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Re: Good tone

Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2008-02-01 03:42

OK, boboe -- there is probably an answer to your question. But the point is, in order to have ongoing progress, you need to be able to LISTEN and analyze for yourself what is going on with your tone at any given point.

You have made a good start at this. You have observed that your own tone seems perhaps more "bright" or "light" or perhaps even "raw" than you would ideally like it to be. That's a valuable observation. Now, the next thing is to take your observation, and try to figure out what makes it that way.

Ask yourself, "What creates a bright tone on the oboe?" (More than one answer is possible here!)

Think about the basic things.

Think about your reeds. Are they really easy to play or do they offer some resistance? (A bit of resistance helps you create darker tone color; less resistant reeds play brighter.)

Think about your lips. Are they cushioning the reed ("embouchure #2") or is the reed just free in your mouth? (Cushioning helps you create darker tone color; more free reed makes for a brighter tone. )

Where are you putting your lips on the reed -- high up on the threads, or down low on the tip? (Playing on the tip of the reed helps you create darker tone color and a lower pitch; playing near the threads gives the opposite effect.)

How are you using your abdomen? Are you holding it loose and relaxed, or muscular and tight? (Air support with a tight abdomen helps you create darker tone color; unsupported air leads to uncontrolled sound.)

Experiment with this. Can you make your tone sound even brighter? Can you make it less bright? What did you do to get either of those effects (less bright, more bright)? That should give you a clue about what to do/not to do. Do more of the thing that takes you in the direction you want to go, less of the thing that takes you in the other direction.

Use this sort of analytical procedure every time you deal with an issue in your playing. Be patient with yourself, but be persistent. After a while, you will begin to know what to do to get the sound you want. And after an even longer while, doing the right thing will become automatic.

As far as I know, there aren't any shortcuts.

Good luck!

Susan

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Good tone new

vboboe

2008-01-26 21:17