The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Ren
Date: 2007-12-06 13:07
This happens to me periodically, and I have yet to figure out how to make it stop. It seems to happen when my reed is a bit stiff, or if I am very tired.
I found an article where it is called "Stress Velopharyngeal Incompetence"
(here in case you were wondering.)
And another description found here:
Quote:
The high intraoral pressures required to play wind instruments may cause a variety of otolaryngologic disorders. A 23-year-old oboe player was found to have velopharyngeal incompetence after complaining of a 6-year history of "nasal snorting" that would begin after 10 minutes of continued playing. The incompetence would only manifest itself while she played the oboe. This type of disorder could potentially ruin careers in music , because oboists are often required to play long phrases without taking a breath. With air leakage associated with an incompetent palate, the musician loses air reserves more quickly and is forced to break the musical phrase more often to take another breath. Velopharyngeal insufficiency has also been reported in a concert bassoonist who failed orchestra auditions because of a clearly audible "noise coming from her head" while playing the bassoon. Rest and palatal exercises have been used to treat stress velopharyngeal insufficiency, though surgical options can include endoscopic posterior pharyngeal augmentation with Teflon injection or a surgically created pharyngeal flap.
Needless to say, I was concerned.
However, I asked my prof about it a little while ago, and he said that it's a normal thing--that professional oboists did it for years before about 1960 as a way of relieving pressure, and that the only reason people don't do it now is because of the aesthetic (the grunting sound which "wouldn't get beyond the violas"). And how to get it to stop? "Just make it stop" according to him.
I was...not the most reassured by that, and have been making my throaty-madness go away by playing on lighter reeds and for shorter periods of time.
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Obohemian Paradise
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claire70 |
2007-11-29 19:48 |
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Dutchy |
2007-11-29 19:58 |
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Chris P |
2007-11-30 01:02 |
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claire70 |
2007-11-30 06:44 |
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Chris P |
2007-11-30 07:32 |
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jhoyla |
2007-11-30 08:19 |
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Re: 'grunting' throat sounds new |
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Ren |
2007-12-06 13:07 |
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claire70 |
2007-12-06 16:46 |
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The Clarinet Pages
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