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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000032.txt from 2008/01
From: Mike Benthin -MUTS oboe support <benthin@-----.net>
Subj: [DR-L] Re:correct oboe embouchure (was: flat in upper register)
Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:16:45 -0500
Comment of the day: I think all oboe lessons should start with ONLY the
REED and being aware of what happens to its pitch when learning to make
it vibrate.
Best way I can describe correct embouchre:
Get a popsicle stick. Appose your teeth (touch bottom incisor tips
to top ones). This may be harder for overbite people like me. Slide in
the stick and HOLD it against the part where teeth meet for the next
three sentences. Rest the lips normally on the stick. Smile and notice
how much less lip there is around the stick. Go "ooooh" (the grandma
kiss) and note more lip around the stick.
Now part the teeth but keep their relative positions. Now ROLL IN
the lips, letting the stick go with them. Exaggerate the cushioning of
the lower lip by pulling in the side muscles of the lip downwards- think
"frown". Be conscious of where the teeth are behind the lower lip- they
should be in the thick part, and not below, where it is thin! Don't
pull back the lower teeth to do this.
Now hold a reed this way and note the angle of the reed to
horizontal when only the lips hold the reed- do you hold your oboe that
high or do you compensate by going back to an overbite with less
cushioning below or tilting down the head and closing the throat? (A
shameless plug for MUTS). Get a tuner and blow a steady pitch (with the
right embouchre, it sounds a Bflat). Notice how when you go from 'OOOOH"
to "eeeee" with the lips, the corners of the mouth move BACK as well as
further apart, pulling in the reed more and causing the pitch to rise.
Play soft vs loud and you'll see you have to CUSHION more around the
lips (play looser) to stay on pitch.
You use the term "muffle" to play "warm" and less bright- I assume
you mean more cushioning around the reed. When making or playing a
reed, I think about what is LEFT TO VIBRATE- more lip around the reed
makes for darker sound, tight lips with little contact makes for
brighter, sharper sound if no compensation is made for position along
the reed. I make reeds shorter than most because I make them to be more
on pitch on the high notes with a "normal" em., but also on pitch with
my rather loose em. on the lower notes.
Sameer Al-Abdullah wrote:
So I started changing my embouchure
> which is what I wanna ask you guys about.
>
> How round my lips must be? I do the "old grand mother" kiss then move
> my lips inside. Playing lower notes is fine but once I get higher it
> is REALLY hard to keep the reeds in place and the notes are all
> flat!!! Moreover, my corner muscles get tired right away thus I take
> in a bit more reed and flatten my round embouchure a bit.
>
> I also noticed that muffling up the reed tip a tiny bit makes the
> sound warmer. Is that ok? If I dont I sound bright and loud!!!
>
>
>
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