Author: Loree BF51
Date: 2012-03-04 04:32
Your observations are very interesting. Mr. Still's "System" began with the concept of the "Basic Position" where the oboe is held out at about a 45 degree angle or more from the body and the head is level, not pointing downward. The main reason for doing this, was to eliminate any constriction of the throat, which he said should be "slack", i.e.. not tense. Any of the videos of the CSO that Mr. Still is in, will show how he practiced what he preached. While I have noticed that the recent videos of the Berlin Philharmonic, for example, show their oboists holding their instruments high, too, I've also noticed the same thing on many of the young, American oboists who are shown on the youtube site, implying that his concept is getting around. Mr. Still also taught that the bottom of the tip of the tongue contacts the reed which accomplishes two things: it doesn't get stuck between the reed and the lower lip, and it also compensates for the reed tip being a little lower in the mouth. I remember that when he played the Mahler symphonies which required the instrument being held up very high, his oboe was at least parallel to the floor or even higher. Thank you for your contribution to this thread.
R. Still former student
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
