MKL Reeds

=================================================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 53*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday 10:55 a.m.
The northwest corner of Chicago

This is my last letter to you from Chicago.

By the time next week rolls around, I will be writing from a much
quieter, less crowded little nook in Indiana — a little town
where they don’t even lock their car doors or their house doors.

It will be a fun adjustment for a city girl like me. (And yes, I
will lock my doors

Oh, and before I forget…

Be sure to take note of our new mailing address. This is
effective as of Wednesday…

Here it is:

MKL Reeds
314 S Park Ave
Batesville, IN 47006
(866) 220-9811

Gotta go pack up the kids’ room, so let’s get to the good
stuff…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your last chance to get a F*R*E*E handmade oboe reed expires this
Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., Chicago time.

After that, we’re packing up our shop for the Big Move to
Indiana, and the “Back to School” Package will disappear…

Plus… we’ve got a big announcement coming in September and we
need to get to work to finish up the details on that.

So here’s how to get your F*R*E*E oboe reed – IF you order by
this Tuesday at midnight, Chicago time:

Just order the MKL Reeds “Back To School” Package and instead of
opening up the box to find the 3 oboe reeds you ordered, you’ll
find 4.

Here’s everything you’ll get:

-3 Regular or Professional Oboe Reeds
-2 Back To School Surprises
-An EXTRA Oboe Reed… on our dime, for a total of 4 Oboe Reeds

Plus…

Get everything packed in a mini-zippered bag…

For only $96.00 + SH!

Here’s where you can get it, but ONLY ’til Tuesday…

http://nexternal.com/mklreeds/Product38

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Play a reed that SUPPORTS your sound. Sounding great on the oboe
is about creating a happy marriage between you and your reed.

Both of you have to have qualities that support one another. If
you dominate the reed or it dominates you, the going will be
rough.

You might think that playing an easy reed is great, but it can
actually make your life harder if it doesn’t support your sound
correctly.

Of course, playing a reed that is too difficult will make you
feel like your head is going to explode.

How will you know when you’ve found the right one?

Your sound will be stable, and you will feel the resistance of
the reed without it being too hard to play.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Geoffrey Stein!

The German phrase used by Mahler in many of his scores
that means “bells up” is “Schallrichter auf!”

Geoffrey, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

Here’s this week’s question:

Imagine this scenario… You are playing in a symphony concert
when all of a sudden you notice your playing is going flat. You
notice your reed feels a bit unstable.

What is most likely happening to cause this?

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

Continue Reading

=================================================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 51*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday 10:53 AM
The HOTTEST Corner of Chicago

It’s hard to believe that the new school year is just around the
corner. I know that I think that every year, but it really seems
like time is speeding up.

Now if you’ve seen the news, you know that the heat wave in
Chicago is STILL raging on. The only one who seems to love it is
my little dog Emma.

She is part Saluki, a.k.a. “The Royal Dog of Egypt.” Salukis are
an old breed often found buried with the pharaohs in Egyptian
tombs.

She obviously knows about her heritage, because she acts like she
is some sort of royalty. Her “private” chair in our living room
is just one example.

At any rate, she deals with this heat a lot better than I do.

So if you call and she picks up, don’t be surprised… I have
trouble thinking straight once the temperature gets over 98
degrees.

Now let’s get to the good stuff…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only a few weeks until S-C-H-O-O-L TIME!

Are you ready?

Order the MKL Reeds Back To School Package and make sure your
oboe reeds are ready for the new year.

Here’s what you get:

-3 Regular or Professional Oboe Reeds
-2 Back To School Surprises
-An EXTRA Oboe Reed… on our dime, for a total of 4 Oboe Reeds

Plus…

Get everything packed in a mini “Back-To-School” zippered bag…

For only $96.00 + SH!

Here’s where you can get it…

http://nexternal.com/mklreeds/Product38

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mandrel-style reed cases are those that hold the reeds
on little posts that stick up into the bottom of the corks.

These cases are often less expensive than ribbon-style
cases, but you pay the price by getting less protection for
your reeds. Reeds on mandrel posts can flop around inside
the reed case and easily chip and break. It’s worth the
few extra dollars to get a secure, well made, ribbon-style
case to better protect your reeds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Liz Reineke!

