This blog is the first in a series of monthly posts written by Chicago Sinfonietta musicians. This week's guest blogger is June Matayoshi, an active free-lance oboist and English hornist in Chicago. She is a member of the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.
Nothing creates more havoc for a double reed player than the change of seasons. Imagine having your perfectly honed reeds completely collapse due to a humidity and temperature drop, or become so 
saturated and enlarged due to too much humidity and rise in temperature. How do you even predict what kind of reed to make when the temperature is as variable as it is in Chicago at this time of year!
As an oboist who has battled with double reeds for over 30 years, my reed making struggles often have me asking myself, "Why do I continue to play this instrument?!"
Think about having the success of your professional career hinging on a piece of bamboo. A bad reed can make or break an oboist. Assuming you have the musical ability to master the techniques of the oboe itself, a professional oboist must also spend endless hours perfecting the art of making a reed, something that takes years and years to develop. You take bamboo tube cane, splice it, chop it to length, gouge it to a particular thinness, fold and shape the cane to a specific shape, then take the folded cane and tie it onto a tube. Once you have made this "reed blank," you sharpen your knife to begin the whittling process. You carefully sculpt the reed, creating a backbone and channels, a very thin tip, and a thicker middle area called the heart of the reed.
Sound easy? Not! Here are the problems. Back in the 70's, John Mack, principal oboist of the Cleveland Orchestra, said that we had to accept the fact that good cane sources were dwindling and that we had to learn to make playable reeds from bad cane. Cane was no longer given the chance to grow and age to maturity due to keeping up with demand. He said that over 30 years ago! So you get the picture. Couple that with working with a woody grass like bamboo, which can be highly affected by temperature, humidity, altitude, and sometimes you just throw up your hands wondering how to tame this plant into a reed that is going to provide you with the warm, articulate tone every oboists strives for.
How long do reeds last? It depends on how lucky you are. Sometimes it's one rehearsal. If you've found some decent cane, perhaps the life of the reed may be extended to 3-6 hours worth of playing before it starts to deteriorate. This is why you always see oboists whittling on reeds, always readying a new reed for the next rehearsal or performance.
Check out this Wikipedia link for a rundown on reedmaking. There are some nice illustrations here as well.
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