Double reed making for oboes, shawms, and similar, is a complex and subtle art. This page describes a relatively simple way to make a practice "double reed" from a drinking straw.
# 1. Cut a length of drinking straw
# 2. Dunk tip in boiling water and squeeze tip
# 3. Sandpaper tip
# 4. Wrap straw in brown packing tape, leaving a small area near the tip exposed
# 5. Insert into instrument, ensuring an airtight seal
1. Cut a length of drinking straw
The diameter of the drinking straw should match the diameter of the top the bore of the instrument as closely as possible.
2. Dunk tip in boiling water and squeeze tip
The hot water makes the straw malleable. Squeeze it so the tip is flattened.
3. Sandpaper tip
Draw the tip of the reed over a piece of sandpaper.
Experiment with different angles.
If the straw is stiff, it might need a shallow angle from horizontal and lots of passes. If it's lightweight it might just need a few at close to 45 degrees from horizontal.
The straw will now produce a noise if blown like a double reed.
4. Wrap straw in brown packing tape, leaving a small area near the tip exposed
The pitch the straw produces should be much higher. The pitch needs to be higher than the highest note you need to play.
I think this works because the stiff packing tape only lets the straw vibrate near the tip.
5. Insert into instrument, ensuring an airtight seal
You might need some extra tape to pad out the diameter so that it fits properly.
You might need some cork grease to make a tight seal.
That's it, but you may need to experiment in order to get a good reed. It's faster and cheaper than working with real reed!