MKL Reeds

==========================================
*****The Reed Report: Issue 37*****
==========================================

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

In this issue:

* A Lesson Learned: Stories from My Oboe Past.

* The Latest SPECIAL News… We Have a Winner!

* Reed Tip – Which Way is Up?

* Quote Corner – Stokowski

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Lesson Learned
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I never made it into Juilliard for college.

At the time, it was one of the worst days of my life. The day of
my audition I was sick as a dog. My mind was good for little
more than sitting in my bed with a box of tissues, sneezing my
head off.

I should have been in bed, but instead, there I was…

Pacing across the floor of that room in the Juilliard School,
waiting for the chance to play my best and get in.

Long story short: I didn’t feel well, I didn’t play well. I
didn’t get in.

You would think that would be something that would bother me
forever, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever could
have happened.

I owe most of my current happiness in life and music to never
getting in. Odd how things often work out that way.

That’s a lesson I remember to this day. Don’t worry if, at
first, your plans don’t work out the way you intend. There is
always a larger plan that is sometimes hard to see until it is
behind you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest SPECIAL News…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have a WINNER!

The winner of the MKL Reeds TalkBack Testimonial Contest is:

Hannah Gibson of Brooklyn, NY

Here is the testimonial she sent us:

—————-

Transcript of a radio interview of Hannah Gibson, conducted by
Bob Edwards, aired on NPR on May 16, 2113.

Bob: Good evening, I’m Bob Edwards. Today we have with us live
in the studio, Hannah Gibson, the first oboist with the Boston
Symphony Orchestra. Hannah, welcome.

Hannah: Thanks Bob. This is a real honor.

Bob: Well we appreciate your being here. Why don’t you start
with telling us, generally, about your experience as an oboist.

Hannah: Ahh… Let’s see. Intense. Totally a love-hate
relationship. Full of ups and downs and so many varied
experiences.

Bob: I think most professional musicians would describe their
time with their instrument as “intense.” But a love-hate
relationship?

Hannah: Yeah. Like my sister and I (laughs). No, seriously,
though. I love the oboe. I’ve always loved the sound of it; its
uniqueness, its strength. Band directors and teachers told me to
start with the clarinet – it would be easier. Seemed to me like
a ridiculous idea – I wanted to play the oboe because I wanted to
play the oboe, not the clarinet. So I guess there was always a
fundamental need for the oboe specifically.

Bob: And the flipside?

Hannah: Oh god, the reeds. How I envied the flutes and the
trumpets, who with a little twist out or a little push in could
just sit down and play. To be able to relax, assured that you
were in tune (or if you weren’t it would be easily fixed and not
an embarrassing demonstration of your lack of musicianship) and
simply play along with the orchestra and really enjoy it.

Bob: So the reeds got in the way of your musicianship – of your
musical experience.

Hannah: Yes. A lot of it was my lack of experience both as an
oboist and a musician. It was also certainly a problem that came
from not having an amazing ear. It was a frustration with myself
and my playing that was easily blamable on the reeds. But I do
think that oboists are at a general disadvantage because they
have to spend a greater percentage of their time making reeds and
less actually playing, and as an amateur musician a lot of time
playing under non-ideal circumstances.

Bob: To get where you are today, you clearly have overcome your
early struggles. How did you work through the problems?

Hannah: I was about three-quarters of the way through college
when I discovered MKL Reeds. The first (and only, still to this
day) company that consistently shipped me reeds I could depend on
to sound good. Before discovering them, I had reached near
desperation. I was writing my thesis and going to lectures and
working and really had no time to spend on reeds. My playing was
faltering and I didn’t know what to do.

Bob: Then you found MKL.

Hannah: Yep. They got me through senior year. We did an amazing
tour of Iceland – our final yearend concert was huge – and I had
great reeds. I was really thankful. I was totally able to enjoy
my last year in the university symphony. And honestly, who
knows? Had I gotten too frustrated I might have given up the
oboe for good. And of course MKL they helped me through my
audition with and acceptance into the BSO: my dream job since my
college days in the city. Thanks MKL for saving me from my
frustration and helping me do what makes me happy!

