I wanted to share this video I made, but wasn’t sure where to post this, so I’m putting it on this board because it relates to music…? (I hope that’s okay!)
Oboe players spend a lot of time working on reeds, and there are a LOT of steps that even I often forget. I finally put together a super cut of the process. 
Enjoy!
I was captivated. I had no idea why things were being done, but it was so cool to see! I’m so impressed. I enjoyed the Spongebob throwback, was intrigued by (and somewhat scared of) your specialty cutting implements, and was horrified that those gorgeous curls got composted (surely, somewhere, a scarecrow wants to be a blonde). That rainbow thread is so pretty. I’m rambling. But that was fascinating. I’m astounded that you went from a tabletop full of potential candidates to a tiny number of finished reeds. Do oboe players generally prefer to make their own reeds? How long does one reed last on average? Thank you for sharing your process.
Goodness-- I had a friend in college who played bassoon & I remember her making reeds, but I think she started with the trimmed cane & there wasn’t as much finessing at the end. This is impressive!
Ya, I immediately looked up the cost of pre-fab reeds and how long they last. I am so happy it’s you that plays the oboe and not one of my kids!
Wow. I had no idea the work involved, or that people made their own. What a neat and unique process.
Wow, that was a great video! I had no idea reed making was that involved. Thanks for sharing. 
Heehee, yes, I have a lot of blades. 
And don’t worry, I have made plenty of curly cane crafts over the years!
Also, I didn’t take all of the tubes in the first shot all the way to the end, but yes, there is a lot of material that doesn’t make the cut. I used to make every bit of what I could into reeds, but time end energy ends up getting wasted later if the wonky pieces make it past the vetting process. 
I think most players prefer to make their reeds (er, prefer the reeds they make), because they can have a bit of control over them.
As far as how long they last… because they’re organic material, they have a tendency to keep changing over time, so adjustments keep being made. I’ve had reeds last for a rehearsal before calling it quits, and I’ve had a few freak reeds that have been happy to play for a couple months!
Yeah, the bigger the reed, the easier they are to deal with. Even english horn reeds (which are just a few mm size bigger than these) seem infinitely less finicky!
Haha! It’s one of the things I try to make clear to anyone who wants to play oboe! I think people don’t realize the difference in “accessory” costs from instrument to instrument. If I ever have kids, they’re all playing viola. Or trombone. HA.
I used to play oboe. No, I used to have lessons at school then not practice.
The reeds were awful and I remember mum moaning about the cost (and that was 40 years ago!) I didn’t continue long enough to learn how to make my own.
Thinking about it, it’s no wonder I didn’t practice - I actually wanted to learn flute. Not that much difference between the two; you blow in one end and change the noise by twiddling your fingers on knobs 
Wowzers! I was extra picky about my clarinet reeds, but that was just “who to buy from” level! And just a single reed to worry about.
LOVED the video! One tip - some of the titles could last a second longer, maybe. The action was all on the right side and the titles were so fast on the left side which meant I kept missing them and having to rewind to make sure I saw them. Just a very very little point, the video was great. I love how you included the care of the equipment also. That is also something that frequently gets forgotten in the rush to just get the things made!
That was an amazing tutorial!
Thank you for sharing.
You did an awesome job on it.
And I was surprised at how many steps it involved.
I agree, lol. I just did this in iMovie and I couldn’t figure out how the heck to make the text last longer than any of the individual clips, so in any place where I cut something out (which was every-stinking-where), I couldn’t get the text to last longer. But I’m a tech troglodyte, so there’s probably some simple solution I missed, haha!
Never thought I’d find reed-making so entrancing! Great job!!
Amazing piece of information! That’s a lot of preparation. Thanks for the insight. CJ
Also, I think your project description is misleading… “A Simple Process”. Ha! Did you watch the video?