Liz, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

Here’s this week’s question:

What’s the average length of an American scrape oboe reed – from
the bottom of the staple to the tip of the reed?

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

P.S. If you’ve ordered in the past 4 months, be sure to check
your email this Wednesday afternoon for something special.

Continue Reading

Here’s this week’s quote:

“I’m working so hard on my time management that I don’t get
anything done.”

-Anonymous

Does this quote apply to your oboe practice at all?

It used to for me. Now, many of you may think this is weird but
I used to spend so much time doing scales that I never had time
for much else.

It’s easy when you are REALLY trying to improve one area of your
practice while neglecting the others (I was very intent on
improving my tone, and we all know that long tones are one of the
best ways to help that happen).

Or maybe you take so long getting set up or scraping on a reed
that you just never get anything else done. We’ve all been
there, in all areas of life.

Before you start your day, set your intention for your practice
so that you an get beyond the planning and the soaking. Create a
bigger goal, like “I will use less reed in my mouth today” (if
that’s something you’ve been working on) or “I will relax my arms
when I play.” and have that idea in your head even when you are
concentrating on smaller tasks.

Write down your intention for the day before you start. It’s a
great way to get more done in less time.

Continue Reading

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*****The Reed Report: Issue 50*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday 6:43 AM
A Cool, Breezy Corner of Chicago

I can hardly believe this is the 50th issue of the reed report!

The time really flies by when you are having fun… and we’ve had
a lot of fun so far!

You know, one of the great things about working towards becoming
a better oboe player, or a better “anything” is all of the
mini-accomplishments you have along the way.

Maybe it’s the recital that went off without a hitch, or the
church program you played with that reed that felt so great.

No matter exactly what the experience is, I know that all of you
have events in your oboe life that you can look back on and
relive again and again.

That’s important… sometimes, thinking back to the time when
everything went your way and the oboe provided pure happiness and
enjoyment is just enough to get you through a difficult reed rut
or a challenging month of practicing.

I know in this world, where we are surrounded by personal
coaches, this guru or that guru, the advice of the day is to “not
dwell on the past,” and to live for today and what is to come.

I think that’s great, but reliving those special events in your
oboe past is important for two reasons:

1. It helps you appreciate just how far you have come.
2. It puts perspective on any oboe challenges you may be wading
through at the present moment.

So take a few minutes today, sit back and close your eyes, and
relive your own oboe “highlights reel.” Then ask yourself this
question:

“What did I learn from that that I can use today?”

We’ve got some good oboe reed things today so let’s jump right
in…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mark your calendars…

For Sunday September 10, 2006.

That’s a big day in the oboe reed world and we have a super
exciting announcement to make.

We’ll be “leaking” more details as we get closer

HINT #1: It doesn’t matter if you are a student or a pro… There
will be a perfect fit for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If your reed is sharp, you can try pulling it out of the
oboe a few millimeters to help get it down to pitch in a
pinch. Another trick is to soak it for longer and pinch the
tip open slightly.

Overall, make sure you’re not playing with too much reed in
your mouth, a nasty habit we all easily fall into.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Troy Davis!

Troy, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

Here’s this week’s question:

What 2 tools and/or supplies do you need to be able to adjust
your oboe?

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

P.S. If you’ve ordered in the past 4 months, be sure to check
your email this Wednesday afternoon for something special.

Continue Reading

=================================================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 49*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday 9:20 AM
A Very Hot Corner of Chicago

We are under an excessive heat warning here in Chicago – with
heat indexes expected to be between 100 and 105 degrees.

That’s hot. And my reeds are starting to complain.

As I write to you this morning the thermometer reads 80 degrees.
It’s going up to 96 today…

And each day this week will be about the same: the mid-to-upper
90s from now until Friday. Eek!

I really think I could fry an egg on our front sidewalk sometime
around 4PM when things really get cookin’.

Now the heat wouldn’t be such a problem except that we don’t have
air conditioning in our home…

On days like this, it seems like a crazy decision. But in
Chicago, it can be 99 degrees on Monday and a breezy 78 degrees
on Tuesday.

