The Reed Really Matters: The Implications of Reed Making for Helping High School Students Learn to Play the Oboe

Abstract

This research study examines oboe reed making and analyzes its ability to aid high school students in playing the oboe. I used qualitative research methods to collect descriptive data on the reeds I made, make observations of the high school students playing on those reeds, and transcribe students’ observation of their sound. I surveyed existing reed making literature from oboe scholars and used this to help analyze my findings. I have concluded that, though there is no one correct method for making reeds, high school oboists tend to favor reeds in which the blend area and other transition areas of the reed between its main sections of the tip, heart, and window are well developed. This creates a reed that has ease in producing sound without being too easy, and therefore, flat to play on.