Author: claire70
Date: 2007-11-29 19:48
Hello everyone,
I've been teaching oboe for a couple of years, and most of my students have been beginners / in the first few years of playing, so far. I'm writing with a slight concern I have about one student who's slightly more advanced, though (British grade 6; so playing things like Templeton Scherzo Caprice, Nielsen Fantasy Pieces, Chedeville Sonata in e minor...)
He sometimes makes what I can only describe as a grunting sound in the back of his throat every so often - maybe a couple of times a lesson. I have three theories about this:
1) he's got a (permanent!) cold. I know my own throat gets a bit like this when I am blocked up. But he's had it for about 6 months now! (on the other hand, he's 13, so maybe they all get successive colds at that age....)
2) his reeds are a bit too hard for him. He does like to play harder reeds because he likes the sound; I insist on scraping them down, though, until I can tell he's not struggling with it any more. But I wonder if it's still marginally too hard, which is what his throat is fighting against
3) tight throat. Generally his diaphragm support is good, and he doesn't have a bleaty throat vibrato, so he definitely doesn't have a *major* tight throat problem, but I wonder if it needs to loosen up.
Any opinions? Thanks!
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