And on those cool days, I would hate to have one of my windows
blocked up with an air conditioner. Every cool day that comes
along like that makes me feel like I am making a good decision.

Of course every summer we struggle (and sweat) through a week or
so… and that’s what we’re doing now.

I hope you and your reeds are finding cooler and more comfortable
conditions this summer.

If you could box up cool air, I’d probably ask you to send me
some.

Well enough of that.

We’ve got some good oboe reed things today so let’s jump right
in…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Announcing a 19 minute plan to more fun on the oboe…

It’s our newest book called:

Oboe Reed Secrets For Oboists Who DON’T Make Reeds: What You
Need To Know To Find, Buy and Care For Oboe Reeds That Make Your
Playing Easier and More Fun

Get the details below:

http://www.mklreeds.com/oboe-reeds.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When you are taking your reeds from hot to cold, or vice versa,
your reeds can get pretty crazy. If you live in air conditioning
and are playing in a hotter or more humid environment, you
basically have two choices:

1. Have a lot of reeds on hand so that you can find one or two
that are coping with the changes the best.
2. Develop basic scraping skills so that you can adjust the reeds
slightly when the weather goes nuts.

Bonus Tip:

If you CAN scrape on your reeds, it is best to wait until you get
to the place you will be playing before you start adjusting. Let
your reeds acclimate to the heat and humidity change BEFORE you
start adjusting them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Jean Beckstrom!

Jean, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

Here’s this week’s question:

The peel of what FRUIT can be used as a humidifier in your oboe
case?

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

Continue Reading

=================================================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 48*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am on a mini “crusade.” Here’s why…

Yesterday alone, I received TWO emails from young students asking
what they can do to make their “hard” machine-made reeds easier
to play.

Their two stories are almost identical even though I am sure they
don’t know each other.

They both have been playing over a year and were told that it was
time to graduate to a “harder” reed. They bought the new reed,
and now they can hardly play their oboes. It is sad, but I get
letters like this almost every week.

It makes me think of that lady that used to be on that cable
weight-loss infomercial that would shout, “Stop the Insanity!”

As a player grows, making a leap froom a “medium” reed to a
“hard” reed is not a good idea – What she really needs is to
slowly have more resistance built into the reed. Just enough for
where she is, and not an ounce more…

Now most of you reading this letter understand that handmade oboe
reeds should not be reserved for “good” oboe players. Handmade
reeds are what help to MAKE good oboe players. And they should
be in the hands of each and every young player on the first day
they start.

Handmade reeds will make their life on the oboe much more
enjoyable and help to keep them from developing bad oboe habits.

Stores that sell “soft,” “medium” and “hard” reeds are giving you
a clue that they don’t understand the needs of young (and old)
oboe players.

My crusade is to get this knowledge into the hands and minds of
the young players and their parents who are now struggling with
this type of “soft,” “medium,” and “hard” insanity and to show
them that there is a better way.

I am so fortunate that I had people in my oboe life that showed
me the smart path early on. Passing that on to those who are
without that guidance is really what this “mini-crusade” is all
about.

Thanks for listening to my “rant.” I feel a lot better now -
time to get to work.

Now let’s get to the good stuff…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You don’t want to miss…

The Last FREE Shipping Sale of the Summer!

FREE STANDARD SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OVER $45.00!

This offer expires Tuesday night at 11:59 PM, and you won’t see
it again for some time, so hurry and save on your next order.

Order through Tuesday, July 11 at 11:59 PM and you won’t pay for
STANDARD (USPS) SHIPPING if your order is over $45.00.

(If you choose another shipping method, $9.95 will be deducted
at checkout.)

Follow the directions below to receive a $9.95 shipping discount
on your next order:

HOW TO GET YOUR FREE SHIPPING
—————————–

1. Surf to: http://www.mklreeds.com/products.htm
2. Click on any of the product links.
3. Fill up your shopping cart with manuals and reeds.
4. On the left hand side of the shopping cart, click “Enter
Coupon”
5. Enter the following coupon code: lastsummer
6. Go to the checkout and complete your order.

That’s it! Your order is on its way, FREE of our
standard shipping charge.

