Post 13: Soaking Oboe Reeds

To get the most out of your oboe reed you should always soak it in warm water!  Soaking your reed in warm water for a couple of minutes will revive the reed, or moisten the reed fibers, faster and more efficiently.  If you do not soak your reed in warm water, you can get a reed that doesn’t respond well and/or plays out of tune.  You can soak your reed in cooler water, but the soaking process takes much longer and, in my opinion, never really “wakes the reed up” like soaking in warm water.  Trying to soak your reed in your mouth is never a good option.