Author: d-oboe
Date: 2007-09-23 14:26
I suppose all of what she did was because, well, that's how she was taught to do it.
-Tone - Let's face facts: microphones from that decade are pretty wretched compared to the technological wonders we have in 2007. Therefore, we are missing out on a lot of the complexity of her sound; we may be getting a distortion (based on the mic's limitations) of the overtones and frequencies.
-Elbows- of course it's a personal thing, but I think she may have been a bit tense while playing, or at least that's what it looks like. The arms don't need to be held soaring high at all times. In fact, they can almost be used as an expressive element. For a quiet delicate part, maybe tuck them in a bit and crouch forward, and for a loud bit, stand up straight, arms and oboe up, and blow the heck out of the thing. Whatever works!
-Oboe angle- this depends somewhat on facial structure, and desired sound. Compared to some of my colleagues, I hold the oboe rather high..but only because it's comfortable to me. I would never change the angle of my oboe for some reason like "oh well this famous oboist does, I should too..."
-Jaw position- this is a give and take situation. The more the jaw is closed, the more one can relax the lips forward, but the sound isn't as resonant. The more it's open, the bigger the sound, but much less flexibility in the lips as they pull back over the teeth.
Another comment about tone...I was told by my teacher (Normand Forget), who I think heard this from Maurice Bourgue:
"The oboe is a clear instrument - if you want something fuzzy and soft, play something else!"
I can honestly say, that quote has made my life much easier. Instead of fighting for this warm fuzzy clarinet sound (which everyone does at some point) just let the oboe be an oboe! If you listen to any Heinz Holliger stuff, you know that his tone is quite nasal - but in 5 minutes his musicality completely overrides all of that anyway!
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
