 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Merry
Date: 1999-05-20 01:53
I have been graciously lent an oboe to try out for a few weeks by one of the high school music teachers. I have always longed to try the oboe but I need a bit of help getting started. I have been given a fingering chart and some basic music but need some advice on what to do with my embouchure. I know this is a clarinet website and I am primarily a clarinet player but if anyone else has a part time interest in oboes could you please tell me how much of the reed I should put in my mouth. I can get a reasonable sound out the oboe even if it does sound a bit like a dying goose but I think I am putting too much reed in my mouth.
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Author: Linzi
Date: 1999-05-20 03:05
I have been given a fingering chart and some basic music but need some advice on what to do with my embouchure. I know this is a clarinet website and I am primarily a clarinet player but if anyone else has a part time interest in oboes could you please tell me how much of the reed I should put in my mouth.
I have been playing clarinet for 4 and a half years and oboe for two years. I am getting more serious about oboe but still play clarinet in several groups and take lessons and am in an honor group for it. You put about 1/2 of the reedy part in your mouth but it kinda varyies for different people/reeds. Make sure you don't bite the reed and don't put your teeth on it. That is a good start. When I first began playing I was doing it all wrong.
I can get a reasonable sound out the oboe even if it does sound a bit like a dying goose but I think I am putting too much reed in my mouth.
Don't worry about it. Most people sound like dying ducks and party horns when they just begin, I did. One day my mom said "Wow you don't sound like a party horn anymore" after my oboe lesson. gee thankz....anyway. What type of reed are you using? On some reeds I souund really good and on others I sound terrible. Homemade are the best.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-05-20 16:09
Having fought the oboe war for some 10 years [it won!], I did profit from lessons from a skillful nearby oboist and from an old but good booklet which gave embouchure [sp?] advice as well as {American-style}reed making instruction. However for comfortable music, I returned to clar and sax finding the latter had many oboe characteristics! It was a very worthwhile experience, however. Don
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Author: Rich C
Date: 1999-05-20 20:06
Actually ,I am just learning oboe myself...my band teacher told me that the tip of the reed should lie on that part where your lip and "inner gummy fleshy" lart meet...it took me awhile to figure it out...actually, more like 40 minutes, but once I did, I quickly got the idea down... (It still needs some refining, but i have the basic idea down
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Author: John
Date: 1999-05-21 16:09
I am like Don Berger, having picked up the oboe when one was needed in a city orchestra. I played oboe for about 10 years, too and count it all as a blessing. I never learned so much about breath control and musical phrasing with any other instrument. The oboe was a wonderful instructor but a real taskmaster. About the reed, most oboe reeds are made to play more in tune with less reed in the mouth. Oboe is easier to get a sound with more reed, but will sound less quacky with less. Until you have developed your double lip chops you may not notice a difference, but stick with it! The best way is to find a good teacher.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 1999-05-21 21:13
How interesting, John, to find a parallel to my experience! Under the heading of "Musicality" is a good discussion that relates to our "education" from our own feelings and our good conductor's instructions as to how a solo-oboist should interpret the written notes. What you said re: a rewarding but humbling [sp?] experience is correct!! Don
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Author: Merry
Date: 1999-05-23 23:17
The reeds I am using are some older ones that the lady gave me with the oboe. They are just plain Ricos and if oboe reeds are anything like clarinet reeds Ricos are not my favourites. I started on one that said medium soft and could only play up to an A just above the staff. However, I found one marked medium and managed to get top E out. It sounds marginally better but is still a combination of a sick bagpipe and a dying goose. I don't think I will try making reeds unless I get a bit more serious about it. It is definitely a change in sound from my mellow clarinet and tenor horn but I like it and am thinking about pursuing it further if I can find and afford a good second hand oboe. Do you have any suggestions about brands?
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Author: Margaret Copeland
Date: 1999-05-25 20:53
Some inexpensive "store brand" oboe reeds can be adjusted to play better but requires a bit of skill with a knife. Some are supported by wires or laminated in such a way that they can't be improved. There has been some good things said about Fox oboe reeds as well as Bill Roscoe. You could start there. When you get any kind of oboe reed, test it first for leaks and examine it for cracks. Many oboe beginners over/under soak the reed and don't know what the reed opening should look like. Until you can develop or practice a proper oboe embouchure, it will be difficult to get a good "mellow" sound out of an oboe. It might not be the fault of the reed !
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Author: Merry
Date: 1999-05-25 23:25
I'm pleased to see you put the word mellow in inverted commas. I love the sound of the oboe but after listening to several oboe recording on the weekend it was very nice to listen to the warm, smooth sounds of the clarinet afterwards.
What is a rough estimate of how much space there should be between the two reeds at the centre. I have two reeds that have a very small gap and another that has a comparitively large gap which I impossible to get a sound with.
I think I may have to return my borrowed oboe to its owner tonight. It has certainly sparked my interest I just hope I can find a good second hand oboe to invest in as they sure are expensive creatures.
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Author: Linzi
Date: 1999-05-25 23:51
Margaret Copeland wrote:
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Until you can develop or practice a proper oboe embouchure, it will be difficult to get a good "mellow" sound out of an oboe. It might not be the fault of the reed
True, true! But often it might be the reed that is making someone sound terrible on the oboe, thus giving it a bad name. I have used many types of oboe reeds and each makes me sound different
My teacher's- I love his reeds when he lets me buy them because I can sound really good and play well because it is intune, responsive ...yada yadda
kestrel- decent sometimes, many had splits at the bottom of the cane where tied to the staple
jones- those were okay for beginners but more like blanks
dustee- not very responsive and/or easy to get a sound on
albion- i only have one but it is excellent, my favorite under my teacher's
chudnow- not very responsive but were pretty good.
I need to get more albion because I only have one and a bunch of other reeds that are crappy.....excuse my language but they do deserve it.
Remember, always judge your sound by how you sound on your best reed!
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Author: Margaret Copeland
Date: 1999-05-26 13:30
I make hundreds of oboe reeds. I get a superior reed in one of twenty that I make. Splits at the base close to the winding can happen from many causes when you make a reed but if these reeds are from an experienced maker, it is an indication that the reed shape at the base where it is tied on doesn't match the camber or width of the staple. Probably more than you wanted to know ! A reed like that could play perfectly fine but I wouldn't sell one like that.
Inexpensive oboe reeds are often made from questionable cane and many of the profiling processes are automated. I don't know why but I don't think sanding a reed to shape makes a good reed. Brian Charles makes good reeds but they have to be in pitch for you on your oboe.
Before you toss your crappy reeds, let them sit around for a few months and try again. Sometimes they really improve. I never recycle my reeds until I give them a few months. Also be sure to rinse your reeds well after each playing and let them dry out with the case open before putting away. This will extend their life.
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Author: Margaret Copeland
Date: 1999-05-26 13:44
After you've soaked the reed, the playing gap should be between 1 to 2 mm at center. Now you might have to gently insert an oboe plaque and close the reed down gently and hold for a minute or so. A new reed can be pretty resistent and will try to go back to a larger gap. However, this treatment will help. If the gap is too large your untrained embouchure will be working excessively to close the blades enough for them to vibrate. This is very tiring and elimanates any stacatto or low notes. An older reed is sometimes completely closed after soaking. By gently forcing open the blades you can get that gap back. New oboe players generally don't put enough reed in their mouth because they lack the strength to close down the reed with their embouchure. The newbie will bite the reed or "smile". I give new players very soft easy to play reeds and over a *loong* period of time have them graduate to a firmer reed.
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