 The Fingering Forum
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Author: Jenna
Date: 2003-11-15 23:48
My band teacher told me i have the weekend to learn how to play oboe. It seems to be goign ok but i cant seem to hit the lowere register. Does anyone with experience have anytips on how to get to the lower register without squeakying?
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Author: sömeone
Date: 2003-11-16 05:08
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET YOURSELF TO PLAY THE OBOE IN A WEEKEND. If your band director is forcing you to do this tell him to get himself a new degree and start all over again. Well anyway, there are a few factors to consider,
1. Are you playing on a working reed? I.e. is it too stout or hard?
2. Try playing at the very tip of the reed.
Try and see if this helps because i have only been playing for a year now and still encounter a lot of problems everytime i play.
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2003-11-16 05:43
first of all, you can scrap all plans to go from 0-100% proficiency on an instrument straight away. The most you can get out of a weekend is may a scale or two. Learning some fingerings. It takes years to develop a decent tone, and to master *most* of the possible techniques that the oboe requires. I would suggest putting in a good hour or two of practicing. Any more, and you will be physically or mentally exhausted.
D-oboe
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Author: Mikey
Date: 2003-11-16 15:25
Like i said in a thread about low notes on Oboe, try to make a frowny face :( when trying to get like the low Bb. My director told me that and it worked.
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Author: TorusTubarius
Date: 2003-11-17 21:59
This is what I wrote about two months ago in response to the exact same question. I cut and pasted it for you to read here. If you want to read the entire thread, the orginal post is from user <i>mls</i> on 9/24/03 17:08 and is entitled "Low notes on oboe."
There are four main reasons why you may be having trouble with the low notes, which incidentally are the fundamental four aspects of oboe playing in any regard: embouchure, air, the reed, and the oboe itself.
<u>Embouchure</u>
When you're playing down in the lowest register of the oboe, you first of all have to play closer to the tip of the reed. This will help both response and stability. Another thing to remember is to make sure you are providing plenty of lateral support on the reed with your lips. Try and imagine your lips making more of an "oooo" shape was you move down into the low range of the instrument. It should feel sort of like you're puckering your lips when whistling. This motion will simultaneously help provide enough pressure on the sides of the reed and force you to play closer to the tip.
Also I find that for certain low notes I tend to lean more on the lower lip such as the low F, E, Eb, and low B and Bb. On other low notes, such as the low D, C#, and especially low C, I get the best response when I position the reed so that I'm not really leaning on either lip. That's something you might experiment with yourself to see what works best for you.
<u>Air</u>
Most of the time people are afraid of the low notes on the oboe (rightfully so) and tend to use too little air. Ironically it is in this register that you need the most boisterous air column because you're essentially having to fill up the entire length of the tube with vibrating air, as opposed to only half or less with notes like G, G#, A, etc. I guess it's sort of counterintuitive since most of the time people will try and force too much air into the oboe for mid-range notes, and the back the amount off for the low notes, which is exactly the reverse of what should be happening.
So long story short, don't be afraid to blow.
<u>The reed</u>
If your reed isn't vibrating enough (i.e. there is no bottom octave in the crow), then the low notes are going to be reticent to speak. I don't know if you've even thought about adjusting your reeds yet, but this could be the problem as well.
<u>The oboe</u>
Last, it could be a problem with your oboe. There may be a leak somewhere which is making it more difficult to play the low notes. However, if you're still a beginner, I would try and make corrections in the air and embouchure before I went looking to the oboe itself for the problem. All things being equal, it's usually more a problem with the player than the oboe or the reed.
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Author: Eric
Date: 2004-03-16 20:22
low notes work better if you drop your jaw.. keep your throat open and don't smile. Embouchures are not easy to master. good luck.
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