—————-

Thank you all for your excellent (and VERY creative)
testimonials. We are so excited to hear that our reeds are
helping you in so many ways.

Choosing a winner was NOT an easy task.

Hannah, your prize (including your 10 oboe reeds) will be shipped
out in just a few days.

Congratulations!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed/Oboe Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This issue’s reed tip comes from the Reed Tip archives:

Many reeds (and all of the reeds at MKL Reeds) are finished so
that one blade is (almost imperceptibly) longer than the other.

For optimum reed performance, identify the SHORTER blade and
always play the reed with this SHORTER blade on your bottom lip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote Corner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their
pictures on silence.”

-Leopold Stokowski

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 36*****
=========================================

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

In this issue:

* A Lesson Learned: Stories from My Oboe Past.

* The Latest SPECIAL… Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

* Reed Tip – Our Readers Chime In.

* Quote Corner – Beethoven

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Lesson Learned
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few years ago, I travelled throughout the U.S. and Russia
playing oboe with the American/Russian Youth Orchestra.

We started with two weeks of rehearsal followed by a quick U.S.
tour through Nashville and New York. Then we left the country to
play in places like St. Petersburg, Moscow and with Valery
Gergiev, the Artistic and General Director of the Mariinsky
Theatre in St. Petersburg.

The whole trip was exciting, exhilarating, terrifying and
completely exhausting.

It was great.

The entire 8 week event tested my skill, my patience and my ideas
about what it means to play the oboe and to be a musician.

Moral of the story?

If you ever get the chance to do anything on the oboe that
absolutely scares you silly, GO FOR IT…

You won’t regret it, because there will always be something that
you will take away to help make you a better player.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Latest SPECIAL…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy (Belated) St. Patrick’s Day!

FREE STANDARD SHIPPING ON JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING!!!!

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

Order through Monday, March 20 at 11:59 PM and you won’t pay for
STANDARD (USPS) SHIPPING!

(If you choose another shipping method, $6.50 will be deducted
at checkout.)

Follow the directions below to receive a $6.50 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: stpats45
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/Oboe Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To complete our series on keeping your reeds clean, here
are TWO reed tips from our readers.

RE: Your Advice in Issue 34 (Reed Cleaning Tip):

I much prefer using a small bird feather, about 3-4 inches.
Inserted into the staple end, with reed held in a glass of water,
a wondrous amount of gunk swirls into the water. After rotating
the feather while pumping it up and down several time, the tip
slightly protruding from the reed tip, it is pulled back out,
rinsed and dried for next time. The feather quills do a gentle
scrub and DO NOT leave fluff behind in the reed.

-Frank Davis

Reed Cleaning Tip for a Well-Soaked Reed:

Take a short piece of fishing line – make a small loop and insert
it into the reed through the tip (carefully!). Push it down to
the beginning of the staple. Gently squeeze the blades together
and slowly pull out the fishing line. Amazing what will come out
if the reed has been played a lot – amazing difference in
response!

-Cathy MacIntyre

Great reed tips Cathy and Frank! Thank you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote Corner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.
Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks
and invents.”

-Ludwig van Beethoven

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 35*****
=================================================

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

In this issue:

* A Lesson Learned: Helping you learn at MY expense.

* Don’t Miss… The Spring Fun Package

* Reed Tip – Another cleaning tip.

* Quote Corner – Charlie Parker

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learning My Lesson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One year, during the time I lived in Nashville, I was called to
solo in the orchestra at the famous Country Music Awards.

Now I am about as uninterested in country music as you can get
and I probably ran into a few country music superstars without
even knowing it, but I learned something special that day that
bears repeating.

The name of the game at the Country Music Awards is “fly by the
seat of your pants.” No warmup, no preparation, no rehearsal.
Just trial by fire.

I remember the traffic was especially bad that day and I rolled
in with not too much time before the performance began. There
was no rehearsal (of course) and we were not even sent music to
prepare.

