 The Fingering Forum
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Author: Udi
Date: 2002-02-19 06:28
Hello all. I am a flautist who recently got hold of an oboe (without receiving any guidance whatsoever I might add). The question is this:
What is the correct way to blow into the double reed in terms of embochure, tonguing (is the reed tongued with the the tip of the tongue or the distal tongue body), reed placement, lips, teeth, etc...? In other words, how do I make the d^%& thing play? :-)
Thank you,
Udi.
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Author: Torus Tubarius
Date: 2002-02-19 15:13
Hello Udi. Although it has rather a bad reputation, the emboucure on the oboe, once you get used to it is actually rather simple. What you should do is take the reed and rest it on your bottom lip so that roughly half the reed is touching you lip. Then bring the reed into your mouth by rolling in your lip over your bottom teeth while at the same rolling your upper lip over your top teeth and closing your mouth on the reed. There may be a slight overbite in your embourcure after you do this, and that is normal. Be careful that you have the right amount of reed in your mouth. A good rule of thumb I use is that the heart of the reed (the part just below the tip and extending down about 1/3 the length of the reed) should be in line with your teeth, however you will find as you play more that this varies from person to person and reed to reed.
Next, make ABSOLUTELY SURE you are not biting down on the reed. Your mouth should be gently closed over the reed so that your lips essentially become of cushion that surrounds the reed. Approximately equal amounts of pressure should be applied to the circumference of the reed, though your lips should not become taut and inflexible. Imagine your lips being a drawstring pouch that has been pulled gently shut around the reed.
Once you start playing, try and resist the temptation to control the tone by changing the tension or position of the lips. While minute adjustments are sometimes necessary for proper shading and control, the vast majority of control of the instrument should come from AIR.
Lastly, tonguing should be done essentially with the part of your tongue just behind the tip. The way I do it is to lightly touch that part of the tongue to the tip of the reed (mostly the bottom blade) to halt the tone. Be sure to tongue lightly as you may damage the tip of the reed, and as you will discover the tip of the reed makes a huge difference in how it plays. Good luck.
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Author: Udi
Date: 2002-02-19 19:59
Thanks for the info. I'll try it out tomorrow as it is 23:00 here now and the neigbours might get a little cross if I implement your advice right now... :-)
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