When making oboe reeds, what is the ';overlap';?

I'm in the process of tying reeds (I just started) and I'm following a printed guide and it says that I need to adjust to make an overlap on the left side. What does this mean? I kind of have an idea but I really have no idea how to do this. I'd appreciate any help.When making oboe reeds, what is the ';overlap';?
Wow, you are brave to try this on your own! The overlap means the blades of the reed, when the tip is cut, are not lined up exactly on the sides. Do you have a store-bought reed? Take a close look and you should see that the blades overlap each other, with the edges roughly parallel, with the blade on top positioned to the right of the bottom blade. This helps avoid the reed leaking and also keeps the pitch a little higher. You want your reeds to look like this, assuming you tie right-handed. You can facilitate this by sliding the ends of the cane a little bit to the side before you tie it. I hold the two ends of the cane onto the staple, with my thumb on the top half and index finger on the bottom half, then just slide them to the sides just a little (top half to the right of center and bottom half the other way). Of course, since the tip is not cut yet, the sides will not be parallel at this point. But after you tie the reed, start scraping and eventually clip the tip, you give the blades a little push (again holding the reed between thumb and index finger), pushing the top blade to the right relative to the bottom blade. You should hear a little ';click'; as they snap into place.


This is VERY difficult to explain in writing. There are some good books on the subject but what is even better is to obtain a video of reedmaking that many of the double reed suppliers sell. Even better is to get a teacher to show you how.


Just keep in mind everybody has his own technique. It's good to look at several references and see what works for you. As far as tying the reed, most people start near the top of the staple, wind twice upward, make sure you are very near the end of the staple (should be 47 mm- check with your ruler) then wind down.


Keep it up- it is so nice to be able to make your own reeds.


And make sure you have a sharp knife!


If you are a serious oboist, which you must be if you are making your own reeds, consider joining the IDRS (International Double Reed Society). They have a forum you can search, and if a member, can post questions on reedmaking (and other topics). I have found it to be an invaluable source of information.When making oboe reeds, what is the ';overlap';?
Braden, I am not an expert but I think what you do is fold the reed so that on the left side, you don't just match up the two ends of the reed, but fold one side over the other so there is an air tight seal. As an example, if you fold a piece of paper to make a cone and you want to glue it, you put one side over the other and then the glue has a surface to hold together, not just the edge of the paper. I hope I explained that right for you. If you have any questions, you can email me or google oboe reed tying to find a good illustrated explanation. Good luck to you.
well im not quite sure an overlap is but im also in the process of making reeds myself. so, when tying and mounting the reed, you must first fold the cane in half so that each side is equally aligned. The place the cane about half way down the staple, which is the metal tube. Now the tying of the reed. Take your string and make sure that it is tied around something sturd that wont move. Next take the spool of string in your hand and place the staple with the cane between the sturdy object that the string is tied to and the spool of string that you are holding. Finally we start to wrap the reed. Start to wrap the reed and the bottom of the cane. Make sure to pull the string tight and make sure that it is always tight! Start to wrap up the reed, making sure that both sides are closing at about the same time. dont pull too tight or else you will crack the cane through the middle and all your work will have been for nothing. ALSO! Don't go Above the Top of the Staple!!! when you reach the top, carefully wrap your string Downward so that you start wraping downward from where you first started. Continue wrapping downward until you reach the bottom. Tie a slipknot 2 or 3 time and put some clear nailpolish on top of the knot just to make sure that it is secure. Almost There. Your last step is to shave you reed with a knife. The knife should be specially made for reed making and can be bought at forrestmusic.com. I cant really tell you how to shave your reeds because they can be shaved differently for different players. My advice is too look at one of your reeds that you have bought in the past and shave according to that. Reeds do have to be shaved on both sides, and the tip should be so thin that when you hold it up to the light, you can almost see through it. Last but not least, Cut the tip of the reed with your knife. I hope this helped you and dont get frustrated if it dosent crow the first time, it will take many tries before you get a responsive, playing reed. Also, if you need more help, mklreeds.com has a series of online books and videos that are easy to understand and follow. Good Luck!!!