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Re: consistent tone

Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2011-04-25 22:51

The long tones Susan describes are the basis for my daily warm-up and consistent playing as far as I am concerned.

Practice for that consistency you desire. Once you can sustain it, then comes some real fun.

Also long-tone related, but with varying levels of pitch and with constant dynamic change in between.

In other words, music is not static. Usually.

So, try what are called drives. Start softly - then increase volume to mid-point of the long tone and then decrescendo again. Count a pulse for the beat in your head or use a metronome on a moderate tempo per beat.

Try to cresc. 8 beats then decresc. 8 beats and hold the final tone a few beats before release. Most good musical phrasing is not that symmetrical in terms of phrased dynamics, so this is just an excercise. Later try 10 beats up 6 beats down so desc happens faster than cresc. That is more akin to music phrasing.

Do this on all notes chromatically to the bottom of the oboe. Start at c# 2nd octave and work your way down. Then start there and go up as far as possible.

I consider this level two of long tones.

Level three is adding a single-tongue articulation to each beat, so the long tone becomes a series of notes... and for this I like start softly on a note, cresc. 8 beats, change note 1/2 step up or down and articulate a decresc. 8 notes. Breathe and rest when needed and repeat the chromatic pattern of 8 notes up, 8 notes down moving around the oboe. Cover as much range as possible. The highest and lowest notes are by far harder than the middle range.

This type of playing demands lots of things from the player, the oboe (proper adjustments) and the reed. Its a very good reed test for proper functioning of a reed.

Problem is, this is hard at the bottom and at the top so players avoid it. A pity, i think because it teaches us a lot and contains tons of information about the reed and oboe.

Post Edited (2011-04-25 22:54)

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