All posts | Woodwind Geek

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021

Does the ligature you use affect your playing?

The mouthpiece of a single reed instrument is one of the most important things influencing the quality of the sound. The ligature is part of the mouthpiece setup, so it makes sense that it would have some effect on the sound, but how big is this effect? Is it worth investing in a nice ligature, which can, in some cases be close to the cost of a mouthpiece, or is it not worth the money?

January 17, 2021January 17, 2021

What is the origin of the word “oboe”?

Plenty of people know what an oboe is and can tell you it’s called an oboe, but not many know why it’s called an oboe. The word doesn’t give any obvious clues, we’ve just been taught to associate it with the instrument. It must have come from somewhere, though, and so I’ve decided to find out where it came from, as well as when and why.

September 23, 2020September 23, 2020

Do Cane Reeds Play Better in Summer?

If you’ve been playing a reed instrument for quite a few years, you might think you start to notice trends between the time of year, i.e. the season, and how well the reeds play. I’ve found this before and thought it was probably just a coincidence. I decided to look into it and see if there was any science behind it and found some interesting points.