I walked to my seat (not knowing I, the little lone oboist was
about to be in THE spotlight with some country artist whose name
I STILL don’t know) and took a look at the music.

Not 30 seconds later, everything began… And then in the blink
of an eye it was over. Done.

I felt like I had been on the craziest roller coaster ride of my
life. A ride that only lasted about 45 seconds.

What did I take away from this whirlwind experience?

Always be prepared for ANYTHING…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don’t Miss…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celebrate Spring with the MKL Reeds Spring Fun Package.

Order the Spring Fun Package and get your reeds wrapped in green
and white threads.

Each package includes:

-2 oboe reeds (regular or professional)
-1 cube organza box
-Some YUMMY treats!

What’s the best part?

You pay for the reeds and you get the rest of the stuff
FREE!

ORDER NOW…

Click on the link below:

http://www.nexternal.com/mklreeds/Product33

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed/Oboe Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s another reed tip that will keep your reeds “gunk” free and
playing their best:

Often, after a lot of use (or a lot of Chapstick application to
your lips), your reed will get visibly gunked up with “stuff” in
between the two blades of the reed where the air is supposed to
go.

If this occurs, take your plaque and GENTLY scrape the gunk out
without chipping or bending the fragile reed tip. This can be
done multiple times over the life of a reed and will help extend
its life by allowing it to play as clearly and as unmuffled as
possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote Corner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If
you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. They teach you
there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary
line to art.”

-Charlie Parker

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 34*****
=============================================

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

In this issue:

* A Lesson Learned: Helping you learn at MY expense.

* Don’t Miss… – We are humbled…

* Reed Tip – Do your reeds need a cleanin’?.

* Quote Corner – Victor Hugo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learning My Lesson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I remember when I first got to music school, I was on the path to
learn how to make the “perfect oboe reed.” I studied all the
reeds of my mentors and past teachers and tried to piece together
all of the tips and secrets that I could get my hands on. My
plan was to combine them into a recipe for the perfect reed.

After all, if anyone knew how to make it, THEY did.

Early on in my time at school, I remember my teacher always
talking about learning to make a reed “for you.” He said that
was just about all that mattered.

At first I didn’t really get (or listen to) what he was saying.

Remember, I was on the quest for THE perfect reed. I had a reed
notebook where I stored all of the wisdom of my teachers and I
knew that it was just a matter of time before I hit the jackpot.

Of course as time went on, the words of my teacher started making
sense.

I kind of chuckle at myself for ever thinking that there was a
“perfect” reed out there to be found.

When I help students learn about reedmaking, I pass on what has
now become MY reed philosophy: “Learn to make a reed for YOU.”

Simply put, “What works for you works for you.”

It really doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing.

Don’t go searching for THE perfect reed, go searching for YOUR
perfect reed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don’t Miss…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When we launched our TalkBack contest last week and asked all of
you to let us know how we are doing, we were NOT prepared for the
flood of thanks and well wishes that came our way.

I’d just like to say how appreciative and humbled all of us at
MKL Reeds are to hear all of your kindness and support. It means
so much to all of us here that we are helping so many people in
such great ways.

We are sooooo lucky to have great customers like you.

But don’t worry, we won’t let it go to our heads. We’re not
really in this to be famous.

Please accept our sincere thanks and appreciation for all of your
kind words.

If you missed the details about the contest, you can get them all
at the link below:

http://www.mklreeds.com/talkback.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed/Oboe Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you play the same reed for a while, make sure you take the
time to CLEAN it every now and then. Take a pipe cleaner, insert
it very gently into the bottom of the staple and twist.

You will be surprised at what comes out.

If you are a professional playing your oboe day in and day out,
your reeds probably won’t even last long enough to get dirty, but
just in case, give it a try.

Keeping your reed clean can improve the clarity of your sound and
the response of your reed.

Don’t forget to try it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote Corner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into
words and that which cannot remain silent.”

