Doublereed Archive - Posting 000094.txt from 2004/10

From: herb fawcett <herbgosia@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [DR-L] Re: Ideal woodwind theory and oboe playing
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 13:38:05 -0400

To teach that each note is not a separate problem, and that one should play
"on the wind" is a very fine idea. Ask your saxophonist to play his highest
legitimate note and his lowest and then to honestly tell you that the
embouchure and wind are the same. I doubt it. Certainly on a bassoon there
are many subtle changes, but a lot can be accomplished within his ideas and
it could lead to a very smooth legato style.
Herb

> From: "Angela Wells" <oneflute1oboe@-----.com>
> Reply-To: doublereed@-----.org
> Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 08:03:23 -0700
> To: doublereed@-----.org
> Subject: [DR-L] Re: Ideal woodwind theory and oboe playing
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> I remember reading on this list a while back something about what pitch one
> should be blowing on the reed while playing the oboe. If I remember
> correctly, most of us agreed that somewhere around Bb is good. So, playing
> the reed without the oboe, Bb would be the sounding pitch, and the feeling
> of playing Bb on the reed should be transferred to playing the whole oboe.
>
> I also have a hazy recollection of someone saying that they give students
> exercises to play on the reed alone, sliding between Ab and C as well as
> moving between these notes in steps. The purpose of these excersises was to
> develop some kind of technique for rolling the reed in and out of the
> embouchure.
>
> Please do tell me if I've dreamed this all up. Also, if anyone disagrees or
> has any corrections to make, please do.
>
> My problem is that I've been attending required weekly "woodwind
> masterclasses" at school which are usually given by a saxophone player.
> Everyone but the flutes are thrown in together. This particular saxophone
> professor has a wealth of knowlege about musical phrasing, but confuses us
> double reeds when he talks about technique.
>
> He had a sax student blow through only the mouthpiece and neck of the
> saxophone, demonstrating that the air and embouchure are independent of what
> note you're playing. Air and embouchure remain constant while you move your
> fingers.
>
> I learned in woodwind pedagogy that this is true for single reed
> instruments. However, this professor maintains that it's true for all wind
> instruments.
>
> I challenged him. I showed how several pitches can be blown on an oboe reed,
> and demonstrated how we use this for intonation purposes as well as for
> extreme registers. He tried to prove me wrong and managed to confuse me
> thoroughly.
>
> It seems that his point is true to a certain extent when applied to the
> oboe. We tend to overcompensate, and do too many wacky things with our air
> and embouchure while our fingers flail about. But I still feel that
> embouchure compensation is needed. I know that I have to sacrifice a certain
> amount of stability in my reeds to get them to where they're not hard as
> brick, sharp, and thin sounding.
>
> On one hand, I tell myself that he's a sax player and doesn't really know
> squat about the oboe. Obviously his idea cannot apply entirely to the flute,
> where there is no ocave key and you have to change *something* other than
> fingerings to get the differnent octaves. So, it's possible that along the
> spectrum of wind instruments, parts of the idealism get lost.
>
> On the other hand, I wonder if there are oboists who subscribe to a theory
> like his. I already know what my own teacher thinks. What about you?
>
> What about the person who wants their students to develop embouchure rolling
> facility? Am I completely misinterpreting the point of that?
>
> All discussion is appreciated. :-)
>
> ~Angela
>
> Get ready for school! Find articles, homework help and more in the Back to
> School Guide! http://special.msn.com/network/04backtoschool.armx
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> For personal help: email doublereed-owner@-----.org
> Doublereed is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------
For personal help: email doublereed-owner@-----.org
Doublereed is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org