Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-03-18 18:12
<<It's important to get a good start on oboe as several other posts have said, but admittedly it's usually expensive to get oboe lessons. Meanwhile, who on earth sits in front of a full length mirror while playing to self-check things like posture, how one is forming and holding their embouchure, and how one is managing their air support and breathing techniques?>>
Who sits in front of a mirror....I do!
A mirror is an absolutely indispensable tool when practicing. It lets the oboist see for themself what exactly is going on.
As for the teacher aspect....teachers aren't actually the most important for oboist development; they rank about 3rd. 2nd is personal practice, and THE MOST important factor in personal improvement is, of course, the understanding of concepts by the student. If the student isn't placing their embouchure correctly , teacher can tell them how to do it, and demonstrate what things should sound like, but until the student practices it, and finds out for themselves what exactly is going on...no improvement can take place.
Approached in this way any problem can be solved, eg:
-how vibrations travel through a reed, and why it has to be scraped in a specific way
-how air speed and volume affect the function of the reed, and, consequently, the amount of work the lips have to do
-the role the lips play in exposing/damping the sound
-at what angles should fingers be held for maximum speed and efficiency
etc...
All these problems can be exposed by the teacher, understood, and then practiced by the student. However, if students are just told to do something without really understanding why, all effort is wasted, both on the part of the teacher, and of the student's practice.
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