- Victor Hugo

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 33*****
==================================

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

In this issue:

* A Lesson Learned: Helping you learn at MY expense.

* Don’t Miss… – We’re buying someone 10 oboe reeds.

* Reed Tip – Find a supportive reed.

* Quote Corner – W.A. Mozart

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learning My Lesson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few years back, I was auditioning for a spot at NOI (National
Orchestra Institute) which is held every summer at the University
of Maryland. I was in college at Eastman at the time and the
audition was held in a small lounge that was used for student
recitals throughout the year.

If you’ve ever been through an audition before, you know full
well just what a nerve wracking experience it can be. I always
used to eat a banana before something like this (B vitamins help
the nerves) and this audition was no different.

I was actually feeling pretty good that day… Reed was good,
knew my stuff, I was ready to go.

I was playing my last notes before going in to the audition and
had a terrible sinking feeling spring up in my tummy as I
realized that my reed had just cracked.

If you’ve ever had a reed crack in a situation like this, it
isn’t pleasant. Sure, you can play for a few minutes, but pretty
soon the pitch just goes nuts as the reed gasps its last breaths.

There I was, two steps away from my audition, with a reed that I
couldn’t play and what did I do? I walked in and played the
audition.

Needless to say, I didn’t win. (Fairy Tale Ending Note: I DID
get in the next year… and I had a great time!)

About the only guarantee you get in music is that you WILL run
into challenges. That’s not being negative, it’s just being
realistic.

Being successful isn’t about avoiding problems, it is knowing how
best to deal with them (and to be prepared for them) when they
show up.

Looking back… What should I have done when my reed cracked?

Taken CONTROL… Why didn’t I ask for more time to go prepare
another reed? The worst answer I could have gotten was, “No.” I
certainly wouldn’t have been any worse off.

So the nugget of truth from my little ordeal?

You WILL run into problems when playing the oboe. But think
ahead. Anticipate them as best you can and prepare for them.
You are in the driver’s seat. Don’t forget that the minute your
car starts to veer off the road…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don’t Miss…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 30 days, we’re buying ONE of our customers 10 oboe reeds.

Could that someone be YOU?

Get the details now…

http://www.mklreeds.com/talkback.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed/Oboe 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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote Corner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The shorter way to do many things is to do only one thing at a
time.”

-W.A. Mozart

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
Get Oboe Reeds

Continue Reading

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*****The Reed Report: Issue 32*****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations! As a newsletter subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information. Read on for the latest
and greatest from MKL Reeds.

In this issue:

*The BUZZ – Free Shipping With Your Private Lesson!

*Reed “Tip” of the Month – Learning to Make Reeds?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed/Oboe Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This issue’s tip comes from the Reed Guru at our sister site
Oboe:Space (www.oboespace.com). If you have a reed question, you
can have it answered for free by visiting our site at
www.oboespace.com

Q: Is there a book that teaches you how to make oboe reeds? Is it
cheaper to make your own reeds? How long will it take me to
learn?

A: Whew! Three great questions!

I know there is the book and video by David Weber and Fred Capps
that is an instruction in reedmaking.

I haven’t watched it or read it because I really believe that you
need to learn reedmaking from a live person. You need to feel
how it feels to hold a knife correctly, and how it feels when you
apply different degrees of pressure as you scrape. A book would
be a helpful thing once you already know what you are doing, if
it is able to give you ideas about solutions to problems you
might be having.

What I like to communicate to students learning to make oboe
reeds is this: Yes, there are skills to be learned, and that
takes time and practice. But virtually anyone can learn to make
an oboe reed.

What makes the whole process special (and difficult) is that you
have to learn what makes a reed a good reed for YOU. Nobody can
really teach you this, but it is through learning the basics and
improving your oboe playing that you can start to figure out what
makes you uniquely you.

And yes, I would say it is a good deal cheaper in the long run to
make your own oboe reeds. Not initially of course, but
eventually. It can be the most frustrating and liberating thing
to make your own reeds, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Ultimately, you are not fully in control when you buy oboe reeds.