(This offer does not apply to our 52 Reed Tips)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sanitize a reed by letting it soak for 5 full minutes in
hydrogen peroxide. Rinse thouroughly under running water,
then allow it to dry out completely for several hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Linda Baker!

Linda, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

Here’s this week’s question:

Who is Marcel Tabuteau and why is he so important in the oboe
world?

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

Continue Reading

=================================================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 47*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you had a great fourth of July celebration. My family
sat around eating hot dogs and hamburgers and helping my little
dog Emma through the festivities.

Number one on her list of “doggie nightmares” is the fourth of
July fireworks. She prefers to spend the whole night hiding and
shivering under the couch.

No matter what you did yesterday, I hope you had a fun (and
relaxing) holiday.

Now let’s get to the good stuff…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Order the MKL Reeds Summer Fun Package and put a little fun into
your summer oboe practice.

Each kit includes:

-2 Oboe Reeds (Regular or Professional)
-1 “Sweet Treat” to enjoy during a practice break (don’t forget
to brush your teeth
-Get everything packed up in a fun tropical summer bag

The best part is, you can get all of this for the same price as
two reeds!

Take a look by visiting the link below.

Order today!

http://www.nexternal.com/mklreeds/Product36

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Keep your reeds safe during breaks in rehearsals and
intermissions at performances by always putting them in your
reed case when you go off stage.

Leaving them on your stand or soaking in water can lead to
accidental crushing or chipping, so take the time to put
them away before you go have your snack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Grace
DeRose-Wilson!

Grace, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

Here’s this week’s question:

Which is better, a feather or a swab? WHY? (There’s not a RIGHT
answer here, what we’re looking for is a CONVINCING answer.)

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

P.S. If you don’t know how to make oboe reeds yet, your oboe
reeds are probably holding you back from reaching your full oboe
potential. Just getting the most basic reedmaking skills under
your belt will help you extend the life of your oboe reeds and
give you the control to tweak them to your exact needs.

If you knew that learning basic reed making techniques would help
take your oboe playing to a new level, when do you think would be
the best time to start learning?

Get the details about “The Beginner’s Guide to Making Your First
Playing Oboe Reed… In 9 Days or Less” below…

http://www.mklreeds.com/9days.htm

Continue Reading

=================================================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 46*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can you believe it’s almost July?

The fall is coming so quickly and we will be celebrating New
Year’s before you know it.

My daughter Amelia is almost 4, my son Egan is on his way to 2
(we haven’t even cut his hair yet and we have one more on the
way in November…

When it really comes down to it, the most valuable resource on
earth isn’t gold, silver or anything else like that. It’s time.

Time to do what you want to do and achieve what you want to
achieve.

Try this. At your next practice session, don’t just plan it by
making a list of goals… SCRIPT IT by making a plan for each
minute.

When Hollywood gets together and creates a movie, they don’t
begin shooting when the outline is done. They shoot when
everyone knows the SCRIPT – the exact words everyone will say at
precise times. Not too much (except some room for the actors to
be creative) is left to chance.

And would you believe it… when shooting is done, they actually
get through the whole script? You never hear Hollywood execs say
something like, “Well, time just got away from us… We just
didn’t have time to shoot the ending. Hope you like the movie
anyway.”

It isn’t a coincidence that they get done, it’s just good
planning.

Setting goals for a practice session is good, but it is just the
beginning. Create your own practice session “script” so that
each minute you spend on the oboe is accounted for and
contributes to moving you closer to what you want to achieve.

That way, interruptions won’t derail you. You won’t have time
for interruptions because every moment of your practice time will
be accounted for and given a distinct purpose, before you even
get started.

Now let’s get to the good stuff…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We’re having a mini-sale on 10 of our new manuals: “The
Beginner’s Guide to Making Your First Playing Oboe Reed… In 9
Days or Less.”

Why?

Our local printer made a mistake.

Generally, we are really happy with our printer. They do a good
job and they are pretty fast.

But when we got our latest job back from them, we realized there
was a problem… A bit of a miscommunication…

Actually, it was our fault for not checking the order before we
left the store, but… we’ll just keep that between us.

10 of the manuals in the batch came back without a front or back
cover. The usual is cardstock cover with a clear vinyl coating
and black vinyl for the back. On ten of them, it just didn’t
happen.

