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My Ongoing Thread of Improvement: Oboe

Author: MandyCarlsson
Date: 2012-01-13 21:39

Hi all! You may recognize me (or the thread title) from the Clarinet Board. Now I am once again stepping out of my comfort zone and posting on the oboe board.

Brief background: I am 34 and majoring in K-12 Music Education at CSU-Pueblo in southern Colorado. Last summer, I returned to playing the clarinet after a 16 year break. I began studying the oboe in mid-September with the principal oboist of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Sherry Boyer.

I will periodically post links to my blog. I post notes on my practice sessions as well as videos of my playing.

ANY help you can provide is much appreciated. Please be kind. Remember I am an extreme novice and am not trying to impress you with my playing. I simply want to learn!

THANKS,
Mandy

Here is my first oboe recording.

http://doublerbubbler.blogspot.com/

http://doublerbubbler.blogspot.com/

Post Edited (2012-01-13 23:53)

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Re: My Ongoing Thread of Improvement: Oboe

Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2012-01-13 22:37

doublerbubbler is very cute... I too double..

Be careful what you wish for! While there are MANY voices of expertise on this board, I would trust the feedback of your teacher first and foremost (if you are continuing to study with her).

There's no substitute for a Live Person when it comes to learning oboe!

GoodWinds

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Re: My Ongoing Thread of Improvement: Oboe

Author: plclemo
Date: 2012-01-14 01:23

I am a clarinetist first and an oboist second. I have played clarinet since 1970. I have only been playing oboe for about 2 years. But somewhere in the middle I also learned to play the bassoon. I started the oboe when our church orchestra needed an oboist and the clarinets were constantly being given oboe parts. So one day my husband said "Why don't you just learn to play the oboe?" I thought about it for a couple of weeks. We rented one from the music store and about 6 months later bought one. There are many similarities between oboe and clarinet but the differences are where my struggles lie. The half-hole thing and the tiny double reed are my biggest problems. When you can relax or tighten on the reed and make your note go very sharp or very flat I have been having some difficulty with embrochure. But that is being worked on A LOT! My teacher is quite patient with me. But she is also strict on certain things.

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Re: My Ongoing Thread of Improvement: Oboe

Author: sylvangale
Date: 2012-01-14 05:56

You are fabulous for 3 months. I think your reed is too hard though. The pressure leads to fatigue, leads to bad breathing, suffocation, and eventually
... death [hot]

[hot]

[grin]

Are you listening to oboists? That is a big big big help to musicianship.

There is a wonderful CD by Marilyn Zupnik where she plays through many Barret and Ferling etudes. Simply listening to the etudes done well will help you play them well as well. Same for music! Get recordings of oboists of the works you are working on a listen to them throughout the week as you are practicing the piece.

Weber reeds and Forrests Music has the Zupnik CD, though it's cheaper at Weber:
http://webreeds.com/wrstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=221

Amazon has images of the track list:
http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Classic-Oboe-Etudes-Ferling/dp/B002QMB10I/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1326523167&sr=1-3

♫ Stephen K.

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Re: My Ongoing Thread of Improvement: Oboe

Author: Oboe Craig
Date: 2012-01-15 04:34

Come and vist me for some oboe fun...

I am s/w of Littleton in the foothills. Prollay 1 hour 15 min from your school.

My son studied Mech Eng for a while at your school.

Oboe lovers are always welcome here.

[toast]

[toast]

-Craig

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Re: My Ongoing Thread of Improvement: Oboe

Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2012-01-15 14:27

I dunno, Craig. You've got to be REALLY careful about getting together with people you meet online . . .

Mandy, I met Craig online -- here, maybe? -- a number of years ago. Within fairly short order, he ended up coming to my house in Ohio and staying for a couple of days -- on his way to Shenandoah, to meet up with his Oxymora buddies (one of whom just happened, as it happened, to have been acquainted with my husband's second cousin -- LONG story).

At the time, I had been playing the oboe for not very long, and not very well. Craig was EXCEEDINGLY kind and patient with me (and it wasn't only because I fed him the best cioppino this side of San Francisco).

We have met again several times over the years, during which time Craig has taught me to make reeds and troubleshoot my oboe, overhauled my embouchure, and shared his philosophy of all things oboe, and all things in general. I look forward to our infrequent meetings with inordinant glee, and I count him as a major positive influence in my development as an oboist.

So, if the spirit moves you to make the trek up to see him sometime when the weather permits, by all means, GO!! Take your oboe! Do what he says! Craig KNOWS oboe!

Susan

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Re: My Ongoing Thread of Improvement: Oboe

Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2012-01-16 07:56

I wish I lived closer to Oboe Craig... I love reed-making parties. And small ensemble. And Ohio. Sigh.

GoodWinds

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