As for the amount of time reedmaking takes to learn…

I am a firm believer in setting goals. I have seen students take
years to make reeds and never really improve. Of course, I have
seen other students just decide that they are fed up with buying
oboe reeds, and make it a goal to be playing on their own reeds
within six months. It takes a lot of practice (several hours
each day) to reach a goal like this, but it can be done.

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
Get Oboe Reeds

P.S.

Still looking for that PERFECT gift for the oboe player in your
life?

Whether young student, amateur or professional, our 52 Oboe Reed
Tips (delivered via email, one per week) are jam-packed with our
very own time-tested tips and secrets for getting more out of
your reeds and your oboe. We’ve selected our 52 most helpful
tidbits, not only about reeds but about oboe playing in general.

Order now:

http://www.nexternal.com/mklreeds/Product26

Continue Reading

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*****The Reed Report: Issue 31*****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations! As a newsletter subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information. Read on for the latest
and greatest from MKL Reeds.

In this issue:

*The BUZZ – Only 7 Valentine’s Day Packages Left!!

*Reed “Tip” of the Month – Breaking in a new oboe?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The BUZZ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Valentine’s Day Packages have been flying out the door!

We’ve only got 7 left so if you want one, order it today.

When they’re gone, they’re GONE!

Just a reminder:

The Valentine’s Day Package allows you to get your reeds wrapped
in pink, red and white threads.

PLUS…

Each package includes:

-2 oboe reeds (regular or professional)
-1 heart-shaped gift reed box
-1 Valentine’s liquid sticker

What’s the best part?

You pay for the reeds and you get the rest of the stuff
FREE!

Don’t delay… Again, we only have 7 left.

Click on the link to order now:

http://www.nexternal.com/mklreeds/Product30

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Reed/Oboe Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This issue’s tip comes from the Reed Guru at our sister site
Oboe:Space (www.oboespace.com). If you have a reed question, you
can have it answered for free by visiting our site at
www.oboespace.com

Q: I used to play the oboe about 10 years ago and am now in a
position to take it up again. I am getting a new oboe and I
understand that they need time to break in.

Is there anything special I need to do during the breaking in
period? I currently live in India so oboe teachers are very few
and far between.

A: Yes, new oboes do need to be broken in.

The time you take to do that depends on how much of a rush you
are in to play it and how conservative of a person you are. I
had a teacher once that advised playing your new oboe no more
than 5 minutes a day to start, increasing each day by only a
minute or two.

Well, my oboe still cracked (which is what the slow breaking in
time is supposed to prevent) so I don’t think there is a magic
answer. I’d say take care with it, always get the top joint warm
under your arm or something before blowing air into it. I do
this on a normal day with an instrument that is a few years old,
so it is even more important on a brand new one.

When you begin to play, start at the bottom of the oboe and work
your way up. In other words, don’t take it out and just start
playing the highest notes you can. Letting the oboe warm up from
the bottom up is supposed to help keep the saliva running all the
way down the oboe, instead of getting stuck in the precious top
joint.

Also, if your oboe will be living somewhere very dry or erratic
with heat or air condition, I would put an orange peel or two in
with the oboe in your case. It smells great and will add
moisture to the wood. Replace them when they look dried out.

Also with a new oboe, be sure to swab or feather out every 15-20
minutes or so. Break the oboe in as slowly as you feel
comfortable doing, but know that sometimes (and very often) they
crack anyway. It’s not really a big deal, usually, and some say
if the wood is destined to crack it will crack no matter what you
do.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Happy playing,

Maryn Leister
MKL Reeds
maryn@mklreeds.com
Get Oboe Reeds

P.S.

Still looking for that PERFECT gift for the oboe player in your
life?

Whether young student, amateur or professional, our 52 Oboe Reed
Tips (delivered via email, one per week) are jam-packed with our
very own time-tested tips and secrets for getting more out of
your reeds and your oboe. We’ve selected our 52 most helpful
tidbits, not only about reeds but about oboe playing in general.

