Author: SilverHare
Date: 2006-04-24 18:39
Hi, vboboe!
Yes, definately my previous experiences with music learning have been unrewarding and ended badly. It's hard to shake that feeling. But I feel enthused about learning the oboe in a way I never did about the other instruments. Perhaps the first step in the road to recovery!
I look forward to making goals and meeting them, I'm hoping my teacher can help me set realistic ones.
I certainly believe I'm still capable of learning a new skill...I'm only in my late 40s! In the past 10 years I've learned to dive a closed circuit rebreather, become a master scuba diver and technical gas blender, and learned to fly both the hang glider and paraglider. I also taught myself to read Middle English (Midland dialects only). So the old brain isn't dead yet!
I have no "identifiable neuro-muscular condition," but my hand-eye coordination is (honestly) poor. Always has been. The only class I failed in high school was typing, and I've never liked "ball sports." So you can see why reading music has been a challenge...something isn't working correctly there.
My 2.5hrs of practice a day was recent, not as a kid. Back then it was more like 1hr. I've always believed that you can only practise until your concentration flags, then you have to quit or you just learn how to do things badly. As my Japanese teacher said, "Practise makes permanent...good or bad." From what I've read physical limitations will be foremost for some time, then we'll see how long I can keep the mind focused.
Your comments on silent figering practise are good. Certainly the mechanics of making music on the oboe are very different from anything else I've tried.
Going down in number of reps is counterintuitive...interesting. Getting each one right...that makes sense!
Very cool idea to practise with a straw at the piano, humming along with the tunes. I'll discuss that with my teacher, I don't want to form any bad habits in terms of embouchure.
I think I'll skip the mouth rebuilding for now...I'm happy to try the oboe. In a couple years maybe I'll do a few try-lessons on the basson and see if my teeth break! ![[whoa]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie10.gif)
As for "silver hair"...I don't have enough to dye, so no worries there! ("SilverHare" is kind of an inside joke, I've been buying silver as an investment for about 15 years so I'm a bit ahead of the pack.)
Thanks for your help, I really appreciate you taking the time.
Well, you folks have me all jazzed up now. I haven't even assembled my oboe yet--can you believe it? Nerves. But it's a lovely thing, just a beautiful instrument. Maybe I'll put it together today and just give it a try....
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The Oboe BBoard
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