Doublereed Archive - Posting 000036.txt from 2003/05

From: PhilFrei@-----.com
Subj: Re: [DR-L] opening throat upper register oboe
Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 21:22:41 -0400

>>(PF) There is a great article in Scientific American: "The Acoustics of the
>>Singing Voice" by Johan Sundberg, March 1977, (reprinted in "The Physics
>>of Music"), in which the mouth and throat are diagrammed. In looking at
>>this, it is clear the tongue goes back as far as the epiglottis (which is
>>just below the uvula), but no more. There are some supporting diagrams of
>>tongue positions for various vowels, which indicate that the position of
>>the posterior of the tongue does play a role, particularly in the second
>>and fourth vocal formants.

>(DL) While I realize you are using the foregoing as an illustration of basic
>anatomy, as I indicated before, I don't think a valid comparison can be
>made between singing and oboe playing.

Yes, they are very different. The use of "vowels" is a way to describe tongue
motion by analogy. One can move the tongue into a vowel position or from one
vowel to another while playing, but it is not the same as speaking those
vowels by any stretch of the imagination. I just meant to show that the back
of the tongue can play a role, and in fact is used in this manner by some
very successful oboists. NOT that I recommend it. I think it is playing with
fire, at least as far as my throat is concerned.

(If one needs extra support for high notes, perhaps the embouchure is too
loose, and a little extra support there, while being careful not to "bite",
is a better recommendation than enlisting the throat or vowels.)

I think the differences (between oboe playing and speech/singing) are even
larger for articulation issues.

>>(PF) Thus both embouchure and breath support are subject to adjustment.
This
>>adjustment is within a given range, and perhaps for pedagocical purposes,
>>just getting students to stay within range is a good first goal. But
>>eventually, I think the best way of thinking about the process is the "X"
>>diagram (the relationship of bite & breath over volume while maintaining
>>correct pitch) which Robinson credits to Tabuteau. I'd just like to add a
>>note-level component to that graph, to illustrate the different registers
>>on the oboe.

>I would like to read this. Can you tell me where I can find it, please?
>Thank you.
>David Lurie

David: The article was printed twice in The Double Reed/IDRS Journal:
10, #3 1987 & in the 1996 25th Anniversary Special Edition - Vol. 19, #3,
1996. It originally came from a magazine called "The Instrumentalist".

The Scientific American reprint edition called "Physics of Music" also has an
interesting article on woodwinds, as well as articles for other instruments
and on the acoustics of concert halls.

Ah, that I had your natural ability, Jonathan, or the courage to just blow
and have faith it would all sort itself out! It took me years of "analysis"
to get out from under trying too hard to follow faulty explanations to the
letter during my first years of playing.

Robinson didn't actually recommend people exhale all the way, by the way. And
I think I read later that he moderated his stance on that aspect even further
since writing the original article. The best part, in my opinion, is the "X"
diagram and the text that accompanies it: basically the last 8 paragraphs.

Phil Freihofner
Oakland