Order now:

http://www.nexternal.com/mklreeds/Product26

Continue Reading

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*****The Reed Report: Issue 30*****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations! As a newsletter subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information. Read on for the latest
and greatest from MKL Reeds.

In this issue:

*The BUZZ – Want a little reed fun for Valentine’s Day?

*Reed “Tip” of the Month – Want a darker sound?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The BUZZ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Valentine’s Day isn’t far away.

To celebrate the season, get your reeds wrapped in pink, red and
white threads in our Valentine’s Day Gift Package.

Each package includes:

-2 oboe reeds (regular or professional)
-1 heart-shaped gift reed box
-1 Valentine’s liquid sticker

What’s the best part?

You pay for the reeds and you get the rest of the stuff
FREE!

Don’t delay… We only have a limited supply and they ALWAYS
sell out quickly.

Click on the link to order now:

http://www.nexternal.com/mklreeds/Product30

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

This issue’s reed tip comes from the Reed Guru at our sister site
Oboe:Space (www.oboespace.com). If you have a reed question, you
can have it answered for free by visiting our site at
www.oboespace.com

Q: How do you darken the sound of the reed? I have a problem with
the reed having a light almost tin like sound.

A: There are a variety of ways to darken a reed. Complex
solutions include things like changing your gouge while some of
the simpler ways include things like clipping the reed.

If you make your own reeds and they are suddenly (but
consistently) light then perhaps it is the gouge. Try gouging
slightly thicker, and the reed should bulk up enough to make it
more substantial when you start scraping it.

As far as scraping goes, there are 2 things you could try.

First, make sure the tip isn’t too long and too thin compared to
the rest of the reed. You are always striving for balance, and
the tip of a typical American-scraped reed is probably only 2-3
mm.

Of course that varies slightly from person to person, but a
really long thin tip usually makes for a pretty closed reed that
lacks depth.

Secondly, try scraping out of the back next to the spine. This
can really add depth and darkness to a reed that is already
well-balanced. Take care to scrape right next to the spine but
not on it. Scrape up towards the heart, about 3-4 mm.

A reed that is balanced but too light and easy can be made more
resistant by clipping the bottom blade shorter than the top
blade. Hold the reed up on the chopping block as you clip a tiny
bit.

Finally, make sure you understand what you are going for when you
are are trying to transform an easy or light reed. I like to use
the words “depth” or “resistant” as opposed to “dark.” “Dark”
doesn’t really tell me anything, and I have heard “dark” reeds
that had so little life that they sound dead.

Whatever you choose, remember that reeds do need life in them to
sound alive and to project.

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Continue Reading

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*****The Reed Report: Issue 29*****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations! As a newsletter subscriber, you are one of the
first to see this important information. Read on for the latest
and greatest from MKL Reeds.

In this issue:

*The BUZZ – Are you a college student home for break?

*Reed “Tip” of the Month – Can you play in tune?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The BUZZ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are you home from college and absolutely excited about taking a
break from EVERYTHING (including the oboe:) ?

Vacations are great and more than necessary in your busy life.
But don’t forget, next semester is right around the corner.

Before you prop your feet up for your long winter nap, take a few
minutes NOW and prepare for next semester by getting your ducks
(er, reeds) in a row.

We’ve got something special for you now that you are home from
college.

Place an order on or before December 23rd and be entered to win a
FREE copy of our practicing guide, “Does Practice Make Perfect?”
The drawing will take place on December 26 and the winner will be
notified by email.

The guide, packed with practicing tips, shows you how to break
your practice down into its key parts and make sure that your
entire practice session works to build the right skills required
for you to master the oboe.

Follow this guide and take your oboe playing to a new level!

Order now by clicking on the link below:

http://www.mklreeds.com

When placing your order, don’t forget to let us know what college
you attend (put it in the order comments) so that we can enter
you in the drawing. (This offer is open ONLY to college oboists.)

