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Re: Breathing tips

Author: JRC
Date: 2012-08-28 13:37

I started playing oboe again after over 30 years of not touching the oboe. The first thing I did was to fix the oboe to leak-proof and perfect mechanical condition. The second was took out my 30 year old reeds and check then out one by one. My embouchure lost all the muscles for oboe playing, which made checking out reeds a real challenge. Surprisingly, these old reeds played!! That is another story all together.

But the most difficult part of my attempts to return was the breathing; capacity, endurance, and ability to control "long" notes. My fingers felt awkward but it slowly came back, very slowly. One thing I noticed was that it was much easier to play faster passages than slower ones, breath-wise. So I took up Salviani scales and Singer arpeggios as fast as I could play all the notes regardless how precise the pitch. I practices just the fast scales couple hours every day. Nothing else. I used Easter Oratorio, BWV 249, to check the progress at the end of my practice sessions. It took me over six months before I could play the Bach half way. It took another six months I could play the entire piece. Not well, but my lips and lung could endure it. That drove my wife absolutely nuts. She went out out the house when I practiced.

Morale of the story is that it is easier for my lungs to play faster passages than longer notes. I am also convinced that Salviani style scale exercises are the best for improving and strengthening lung. A by-product is improved fingers and embouchure muscle buildup. Easter Oratorio, BWV 249, is the ultimate proof piece of lung performance. Actually not only the lung, but also embouchure, reed, and overall ability to express music with oboe.

I hope this is useful to someone.

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