The Oboe BBoard

The Oboe BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Re: New to oboe: Help me with my tones on lower register, esp. third line

Author: sylvangale
Date: 2006-09-09 04:12

Drawing in the sides of the lips towards center so that not only are you making a circular embouchure, but applying pressure to the sides of the reed helps even out the timbre of the C and flatten pitches that are too sharp.

Try playing long tones from F to A to C to F and back down. Play with your emouchure, find out how extreme side pressure, top pressure, focusing air in different areas of your mouth affect the sound.

Breathing correctly may also help considerably.
Flex your abs while breathing. The diaphragm is involuntary and you have no direct control over how it moves, but it is your abdominal muscles that control the force of your air and you can control them.

Now a popular way to getting someone to breath correctly is to have them breathe through the motions of a major bowel movement. However, there are more muscles at play than you want to use! lol.

When you are NOT ready to use the restroom, go to your toilet and have a seat [upright] (and prepare just in case you decide to blow during the first part of the excercise). Try to go through the motions of an extreme bowel movement and get ALL those muscles tightening from the top to below, flex them all...

then just focus on the upper/belly button area muscles, your abdominal/intercostal area.

Now make like you're going to blow out a birthday candle with a steady strong stream directed at the palm of you hand so that you can feel the pressure of your air stream. Then make like you are going to blow out that birthday candle again and use your abs to blow that candle air stream harder and faster. Become familiar with these muscles, you should feel these muscles at work while you are playing in all registers. The more you use those muscles the better in control you will become of them.

Proper breathing should help improve the timbre, fullness, and projection of your tone.

My old flute teach use to say that under her big belly were abs of steel from proper breathing and when you start to use them and are not used to working with your abdominal muscles they will get sore as if you were doing sit ups, but in time that goes away. (My old oboe teach also encouraged ab breathing, but not as visually, lol)

So proper breathing improves tone, and give you abs of steel.

[You may find it helpful to practice while standing up where you have full control without bad posture to getting in the way.]

Regards,
Stephen Kaupiko

[edit]

♫ Stephen K.

Post Edited (2006-09-09 04:43)

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics