Reedmaking, liability, and morality.

Sunday September 23 2007

A week ago when I sat down with a CPA… who specializes in setting up businesses, I learned about all of the different kinds of businesses and which one I should register as. Sole Proprietor, Limited Liability Corporation, “S” Corp, “C” Corp, and all of that good stuff.

One thing that struck me funny during the meeting was how the CPA… described the Limited Liability Corp (otherwise known as an LLC…).

“So, if someone orders one of your reeds, and swallows it and chokes on it and decides to sue you for it, then you are liable only partially—” the CPA… explained.

“If someone swallows one of my reeds, they shouldn’t be playing oboe!” I shot back sarcastically.

I continued to explain that this business is pretty safe from being sued, unless someone pokes their eye out with a reed or, as stated previously, swallows one.

But today I found myself faced with a dilemma. A mother wrote me a couple months requesting reed samples, which I sent out. The student was looking for reeds that were bigger than his locally store-bought ones, and felt that he was being “held back by a lack of good reeds.” This statement in itself is one which reveals much about the mindset of an inexperienced oboe student; most believe once they find “the magic oboe reed” they’ll get the tone they have always dreamed about and everything will fall into place. While the reed can play a good part in the process, anyone who’s played oboe knows if you have a vibrant, responsive, well-constructed reed, it’s then the oboist’s setup and physical ability to produce the beautiful tone we all love and know.

Now, the student had only been playing for 3 weeks. Yes, 3 weeks.

I didn’t have a solid embouchure for at least a year, and the earliest I’ve ever heard of a developed embouchure in a beginner is 6 months or so, practicing every day twice a day in front of a mirror. Furthermore, I didn’t have a developed tonal concept for several years, which was further detrimental to me because I never had a consistency as to what I was shooting for.

But this 3-week old oboist (probably now 2 or 3 months old) was looking for some quality oboe reeds, and I was happy to oblige. So he received my reeds and the feedback I got was that he said “They felt as if they were already broken in.”

This comment is a bit odd, namely because 1. Most people like broken in reeds, 2. Most students don’t know the difference between broken in reeds and non-broken in reeds, and don’t know how to break them in properly anyway, and 3. Really didn’t tell me much as to whether he liked them or not. I asked the mom if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but she didn’t respond.

Today I checked my mail (from yesterday) and found the box I had originally sent, returned to me with the two reeds in. Apparently they weren’t worth keeping, however when I tried them, they work great! I would have been able to sell them to any other oboist who purchases my reeds regularly without problem.

Thinking about it, I realized I had a dilemma. Obviously he thought the reeds were “too small” persay, but as an experienced reedmaker and oboist, I can’t imagine giving a month-old student one of my heavier reeds, even though they are “bigger” and “thicker”. Furthermore, they also cover more, which also covers a student’s flaws in airflow, embouchure support, etc. To put it bluntly, they’re easier to bite and blow against.

Most of my clients and friends, including Patty find the RDG… 2 reeds a hair too heavy, and I never play on them, simply because I don’t have the muscle. Logically, I believe these are indeed the kind of reeds that he is looking for, but what happens if I sell them to him, knowing that he is a beginning oboist, and he ends up ruining his face (or jaw thus developing TMJ… like I did) trying to play on them? Am I liable for the decision I make in selling them to him? From a business side, it’s just more money but morally I would never put another oboist through the same ringer that I was forced to crawl and scratch my way out of.

Just some thoughts.

Gearing up for School

Saturday September 22 2007

Well school starts on Monday but my practicing began today. I went to school this morning at 10:00 am and practiced for an hour. Then Kitty the other Grad student who plays oboe came around and we played duets for another hour. Ferling duets, and Handel Duo Sonatas. By the end of the session my face was about to fall off. I don’t think I’ve played that much in at least 4 months. (My concerto in May?) It hurt!

I’ve worked out my schedule, and I’ll be going for the gold! I’ve registered for 16 grad-level credits. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Oboe studio is 4, Wind Ensemble is 2 and Orch is 2. My other classes include History of Opera and Counterpoint, each worth 4 credits. I can still drop counterpoint if its too much for me and be fine with 12 credits. We’ll see!

