Read Online:
Q: Can you use an oboe reed on english horn
A: No. An English horn reed has wire that stabilizes and focuses the tone of the notes above the staff.
Read here.
Heh … who knew that was the reason?! (So I guess all those players who do use wire on oboe reeds may go ahead and use that oboe reed on an English horn then, eh?)
I actually know someone who uses oboe reeds on the English horn. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it myself, though!
I can’t even imagine! The English horn is NOT a large oboe. It’s a different beast! A wonderful beast, to be sure, but playing an oboe reed on it would really, for me anyway, ruin what it is. Ah well!
(Can you tell that English horn was my main gig for nearly 30 years?!)
Hm… I gotta work on this one…
Let me know how that goes, Cooper!
I have used English Horn reeds for oboe d’more. It had to be held up on higher notes (above an A) but it was certainly better than trying to make a d’more reed… yikes.
Never done that, either. Of course I’ve rarely played the instrument, but I quickly whipped up a few reeds for it. Again, for me, it wouldn’t sound right with an EH reed!
I have, in a pinch, used oboe reeds on Eh. Long ago. It ruins the sound, but it does make noise at approximately the right pitch! Perhaps they meant is it POSSIBLE to play the EH with an oboe reed, which you can (although we all agree is is SUBoptimal!)
Man, I just can’t do it, Jill. I think I’d be fired if I tried! It doesn’t sound at all like my normal English horn sound. I don’t know how you make it work!