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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000040.txt from 2004/09
From: OhSuzan419@-----.com
Subj: Re: [DR-L] Oboe vs. Clarinet
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2004 17:25:12 -0400
Well, I do know what you mean about blowing the oboe with such pressure that you begin to feel faint. And I don't think I have ever experienced that on the clarinet. But with a good reed, I don't experience it all that much on the oboe, either.
Getting "clean" intervals is every bit as much of a problem for the clarinetist as it is for the oboist. Same issues. I personally find that the plateau keys make it a great deal easier to make clean intervallic leaps on the oboe than on the open-holed clarinet. There's just one less variable to have to control (i.e., making sure that your fingers completely cover the holes as you land on them).
As far as moving across the octave/register breaks goes, both instruments require the player to be attentive to technique at this juncture. On many clarinets, the "throat tones" (A, Bb) can be impossibly stuffy and out of focus. The "long B" that lies a half step above the throat tones requires all fingers down and all holes covered. Getting the mechanics of this smooth takes work. And even then, many clarinetists are unhappy with the sound of this note. It, too, is often stuffy, and often out of tune.
But this is not all that different than what one experiences on the oboe, I think. The tuning on the "throat" tones of the oboe, especially the Bb, B, and C, is often pretty dicey. I know on my oboe, unless I have a very stable reed, the C just screams, and I have to compensate for it. In comparison, the D which lies just above it can sound stuffy and needs a whole lot more air than the C. So on the matter of crossing the break, I think it is a dead heat between clarinet and oboe as to which is more challenging.
I also want to add that the quality of the instrument you play, and its adjustment, can make a significant difference in your playing experience, even as (or especially as) a beginner. I started my instrumental life as a public school band student using Rico reeds on a very bad clarinet in poor adjustment, and no amount of technical skill could have made it sound really sweet or play really smoothly. I imagine there are a lot of oboes/oboists out there like this, too, am I right?
I have been fortunate to start my oboe playing days with a decent instrument (a Yamaha 411)in good adjustment, good reeds, and expert advice. So maybe that's why I think the playing the oboe is intrinsically more pleasant than playing the clarinet?
Best wishes,
Susan
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