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

This issue’s reed tip comes from the Reed Guru at our sister site
Oboe:Space (www.oboespace.com). If you have a reed question, you
can have it answered for free by visiting our site at
www.oboespace.com

Q: I make my reeds and have been doing so for years. I just
bought a new Loree and the reeds are in tune throughout out
except they are very sharp in the third octave. I have been
trying different shapes to try to find a better one for this
problem, but no success.

A: Because I don’t think of reeds being out of tune (but rather
me playing out of tune), I need to come at this from a different
angle. If my playing in general was sharp, or generally flat, I
would treat that as a reedmaking issue and probably experiment
with shapes and other variables.

It is typical for a note or two to not feel right for you on a
new oboe, hence the undercutting and all that can be done to
correct, say, an unstable or flarp F#.

But if I was in your shoes with a brand new oboe and there was a
whole octave that felt off, I’d probably look in the mirror as a
possible cause. Getting used to a new oboe after an old, maybe
worn out or even blown-out one can be difficult because you may
find that perhaps you were doing a lot of compensating (with your
air, embouchure, whatever) to make the old oboe work as it aged.

I’d try and be as honest with the new oboe as possible, and pay
extra attention to any habits you may have acquired. Perhaps you
were used to compensating for a flat upper register, and now that
you have one that sits in the right shelf, you don’t need to do
that.

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Continue Reading

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*****The Reed Report***** Issue 28
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations! As a newsletter subscriber, you are one
of the first to see this important information. Read on
for the latest and greatest from MKL Reeds.

In this month’s issue:

*The BUZZ – Free Reed “Tips”!

*Reed “Tip” of the Month – Weekly “Tips” for a Year

*FLARP Says – Read the latest from our blog, FLARP.

*The Trading Post – Looking for oboe stuff?

~~~~~~~~~
The BUZZ
~~~~~~~~~

With the holidays on the way, we have compiled a fun,
informative YEARLONG gift for the oboe player in your life
(even if that’s YOU!).

Whether young student, amateur or professional, our
52 Oboe Reed Tips (delivered via email, one per week) are
jam-packed with our very own time-tested tips and secrets
for getting more out of your reeds and your oboe. We’ve
selected our 52 most helpful tidbits, not only about reeds
but about oboe playing in general.

Our 52 Reed Tips make a unique and thoughtful gift for
the beginning oboist, but can also serve as 52 helpful
reminders for those more advanced.

What’s even better is that we are offering our 52
Reed Tips absolutely FREE with the purchase of 5 or
more oboe reeds. Simply pack your cart with 5 oboe
reeds, then add the 52 Reed Tips to your cart and away you
go!

Just to make it clear, when ordering the reed tips as
a gift, please enter the following information into
the order comments section:

1. Email address where you would like the tips sent.
2. The first name of the recipient.
3. When you would like the email reed tips to begin.

(If you don’t specify, we will begin your reed tip
subscription immediately, and they will be sent to the
email address you used to place the order.)

You can send the tips as a gift or simply use them
yourself. This collection of reed tips can also be
purchased separately in our online store.

Order now…

http://www.mklreeds.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reed “Tip” of the Month
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Take advantage of the oboe knowledge around you.
You may not agree with every opinion you hear, but file it
away in your brain (or write it down in a journal) and use
what you can. Our reed tips are a great example of this!

You can find all of our past oboe reed tips on our website
at the address below:

http://www.mklreeds.com/info/oboe_reed_tips

~~~~~~~~~~
FLARP Says
~~~~~~~~~~

Each month we feature the latest from the MKL Reeds
Blog, FLARP. If you haven’t checked it out lately,
you’ll find some of our most recent experiences as we live, play
and teach the oboe.

http://mklreeds.com/flarp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Trading Post
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feeling shy? The oboe world is smaller that you think!

If you’re looking for something in particular or if you
want to sell something but are unsure what it’s worth,
contact us and we can help! We deal with oboe equipment
every day, so let us be your resource for help finding and
selling what you need!

Check our website for more details, whether you’d
like to buy or sell.

Thanks for reading. Until next time…

Continue Reading