Oboe Reed Making with Jen Shark

Watch Hong Kong professional oboist, Jen Shark, as she explains the oboe reed making process with furry co-star, Tea
Did you know that most bassoon and oboe players make their own reeds? That means other than practicing, they spend hours making their own mouthpiece! Have a look at what this process looks like!
To learn more about Shark Double Reeds, check out www.sharkdoublereeds.com
We also have started a blog on our website which you can access here at www.sharkdoublereeds.com/thou...
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Thank you for watching!
Special thanks to Six Cat Studios for helping me produce this video!

Пікірлер: 75

  • @mshizzleshark
    @mshizzleshark2 жыл бұрын

    Wow, I had no idea how complex the process is. If I tried it I'd just end up with a pile of shredded bamboo. What an amazing skill!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Never too old to start ;-)

  • @JudyCZ
    @JudyCZ Жыл бұрын

    My father is an oboe player and he has been making reeds for other players to sell for as long as I can remember. Seeing this process brought a lot of nostalgia for me, I remember always begging to help with the splinting.

  • @ericvanreenen3503
    @ericvanreenen35032 жыл бұрын

    That is an absolute great instruction video! Almost every oboist I know hates this part of the job, but you seem to be completely in control. Great stuff!

  • @unmshark

    @unmshark

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!!!!!

  • @PublicTechnology1
    @PublicTechnology12 жыл бұрын

    Amazing! Most of us take this process for granted and have no idea what is involved! Great step-by-step explanations! Well done!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @darrelsmith3850
    @darrelsmith38502 жыл бұрын

    What a fascinating video. Like other commenters, I had absolutely no idea the reed-making process was so detailed. I learned more in about five minutes about oboe reeds than I have over my entire life; and, it explained so much about the complexity surrounding oboe reeds. It truly was a great tutorial and really underscores the importance of the behind-the-scenes preparation needed by oboists. Thanks for the video!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Now you can look at an oboist in concert and see what exactly went behind that tiny mouthpiece they play on!

  • @GrotrianSeiler
    @GrotrianSeiler2 жыл бұрын

    Wonderful little peek into the process. 3yrs into playing, I am just about to embark on the process. And I'm a little nervous, hearing how many one goes through before there's a good one that's playable. I hope there are more videos like this. You seem to have invested a lot in your reed making. Thank you.

  • @katrinarafferty8383
    @katrinarafferty83832 жыл бұрын

    Love this video, you make reed making look like a “cool” thing to do!!! 😂 Well done Jen and 6 Cat Studio 👏🏻

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @stuartrankin4851
    @stuartrankin48512 жыл бұрын

    Oboists always carry a knife 🤣 Very cool to know how to make reeds! I learned heaps.

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! It also works as extra security when walking in dark alleys after concerts ;-)

  • @vinmar4551
    @vinmar45518 ай бұрын

    I'm an oboe newbie player. Very nice tutorial. Thanks Jen.

  • @katharineschlag9939
    @katharineschlag99392 жыл бұрын

    Very cool! Had no idea this process is so complex and requires so many pieces of equipment. Nice to see the shots of you and Tea out and about in HK!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Yeah, it's a lot more equipment than people think!

  • @FrederickVanrijn
    @FrederickVanrijn Жыл бұрын

    Freaking intense! Such dedication for a beautiful sound for us to enjoy. Respect (flourish and bow)!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @Yuna11472
    @Yuna11472 Жыл бұрын

    Cool video Jen!

  • @anielachaudhuri1650
    @anielachaudhuri16502 жыл бұрын

    Great video! I learned a lot. Thanks!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @KristaChencharick
    @KristaChencharick2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome, awesome, awesome! Love this!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @eastmarvista3267
    @eastmarvista3267 Жыл бұрын

    Great world-class informative video!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @Dr.Schlitz
    @Dr.Schlitz Жыл бұрын

    Nice. I played for 6 years in Middle School and High School and never managed to make a single playable reed myself.

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    Жыл бұрын

    It takes years to make a playable reed and even then, we have many failures!

  • @pineapple370
    @pineapple3702 жыл бұрын

    So concise and easy to follow Jen! I look forward to more details (what is that profiler that you use? knife sharpening? cane sources? etc) on your next video!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks, Pam! I use the KGE profiler which took me a long time to get used to but now I find it helps me save a lot of time (and knife sharpening) to make a reed. Thanks for watching!

  • @user-kv8hy7tn1h
    @user-kv8hy7tn1h Жыл бұрын

    i don't play oboe. but fun to watch this video. thanx.

