When youre having oboe reed troubles, looking at your own reeds for answers is like trying to make out your reflection while looking into a cloudy pond. It is really hard to see, and what you can make out, you can barely make sense of anymore.

Thats the thing with oboe reedmaking.

The pendulum can swing from really good to really bad very quickly. And when you are at really bad, it is hard to find your way back without some help. You need someone to clear the muddy water for you, and that is one of the best reasons to have good oboe playing friends!

Ive done this many a time, and it always works great for whoever gets involved. Mostly, it has just been 2 of us, each kind of us struggling with our oboe reeds in some way. Maybe I cant get mine to close very well, but my friend just cant get hers up to pitch.

We have a reedmaking session and trade oboe reeds for a while. She works on mine, and I work on hers. It is the most amazing (and cheap!) lesson you can get.

Looking at someone elses reeds is eye-opening, and you immediately see what you could do better, and what you are already doing pretty well. And presenting your problem to someone as they look and work on your reeds works wonders too.

So, I can play my friends oboe reeds and get my general impression, and then I can give her my perspective on the cause of her problem. And she does the same for me. Its a given that there are no guarantees, and you agree to let the other person experiment with your oboe reeds.

But more times than not, you get handed back better oboe reeds than you started with, and the bonus is that your teacher is right there, sitting with you! No matter how much you know about reedmaking, you will ALWAYS learn something by looking at someone elses reeds.

And you will ALWAYS gain insight about your own reeds when you have someone else give you feedback. Its just the way the oboe reed world (and the music world) works a solitary art that needs other peoples help and ideas to really flourish.