UofO auditions

Friday September 21 2007

So I recently took my school placement tests and placement audition. I will be co-principaling the top school orchestra with another grad student who’s major is theory but she also plays the oboe. My professor is a firm believer in rotation, and I am too so I am happy with this arrangement. There are at least 4 groups (2 orchs, 2 wind ensembles) which need to have enough oboes, and currently there’s only about 7 or 8 of us. You do the math. So I think some of us are going to have to do double coverage.

The big piece this quarter is Beethoven 5. The big piece the final quarter is Tchaik 4! Not 5! Big Big solo! Woohoo! So we’ll see which one of us gets it.

I played the Bach Partita I’ve been milking this entire summer (recital in July, Northwest Oboe Conference, and now auditions) and did okay, despite a less-than-stellar reed. But I think the thing that really sealed my fate was I was requested to sightread the final page of the Berlioz Symphony Fantastique with some fast 6/8 stuff with lots of annoying trills.

And it was fast.

And he asked for it fast.

And I went—

HONK…——

SPLAT…——.

Blah Blah Blah. Needless to say, it didn’t go too well.

Symphonie Fantastique is one of those pieces in the major rep that I’ve heard half a dozen times, and every time I hear it I say to myself, “What the heck? What is this crap?” It’s just one of those pieces that rubs me the wrong way. I hope I don’t get assigned to it this first concert (I find out Sunday).

Oh and by the way, by the sheer grace of God, I passed my Grad theory exam, Grad aural skills exam, and the Grad musicology exam. Incredible! (My wife looked at me funny when I told her and she responded, “Did you even study? I didn’t see you!”)

If you try and fail…

Friday September 21 2007

— keep plugging away. For a week I’ve been ridiculously busy with the University of Oregon orientation. I’m a New Graduate Student Music School Graduate Teaching Fellow (GTF…).

There’s meetings for:

• New Grad Students
• New Music Grad Students
• Grad GTF…
• New Music Grad GTF…
• New Grad GTF…
• New Music Grad GTF…

I’ve had auditions, placement tests, and meetings. And, I’ve been trying to readjust all of my gouging machines since the last time I blogged an entry. All of my reed orders, cane orders, etc. have been on hold.

Why? Because I’ve been slaving away at my desk making reeds.

So why haven’t any reeds gone out this week? Because my gouge has been messed up since the beginning of the seasonal change.

But faith has been restored, and all is well again in the land of Oboereedworld™. This is good, because now that the gouges have been restored to their proper settings, my reeds are flying out like the breeze!

For my clients who are waiting around wondering where their reeds are, here’s the order of waiting:

1. Client in DE: 3 reeds (ready and going out this weekend)
2. Client at NASA…: 4 reeds (ready to go out this weekend)
3. Client in LA: 20 pieces of cane, will be shipped out early next week
4. Client in AZ: 10 reeds, should go out next week
5. Client in OH: 3 reeds, should go out next week
6. Clients in Newfoundland, Decatur IL, etc. need to be officially firmed up.

The great news is I’m finally cranking out some great reeds! A good time to try them out if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, and wondering what they really are like.

One last note. Order reeds now and you’ll still get the lower price of $15/pro reed. Starting Oct. 1st, all reeds go up in price!

Read the Rest

Gouging woes.

Monday September 17 2007

After 2 solid days of work, I’ve almost got my #1 gouging machine working to where it needs to be. It’s still gouging thin on the sides, which is making my upper register sag, but it’s a careful balance between keeping the sides thin and maintaining extra vibration, “ring” and flexibility, and getting the sides just thick enough so that the upper register sits up. Meanwhile, I have gotten my Opus 1 gouging machine to where I want it to be, nice and thick on the sides to hold open those big RDG… 2 reeds.

It’s a careful balance between tip length, tip thickness, and thickness of sides. In order to get the maximum vibrations and overtones, you want the sides as thin as possible. But you have to have sides that are thick enough to support the upper register. During the summer with the heat and humidity, you can get away with having these sides thinner, but recently it has become fall and gotten cooler and less humid here in Oregon, so I’m being forced to thicken up the sides. Because my sides still aren’t quite thick enough, I’m being forced to shorten up the length of my tips. Generally, the shorter the tip, the more stable a reed will be in the high register. However right now my tips are too short, and therefore I need to thicken the sides so that they will support a longer tip. I’m almost there, but I need to get my tips a little bit longer.

Woe is me. Sigh—