  • @user-ij2xi7zc8k
    @user-ij2xi7zc8k2 жыл бұрын

    well done, Jen! Bravo!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Don't you want to go back to reed making now? :-)

  • @user-ij2xi7zc8k

    @user-ij2xi7zc8k

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@sharkdoublereeds5878 over my dead oboe!

  • @chih-fang-hsu
    @chih-fang-hsu Жыл бұрын

    Had no idea that such a young instrument have a reed make of cane, with such complex process...

  • @elisabethivanishvili5359
    @elisabethivanishvili535911 ай бұрын

    Loved the video 💖 Can you tell me the names of the tools you were using? Thank you in advance.♥️

  • @danshengquan4901
    @danshengquan49012 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for your video! This is the future of reed making vids and all classical music related content. Just curious, what’s your process between profiling with a short scraped templet and eventually making it fits the parameters of a long scraped reed like they were shown at the end of your video? Or if you already been using templets for long-scrape reed and if so, how does the long-scrape templet feel on an kge machine? Thank you so much!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for your comments! Excellent eye! My profiler is actually a long scrape template but I set it up to only scrape the tip and heart because I prefer to keep working on the tip by hand a bit more after I use the profiler before adding the back. I have to say it took me a long time (and patience) to get used to the KGE profiler. I use the profiler to help me make reeds faster since with long scrape, we take off a lot more cane so it takes forever. It's a nice way to get a feel for the reed quickly and tell if it is worth pursuing or to throw it. I highly recommend a profiler if you would like to save time on reed making! The beauty of the KGE profiler is as I mentioned earlier, you can change how much to take off the tip and back so you can have it customized for your needs. This is the only profiler I have ever used and I actually was in KGE's factory outside of Shanghai when I bought it. It felt like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but with each door showing a different part of the reed making process :-) Hope this helps!

  • @danshengquan4901

    @danshengquan4901

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@sharkdoublereeds5878 Thank you so much for your prompt reply it's all very informative and helpful!!! I do have a kge profiler with "French" template and a reedsnstuff machine with some long scrape temples but they've been sitting on my shelf collecting dust. Reedsnstuff profiler used to always take too much rails off of my reeds even I just do "pre-scrape" on them like you do, though I've never used a long scrape template on kge. Maybe it's time to give them a second try!!! It's amazing how the oboe world now has a much wider range of acceptance and sense of appreciation on different kinds of reeds, tones, styles, "schools", and instruments, especially in this world of Tabuteau and Mack! Anyways, appreciate you responses! Keep them cool videos up!!

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@danshengquan4901 I understand this issue of taking off too much on the rails. I still sometimes have this problem with profilers. I would imagine since the french scrape is usually for a wider shape, that perhaps the chances of taking too much off the rails would be more likely? I totally agree with you about the oboe world has become a lot more open! Most of the people I play with here in Hong Kong are on short scraped reeds and we blend just fine :-) When I bought my profiler, I had a lot of trouble with it so it also sat on the shelf collecting dust for a few years and then I gave it a go again and patiently worked with it a bit. I still find myself tweeking it from time to time to see if I can get better results! Thanks for your comments! :-) I hope to get a new video up soon.

  • @1cleandude
    @1cleandude7 ай бұрын

    What are the threads and notes on wall? Thanks great video!🙏

  • @heatherdickenson5558
    @heatherdickenson5558 Жыл бұрын

    Really nice introduction video. Do you have suggestions for fixing reeds that don't seal?

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi Heather! Excellent question. Some musicians throw out the reed if it is not sealing but others will try to seal the reed using plumber's tape!

  • @jonaswhyrick4194
    @jonaswhyrick41942 жыл бұрын

    I’ve heard that oboe reeds only last like 3 days. Is that true and if so why?

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Jonas! This is an excellent question. Oboe reeds unfortunately do not last long...for me, it depends on what music I am playing. If it is music that requires a lot of articulation, that means the tongue is constantly hitting the reed which will naturally break down the reed faster because the tip is so thin. The same goes if I have to play at a very soft dynamic for long periods of time (in an opera for example) and I am pushing down on the reed more than usually with my mouth which again would make the reed weaker faster. The oboe reed is just a very delicate thing and being played, it will naturally break down quickly. Also, with that being said, the bassoon reed lasts a lot longer (around a month or two) just because they are bigger in size and have more cane which makes them more durable against our mouth/tongue. On average, my reeds last 1-2 weeks.

