One of the most important things about being an oboist is that we must play in tune. There is just no compromise on that statement. I sometimes receive emails from people, especially younger players that tell me that my oboe Reeds play flat. One thing that you need to know is that all of my oboe reeds are tuned right here in my reed shop. In fact, the tuner is part of my oboe reed making equipment. Actually, because of this, I try to tune my oboe reeds just slightly high to compensate for embouchures that are not correct.
The fault of playing flat on an oboe reed can be one of two things. In all the years I have been teaching, I have found that people with thinner lips tend to play flatter on my oboe reeds. If you have those types of lips, please let me know because I must ensure that the oboe reeds have rails. Rails are found on all of my oboe reeds, but I will emphasize them if you have thinner lips, but you must tell me! If you have medium to full lips and still play flat, then we have an embouchure issue that must be addressed. I can help you with this if you don’t have a teacher. I’m more than happy to go on Skype or Zoom or FaceTime to take a look at your embouchure and make comments. It will not cost you anything, but if you don’t take care of your embouchure then yes you will play my reeds flat! If you try to play in tune without proper training, then you will start to bite to bring the pitch up, that is one of the worst things that you can do. It is very fatiguing and causes a pinched, unpleasant sound on the instrument. Again, I can help you fix these inadequacies with your embouchure. Please remember, do not just sell oboe reeds, but service for you and you’re oboe playing.
Have a great day, and play pretty!
Kerry