UBC Wiki:PHYS341/2021

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Introduction

Oboes reeds are double reeds used to produce sound on the oboe, a wind instrument. Oboe reeds can be purchased in many music stores, such as Long and McQuade, however, the majority of double-reed musicians create their own reeds (1). This is because the tone and timbre of the oboe can change dramatically depending on the characteristics of the reed someone is playing. Some common ways that oboe reeds can be varied are in thickness, length of the cane, string tying height, and quality of the cane.

For my Phys 341 project I have decided to make 4 different oboe reeds. I will play each one and record it using the platform Audacity. I want to see how the different reeds change the sound waves and spectrum graphs.

Composition

An oboe reed staple

A reed is made up of 3 components: The staple (the tube and cork of the reed), the cane (which is thoughtfully scraped and thinned), and thread. Sometimes reed makers will use a wire to help close the reed.

Tying the Reed

This oboe reed has been tied but not clipped. Once it is clipped the sides will be able to close and there will be two blades (hence "double"-reed)

The first step of reed-making is tying the cane onto the staple. The thread must be wrapped around the staple and the cane very tightly so that the player cannot move the thread with their fingers. The reed-maker must be careful to not wrap the thread above the point where the stable ends. This will negatively affect the sound quality.

Scraping

Once the cane has been securely tied onto the staple the reed-maker will cut the very tip off the reed so that the reed has two separate sides, and begin to scrape the cane. The cane the most important parts of the cane are the tip, the heart, the back. The reed-maker must scrape the reed so that each of these areas is distinct. The tip must be the thinnest area on the cane. The heart right underneath the tip (at approximately 66mm from the bottom of the staple) and is the thickest area of the cane. The back is located underneath the heart at approximately 61mm from the bottom of the staple and is thinner than the heart but thicker than the tip. The thickness of each area will not be the same for each reed, instead, reed-makers decide how thin or thick an area on their reed will be based on the sound quality they wish to achieve.

Each of the main areas on the cane (the tip, the heart, and the back) have different functions. The function of the tip is the response of the reed. The primarily functions of the heart is pitch and stability. And the primary function of the back is flexibility and tone colour. (Reed Making From Start to Finish 54). Other components of the cane include the rails (sides of the cane) and the spine (the middle of the cane and generally thicker than the sides).

Length

Sometimes reed-makers will cut the tip of the reed and make it shorter. This will be discussed in the next section.

The Finished Product?

In this photo, I am tying the cane onto the staple. The thread must be held very tightly to ensure a secure tie.

A reed-maker decides a reed is finished when the reed plays how they want it to. Sometimes oboists prefer a reed that has a harsher sound, while other times they prefer a reed with a softer sound. Oboists may also choose to “play-in” a reed that is slightly too loud, open, or resistant (2). The pressure the oboist puts on the reed while “playing-it-in” will help the reed to close.

How Reeds Are Differentiated and the Effects

Length

Most finished reeds are approximately 70mm in length (from the bottom of the staple to the tip of the cane). However, reeds can be shorter or longer. If they choose to make their reed shorter, reed-makers will clip one or both of the blades. Clipping is done with a rasor blade and only very small clips are made as even shortening the reed a little bit can make a huge difference in the sound. Generally, a shortening a reed will result in a higher (slightly sharp) pitch (3).

Some reed-makers will make one of the reed blades marginally shorter than the other. Shortening one reed blade but not the other will result in a more mellow sound. Reed-makers may choose to do this if the reed is more “blarry” than they would like. If the reed is too mellow the reed-maker will clip the blades more evenly.

Blended vs Distinct Components

If the tip, heart, and back are more blended (meaning each section is not overly distinct) then the reed is likely to be … continue this

How Open A Reed Is

A reed with a larger opening will be louder and in some cases, harder to play. If an oboist feels as though the reed is too open they may gently squeeze it with their fingers to make the opening smaller.

My Project

For my physics project I will be playing my oboe with 4 different reeds. I will examine the ways each reed changes the ease of playing, sound quality, tone, timbre, and pitch using my experience as an oboe player and Audacity. Using Audacity I will look at what the time and spectrum graphs look like for each reed.

On each reed I did the fingering for the F above middle C.

F on a treble clef
The main components of the cane

Reed #1 Tall Purple Reed

This reed is 73mm long. The heart and the back are more blended. The corner is chipped. I like playing with this reed. The tone it produces is mellow but still enjoyable.


Reed #2 Short Purple Reed

This reed is 67mm long. The tip is well defined. It is more open than my other reeds. It is harder to play. I'm not a fan of this reed as I find the sound it produces is harsh and 'blasty'.

Phys Project Reed -2 F.png

The above time graph seems noticeably different than the other time graphs. It's most jagged and looks less smooth.

Reed #3 Blue Reed

This reed is 68.5mm long. It has a very well defined tip. Its opening is small. I find it often plays flat.

Phys Project Reed -3 - F.png

This time graph also seems like a mix between the time graphs of reed #1 and reed#2. Some of the points are smooth while others are jagged.