  • @Marcblur
    @Marcblur10 ай бұрын

    Do you ever shape the staple eye to have an effect on tuning?

  • @upiper71
    @upiper71 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Jen, I make Uilleann pipe reeds. Where on earth did you get that Gouge machine?

  • @violeryn

    @violeryn

    Жыл бұрын

    It looks like an iNNOLEDY gouging machine... I would love to try it out once to see if it only looks easier and quicker to use than the "traditional" one or this is a fine editing haha :)

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    Жыл бұрын

    It is an Innoledy machine from the US

  • @upiper71

    @upiper71

    Жыл бұрын

    @@sharkdoublereeds5878 thanks Jen!

  • @zackeryolds4058
    @zackeryolds40582 ай бұрын

    How much would it cost to get all of the tools to start making them

  • @raelashomb2635
    @raelashomb2635 Жыл бұрын

    where would you buy the supplies, (cane)?

  • @derpsydaisy5202
    @derpsydaisy52022 жыл бұрын

    Where did you get that gorgeous thread? 😍

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Isn’t it? Unfortunately it was given to me as a gift so I have no idea

  • @violeryn

    @violeryn

    Жыл бұрын

    I might be mistaken, but it looks like squirrely stash thread to me. :)

  • @Spik3yw0rm
    @Spik3yw0rm Жыл бұрын

    She didn’t use cork grease…😥 4:07

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    Жыл бұрын

    It depends how your staples fit your oboe but you don't always need cork grease. My staples fit quite easily in my oboe!

  • @gobol5307
    @gobol53072 жыл бұрын

    Hello! I like your work very much. How can I get in touch with you.

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @robjenhen
    @robjenhen2 жыл бұрын

    Is that bamboo or a special type of reed. In South Africa we have all different types of bamboo, although not indigenous to this country

  • @unmshark

    @unmshark

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Rob! What is hard to grow is this specific diameter that works for oboe reeds. As for the type of bamboo...I am not sure but most cane is grown in France but now other places like China and Turkey are producing oboe cane! Thanks for the question!

  • @misomiso8228
    @misomiso822810 ай бұрын

    How long does it take to make each reed?

  • @angelkz7427
    @angelkz7427 Жыл бұрын

    I do have a question: What is the approximate hours of work vs approximate hours of playtime on one reed?

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    Жыл бұрын

    Not an easy answer! It really depends on what you are playing. It takes me a few hours to make a reed and sometimes it can last one week or up to one month!

  • @angelkz7427

    @angelkz7427

    Жыл бұрын

    @@sharkdoublereeds5878 Thanks you for the answer! Enjoyed your video.

  • @lesalmin
    @lesalmin6 ай бұрын

    How long can you play with one?

  • @yae1946

    @yae1946

    6 ай бұрын

    I know you weren’t talking to me, but from my experience about a month or so. It depends on the quality of the reed, but I’d say around 2-3 weeks and maybe even 4 :)

  • @LukeDoesShitStuff
    @LukeDoesShitStuff2 жыл бұрын

    imma spam this to my friend who plays oboe.

  • @sharkdoublereeds5878

    @sharkdoublereeds5878

    2 жыл бұрын

    Great! Thank you!

  • @2krandolph
    @2krandolph2 ай бұрын

    Instrument reeds are made from cane, NOT bamboo. Bamboo is too hard and inflexible for reed making.

  • @hautboiz
    @hautboiz Жыл бұрын

    Cool but very useless as a guide... What form is being used? How long did you bind it? How short did you cut it? What template is used for scraping? What brand of wood did you start put with and what diameter?

  • @peterjohnson4932
    @peterjohnson4932 Жыл бұрын

    I shudder to think how much all that equipment costs. Betting it's many hundreds. Rip off.

  • @johannesockeghem6299
    @johannesockeghem62997 ай бұрын

    Yes indeed, for Oboe players completely useless video because you give no info at all. Which cane and shape do you use? How long you bind on which staple brand and which oboe brand you play on which tuning? Also how thick is the gouge, and which types of gouger and profiler and templates do you use? There are thousands of ways of oboe reed making but you have to be extremely precise what you combine otherwise it might work or not work, especially for young or unexperienced players.

  • @rogerturner5504

    @rogerturner5504

    3 ай бұрын

    Not a very helpful review Johnannes. I personally love the sound of the oboe, was aware that it was a double reed but knew no more than that. I loved watching the process and in that sense the video absolutely serves its purpose. Many thanks Jen.