 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2010-04-02 11:18
Hi Everyone,
I like to share another observation with the group.
At my last lesson - my teacher had two new Marigaux 901 oboes on trial.
He asked my opinion on the instruments. I played the oboes as he did too. The first oboe had a very inviting warm sound with a very light playful quality to it. The other had a very focused rich (core) sound.
I noticed that the oboe with the warm sound had a greater spread in the tone and the sound resonated more form the top of the Oboe; while the other oboe which had a very deep dark core sound that resonated from the lower joint and bell.
At the end of our conversation - we agreed that an instrument with a combination of the two - warmth/vibrance - and a deep core would be ideal.
Again it seems the way the air moves through the instrument (resistance?) through the lower joint and especilally the bell determines so much of the sound.
Comments?
Mark
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2010-04-02 15:06
There was an IDRS article somewhere about bore - and especially bell - adjustments improving the sound significantly. David Weber offers this as a service on his website.
J.
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Author: cjwright
Date: 2010-04-02 15:19
Hm... don't quite understand your description. "Spread of tone" in my dictionary is a big negative, where the reed sounds too loose and the player is loosing control of the reed from the embouchure because it has a too unfocused crow.. Is this your definition as well?
Cooper
Blog, An Oboe In Paradise
Solo Oboe, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2010-04-02 16:21
Hi Cooper,
I like your question since a reed will have a more focused tone or more spread as you pointed out. In my Loree playing days I was very cognizant of this dynamic in reed production and I worked very diligently to make reeds that were focused and resonant.
In the case I am presenting here - it is the instrument itself - independent of reeds that is creating the variation in sound production. By spread I am suggesting a less defined "focused" "core" tone. The first Marigaux had a less focused tone but also a warm one.
For example, my teacher and I played the same reeds (his and mine) on all three instruments - the two on trial and my own Marigaux. Each instrument had a different "quality" Lucky, for me - my Marigaux had both qualities warmth/resonance and a very focused core sound.
The point I am making is that the instrument - especially the the lower joint and bell has a great impact on the core sound - in this case the reed is secondary to the process.
I am also suggesting that players might bemefit from investing in other instruments and/or bells and/or adjustments to improve the playing experience.
Some people on the BBoard have already played with different Oboe combinations!
On a personal note and in hindsight - I struggled too long with reeds in the attempt to create a specific sound and response - "A WASTE OF TIME" - not because I didn't become a good reed maker - which I am - because it was more fruitful to explore the characteristics of new/different Oboes. My present playing experience is just so different now and wonderful.
So if their are others who have modified their oboes with different bells etc... I would love hear your stories ....................
Mark
PS: don't misinterpet my observations - the need for good reeds still exists -however, the emphasis now is on nuance, response, flexibility, projection, pitch stability etc. ...... rather than on tone production.
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Author: hautbois
Date: 2010-04-03 00:39
Mark -- There is another way to look at the differences in the sound of different instruments. You have describe the two instruments ashaving a particular sound (in this case, you have 'focused' in on the 'focus' of the tone). View this quality as the default sound of the instrument. Perhaps more important to me would be what other sounds the instrument can produce. Is it able to be deep and rich, as well as light and sprightly? Can it be plaintive and brash and subtle? Can you change the timbre at will, and uwrap different characteristics? The default tone is important, but only part of the story.
Elizabeth
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Author: mjfoboe
Date: 2010-04-03 11:03
Elizabeth,
I agree with you completely. The instrument must be flexible and as I say one must be able to "bend" the sound. You need to be able to have depth of dynamics and depth of color..................................etc.
I am just "focusing" (no pun intended) on the depth of sound (core)produced I believe by the lower joint and/or the bell. Of course there are other characteristics to be considered.
The second Marigaux had a wonderful core but less warmth and resonance to its tone.
My my recent experience suggests this "core" quality (the bell?) creates a beautiful projection with little effort on my part - regardless of reeds. For me this is a wonderful attribute for an Oboe.
Next time listen to where the sound seems to resonate - is it the upper part of the Oboe or the lower? Is the sound near your ear as it was with my old Loree or in front of you?
Mark
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-04-03 23:40
Swap the joints over to see if that gives you the best of both worlds!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: hautbois
Date: 2010-04-04 00:14
Chris' suggestion might be informative. The bells on my 2 Marigaux 2001 instruments produced different results on the two oboes. One was a more centered sound (perhaps this is what Mark means by 'focus') and the other was a fuller sound. I tended to play my favored instrument with the bell producing a fuller sound (and this was the bell that came with it), though the other bell was used on a few occasions on that instrument. The fuller sounding bell never really had that fuller effect on the other instrument, however. It is not a perfect world.
A professional in this area plays a wonderful Marigaux 2001 instrument with the bell from his older 901.
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