We can’t sell them for full price so here is what we are going to
do:

Order one of our “misfit” reed making manuals (ALL of the content
is there, intact and in order, it’s just the cover that is
missing) and choose option 2 (the Independent Learner, $97.00)
and we will upgrade your order to Option 1, the Whole Kit and
Kaboodle (a value of $167.00.)

In a nutshell, you pay $97.00 and we will throw in:

1. Unlimited access to me via email for 60 days for all of your
reed making questions.
2. One FREE reed critique. You send me a reed or two and you
will get a complete report about the reed with a list of things
you can do to improve it.

“The Whole Kit and Kaboodle” retails for $167.00, but you’ll get
a free upgrade when you purchase one of the “misfit” manuals for
$97.00.

Just write “MISIFIT MANUAL” in the order comments when you order.

Like I said, we’ve got 10 of them.

You can get the details below…

http://www.mklreeds.com/9days.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Put the lip balm on after your practice session, and not
before.

If you use it before, you’ll soon begin to see waxy
buildup on your reed near the string. There may also be
some on the inside of the reed, which you won’t be able
to see. This will surely begin clogging the air that needs
to go through the reed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Dani Pennell!

Dani, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

Here’s this week’s question. It’s a bit more advanced:

What are harmonics on the oboe? Give an example of one fingering.

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

P.S. You can still get a Reed Maker’s Manual WITH a cover if you
want at regular price. We do have them. Just write “REGULAR
MANUAL” in the order comments so we make sure to send you what
you want.

Continue Reading

=================================================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 45*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We’re back up to 90 degrees today in Chicago. Luckily, there is
a nice breeze blowing – but 90 degrees is 90 degrees. It’s just
hot!

The problems really start about 4 o’clock in the afternoon when
the sun begins pouring through the front windows and the whole
place basically becomes an oven… and we’re the ones who get
cooked.

Do you have your summer oboe plan set yet? You know, your list
of things you want to work on and achieve by the time Labor Day
rolls around?

Your summer oboe goals don’t have to be many, or even very big,
but it is important that you have them.

After all, if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will
get you there.

Now let’s get to the good stuff…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have the world’s BEST mailman at MKL Reeds. His name is Pete.

Rather than us having to make a ton of trips to the post office,
he just picks up all of our mail everyday. That means he lugs
our bags of reeds around with him as he goes through the
neighborhood. The bags are heavy and we feel bad for the guy.

We constantly apologize and tell him that if things get out of
hand, he can tell us to stop and we’ll stand in line like
everybody else at the post office.

You know what he says?

“It’s no problem. The more you send, the better the chances that
I will have a job next year. And I love my job.”

We’re not kidding. That is really what he says… and he shows
it everyday.

He is the happiest mailman we have EVER met. Almost like
something straight out of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood… (yes, we
know it shows our age to mention this show

So, to help Pete’s job security, here’s what we’re gonna do:

FREE STANDARD SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OVER $45.00!

This offer expires Tuesday night at 11:59 PM, so hurry and save
on your next order.

Order through Tuesday, June 20 at 11:59 PM and you won’t pay for
STANDARD (USPS) SHIPPING if your order is over $45.00.

(If you choose another shipping method, $9.95 will be deducted
at checkout.)

Follow the directions below to receive a $9.95 shipping discount
on your next order:

HOW TO GET YOUR FREE SHIPPING
—————————–

1. Surf to: http://www.mklreeds.com
2. Click on any of the links to the order reeds page.
3. Fill up your shopping cart with reeds.
4. On the left hand side of the shopping cart, click “Enter
Coupon”
5. Enter the following coupon code: helppete
6. Go to the checkout and complete your order.

That’s it! Your reeds are on their way, FREE of our
standard shipping charge.

(This offer does not apply to our 52 Reed Tips)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALL REEDS ARE NOT created equal.

Sometimes you’ll use the same cane, shape and gouge and get
completely different results. It’s the same story when you
are ordering reeds. No two are exactly the same.

Remember that handmade oboe reeds are LIVING creatures, and
are affected by moisture, humidity, temperature, altitude
and other things we don’t yet understand.

