Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2010-02-18 13:08
Greetings J,
The problems that i have encountered in the past few months are definitely a sort of blessing, because i have learned more about reeds in this short span of time more than i have ever learned about reeds in years. I have also come to re-evaluate the way i play and the way the reeds should or should not function.
On a 2nd positive note, i got a reply on the phone call from my extremely reputable seller from Germany who gave me a few ideas to think about,
1) His customers had never had problems with the things i have come to faced, his recommendation is, the reed has to have Glotin type (gigantic) staples, BUT at 45mm, and it is crucial for the problems that i have, for some reason. (I have found out in the past few months that indeed the "bigger" the staple, in terms of the oval at the neck and the bottom of the staple, the higher the pitch and easier will be for the 2nd octave to 'sit', you must also know that in Asia we mostly follow the European trend of 442+- because of the variety of nationalities we have in our orchestras.)
*This all becomes common sense, where in the States the American style encourages an extremely relaxed way of playing and with French type bore instruments like Loree/Rigoutat/Buffet (Marigaux excepted) which in Europe is not very popular because of the sagging top registers. The way to compensate, or rather the ideal way of playing in the States then, is to use big staples to enable the scale to work. Whereas with German type bore instruments like Josef or Ludwig Frank, one requires smaller staples simply because they can only work that way.
2) He has contacted Buffet, and will certainly send a few types of octave inserts for me to try, if the reed suggestions (which includes shapes etc.) he gave me do not work at the end of the day. And indeed, some people do not like the feel of reeds made from the Glotin type staples and so if one objects to that way of playing, then you have to change the instrument. Makes a lot of sense to me.
So J.....i have indeed addressed the problem to the retailer, maybe not in such a serious tone, and the way he reacted was that a student's reaction to the oboe's mannerisms are not to be treated seriously as he has not encountered complains from professionals. You know of course that in every country and every way of playing there exists a certain dogma on how things should be done and that personality is not encouraged, worst still when you are a student.
In addition to that, most professional oboe players in this region that tried my oboe found it to be beautiful in every aspect and my reeds to have no big problems. (And i can tell you, the measurements of their reeds are way off what Mr. German retailer tells me is the norm, at least in Berlin, and they are mostly bought reeds from very reputable makers.) I am lucky as an Asian oboist today, because i do not belong in the generation where we did have so much information (from the internet for example) and when one star oboist from the region says this is the way to play, everyone follows the same formula and for the people who can't make it work, will power comes into place and so the setup becomes less of a problem (in the surface) and the player is all to be blamed. Today, we know that it is often not true and we live with so many different ways to create a beautiful sound. I have no obligation to follow any school of playing, because simply, it is afterall a western art and that there is no Malaysian way of oboe playing (there is no need and never a need for one). But of course, i respect all my teachers past and present, and i always try to show what i have learned in my playing. These teachers of course studied at a time where dogmas existed ('ed' is of course not true in every part of the world today) and so they all play with a certain kind of physical will power to overcome the mannerisms of their instruments. Listen for example Schellenberger's solo recordings, who could not escape an often sagging 2nd octave on his Loree Royale, probably because of his reeds that he refuses to change in style. Having said that, some of the best players in the world are like that, and i am deeply humbled. Perhaps i need to complain and try this and that so much because i am less talented and much less physically capable...or...lazy?
One Dutch oboe teacher of mine who used to teach me, and continues to inspire me nowadays left me with something to think about a few weeks ago. He said that there is something to be said about forcing students to play everything the same, following the tradition, e.g. same instruments, same kind of reeds, same kind of embouchure etc. The logic behind it is that when something is wrong in the playing, one can with experience instantly detect where the problem lies and it can be fixed to suit the student. The end result is the same but one achieves it with different means. I study in an environment where this is the complete opposite, so one is forced to search from nothing, to gain something, and sometimes one goes the wrong way...and you turn around...bla bla...
So, i cut shorter the Glotin staples and i try again tomorrow, endless experimentation! More good cane to throw away? I hope not!
Howard
Post Edited (2010-02-18 13:18)
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