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Re: My low E and F are muffled, and speak poorly; does everybody's do this?

Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2007-05-09 15:21

Dutchy --

What you are describing sounds to me like a problem with the adjustment.

My teacher has told me that, when diagnosing a problem, the problem usually is with the key *above* the point where the issue becomes apparent. If it's all right until the E, I would thus focus on the adjustment of the E vent, F/F# or the G#. Most likely, it's an imbalance between the main E finger touch and the E vent key above it.

It is easy to check and fix the balance between the E and the E vent. Get a strip of paper (cigarette paper-type; I tear a strip from a piece of the paper we used to use with home permanents). Get a screwdriver. Back off your F-resonance screw about a whole turn (after carefully noting where it was set, so you can put it back). Now, slip the paper strip just a few mms under the edge of the main E key (if you are facing the oboe, this would be the right hand edge of the key). Press down with normal playing pressure, and note the degree of "pull" on the paper. Do the same thing with the small vent key right above the E, again pressing with normal playing pressure on the main E to close both E and the vent. Note the degree of pull on the paper from the vent. It should be about the same as, or a tiny little bit lighter, than the pull you felt from the main E.

If there is a noticeable discrepancy between the degree of pull from one key to the other, you need to adjust the screw that controls those keys. It's the screw that is closest to the E key, on the left hand side (as you face the oboe). It is the TOP one of the two little screws there (the other one controls the same adjustment vis-a-vis the D finger touch and the E vent).

If the vent seems to grab the paper less than the main keys does, turn the adjusting screw CLOCKWISE about a quarter turn, and test it against the E again with the paper. Do this until the pull tension from the keys is about the same. If the vent seems very tight, and the main key not as tight, do just the opposite (i.e., turn the screw COUNTERCLOCKWISE).

Now, turn the F res screw back to where it was, and try the oboe.

If this doesn't help, the problem might have to do with key height, or gunk in a tone hole, water in the side F key (the one that opens when you play the regular F) or something else not covering as tightly as it should.
It could also be that the mechanism which extends from the bottom joint up onto the G# pad of the top joint is not screwed down far enough, and is not holding the G# pad down.

Hope you've got a tech handy.

S.

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