"The Reed Maker's Manual" by Weber and Capps

This spiral bound book teaches the Philadelphia Style of oboe reed making. It includes a materials and equipment list, basic reed making techniques including knife sharpening, scraping the cane, crowing the reed and using the plaque. Section Three deals with preparation of cane including all the processes from tube cane to gouging cane, shaping cane, wrapping it on a staple and making a reed blank. Section Four covers scraping the reed from the blank to a finished reed. There is also a final chapter on making English Horn reeds. This book is organized well with lots of good drawings and pictures.

Step-by-step instructions for making oboe and English horn reeds by David Weber and Ferald Capps.

Wonderfully illustrated by Vendla Weber.

Weber and Capps expose the secrets of the greatest reed makers, based upon their training in the Philadelphia style of oboe playing and reed making and from lifelong professional performing careers.

Contents include:

• choosing supplies
• basic techniques (knife sharpening, scraping, crowing, using the plaque)
• preliminary preparation of cane (selecting, gouging, shaping)
• wrapping, overlapping and "blank scrape"
• scraping to finished reed and refining the tone
• "Trade Secrets"
• what to do if...
• photographs of actual reeds made by the authors and other famous professional oboe players

The DVD is intended as a supplement to the manual, but can be used separately.

When the $24.95 DVD is bought with the manual, the book is discounted to $40.05 making the total price $65.00.