Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-02-16 02:11
Once you finally get your instrument checked (and probably repadded) by an *oboe repair specialist* you can consider these few things...
Think of building your sound from the bottom up. Try this little test: play without using your mouth to control at all, use JUST your air. Seal your lips extremely loosely around the reed.
Now, breathe in very deeply so that you can feel expansion against your belt area. Let some of this air go; you want to feel pleasant and relaxed, not stuffed with air.
Still, without using your mouth for control - make a seal only - make a sound in the oboe. It will probably sound wild and really honky, but try to make it sound as best you can WITH YOUR AIR ONLY. Now, if you actually need to, use your mouth to fine-tune the sound. Do this every day and your sound will improve.
Try not to get too caught up in what parts of your lips are showing. You need to practice, but mostly experiment, to see what position produces the most resonant sound. Ideally, you want a low jaw. This will allow your top lip to be more forward than your bottom lip. If it's reversed, you will have absolutely no control of the reed, and the air will be pinched off by the jaw.
Long tones.
They NEVER go away. Even 65 year old oboists still do them. But consider them as therapeutic. You get a chance to relax and just listen to yourself without having to fuss over moving fingers. Practice starting the note, holding the note, and ending the note. The pitch should stay the same, with no sagging or flying up.
Practice this with an in-tune piano, or electronic keyboard with loudspeakers. I am really against using a tuner for practicing tuning, as it doesn't really teach anything except how to make the tuning needle go even. Practicing with a piano forces you to match, with your ear, your oboe to a piano. This is extremely helpful when playing in ensembles, and having to match to the given pitches.
Reed-ups.
To gain flexibility in the embouchure, thus making it easier to tune pitches, practice rolling the reed in and out on your lips. With one finger, hold your jaw down as far as it will *comfortably* go, and then put the reed in your mouth. Roll the reed up and down as many times as you can. Try doing 5 sets of 10. Your mouth will probably be a bit sore, but this ok. The most important thing, however, is to keep that jaw down. Never let it come up into a biting position. Also, make sure there is a continuous sound coming out of the reed, as if it were played in the oboe.
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