Extra Blog Post #1—INTERVIEWS AND FAILURES!

Hey, guys!  I just wanted to let you all know that out of the 4 people I contacted for interviews...

1. Richard Woodhams [principal oboe player at the Philadelphia Orchestra]
2. The Philadelphia Wind Symphony
3. Heidi Brann [the woman who sold me her reed making kit]
4. Isabelle Bender [oboist at West Chester University]

...I got 3 responses back!  I will be meeting Isabelle Bender this Sunday at West Chester, as well as conducting an over-the-phone interview with Heidi Brann.  As for Richard Woodhams, him and I are discussing the best times to meet that would work around his schedule.

I am extremely excited to being able to talk to these different people, all of which have varying skill levels in their fields.  I hope to record/film all interviews, as a way of being able to capture what happens.  

Additionally, I have continued my attempts at reed making and am finding it frustratingly difficult to do.  Here is a video I made after making my first reed blank (ever) and then my attempt at scraping it:

I genuinely have no idea why I sound dead in this...
Perhaps indicative of how I am inside?

Here are some photos as well:

finished blank

attempt 2—frontal view

attempt 2—side view
Notice the split side!

So... yeah.  My biggest issue (as seen in the last photo) is getting the sides to close.  Hopefully when I meet with the oboist from West Chester, she can show me how to fix this!

As part of my cyclical post for next week, I think I'll try and post a video / step by step tutorial on how to make a reed, or at least go through the general ideas, so stay tuned for that!

Also, since these posts are considered "extra" (#GiftedBeingExtra?), I'd like to add some fun jokes!  Here goes:

How do you get five oboes in tune?
Shoot four of them.
Once again, please do not deduct points for my awful sense of humor... I can't control it.

ANYWAYS, hopefully these interviews will go well, and I'll come out at least slightly less incompetent than I was before.  Thanks for reading!

- OMB