Go with the flow, learn what you can and make the best of
the situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Olivia Richards!

Olivia, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

Here’s this week’s question:

Name 3 major oboe manufacturers and the locations of their
corporate headquarters.

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

Continue Reading

=================================================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 44*****
=================================================================

Congratulations! As a subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information.

In this issue:

-A Note from Maryn
-The Latest Reed Special Announcement
-The Reed Tip
-Oboe Reed Trivia

Please add “info@mklreeds.com” to your whitelist or address book
in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving
future issues!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Note from Maryn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Want to know 2 secrets to being a successful oboe player?

1. Knowing what success means to you.

Oboe success might mean winning the audition for principal oboe
of the New York Philharmonic, or it might mean just getting
through this year’s Easter Cantata at church. Either way, never
forget that success is not an objective thing. Only you can
define exactly what it means for you.

2. Just keep going, and smell the roses along the way.

You only fail if you stop trying. Playing the oboe is not just
about reaching a certain goal or winning this or that audition or
competition.

It is the journey that is meant to be enjoyed.

Of course you will have good days and bad days, but both kinds
are equally important to your oboe journey. The good days help
you appreciate just what a wonderful instrument the oboe really
is. And the bad days keep you humble and serve as a reminder
that it is during the hardest days that you grow the most.

So don’t forget, oboe success isn’t something you achieve, it is
something you grant to yourself. It is within everyone’s reach.

Now let’s get to the good stuff…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest Reed Special
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Learn how you can get a free reed.

(Keep reading…)

If you’ve ever wished that you could have more control over the
sound coming out of your oboe, I am going to give you the way
to making it happen in exactly six words…

Ready?

Learn to make your own reeds.

By getting a few beginning reed making skills under your belt,
you will be able to take those commercial reeds that feel like
they were made for “someone else” and make them your own.

In fact, the sooner you learn basic reed making skills, the more
control you will have over exactly how your oboe sounds.

Having that control will make you a happier oboe player, without
fail.

And the summer is the time to get started.

Our just released, “Beginner’s Guide to Making Your First Playing
Oboe Reed… in 9 Days or Less” will walk you through everything
you need to know and do to get started on your own reed making
journey.

Even if you are not interested in becoming a top notch reed
maker, learning the basics will help you take your oboe playing
to a new level.

Plus…

Order now through Thursday night at 11:59 PM CST…

And we’ll throw in a FREE handmade oboe reed!

That’s an extra $25.00 value just for ordering before Thursday
night.

To get your free oboe reed, just write “Send Me a Reed” in the
order comments when you order.

Read more about the guide and preview a sample reed making video
from the book… (high speed internet connection recommended)

http://www.mklreeds.com/9days.htm

And remember, this offer expires at midnight on Thursday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you forget a reed is soaking in water and leave it there
for a really long time, don’t worry, the damage isn’t
permanent. Reeds can’t drown.

Allow the reed to sit a few days and dry out completely
before playing it, and it should be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oboe Reed Trivia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each week we feature a bit of oboe trivia to help keep your oboe
brains sharp. Sometimes the questions are easy, sometimes they
are not so easy.

Each Friday night, all of the correct answers we receive from all
of you are put into a hat and one lucky winner is chosen to
receive a special prize.

Congratulations to last week’s trivia winner, Graham Mackenzie!

Graham correctly identified the “Big 5″ U.S. Symphony Orchestras
and the current principal oboe players of each.

Here they are:

1) Philadelphia Orchestra – Richard Woodhams
2) Boston Symphony – John Ferrillo
3) Chicago Symphony – Eugene Izotov
4) Cleveland Orchestra – Frank Rosenwein
5) New York Philharmonic – Sherry Sylar

Graham, just let us know via email where you would like your
prize sent.

This week’s question is just a bit different. Actually there is
no right answer… there is only YOUR answer. But the deal is
the same… Send an answer and get entered into the drawing.

Here’s this week’s question:

What is your number one MOST annoying oboe reed problem, that, if
it were solved tomorrow, would make your oboe life immensely more
enjoyable?

Submit your answers via email to trivia@mklreeds.com by Friday at
5:00PM CST to be included in the drawing.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
http://www.mklreeds.com

Continue Reading