Another way to say this is “you can still support even if you are not pushing air”. Find the sensation of support and the air will flow better.
A visual and mental representation of breath support I like to use is a hand squeezing a balloon ( courtesy of my mentor Fredric Cohen). Imagine a balloon is inflated but not tied. When the nozzle of the balloon is released the air will move out of it at a certain speed. When the hand is placed on the bottom of the balloon and gently squeezes the air pressure within the balloon increases and causes the air to escape at a faster speed. Supporting can be compared to the