Oboe Reed Style

The reed scrape that I use for the oboe, oboe d’Amore and English horn is best described as an American style and has a long “W” scrape with a strong line of bark along the center of the blade, a modified “V” shape tip, ample heart and well defined windows, slight overlap (slip) of the blades to the right and a strength of medium to medium hard (*examples below).  Helpful resources recommended on making reeds are “The Oboe Reed Book” by Jay Light, "Making oboe Reeds" by Joseph Shalita, and "The Art of Oboe Playing" by Robert Sprenkle and David Ledet.

It is a wise strategy to always have spares finished or partially finished blanks ready to scrape. If you are in a pinch for time to make reeds, have run out, need back-ip reeds, etc. the reliable sources I use are The Colorado Reed Co. www.coloradoreedcompany.com and the Charles Double Reed Co. www.charlesmusic.com. If the reeds are not right for you, replacement is guaranteed. These reeds closely match with the scrape and medium strength of my own.