Author: OboePrince
Date: 2015-04-30 09:17
So, in a lesson with my oboe teacher, I discussed with him picking up the flute again as a second study. Flute was my principal instrument for years, I was very good, and it was very easy. I always made all state, I once made principal: This was not so on oboe. It took me a lot longer to get oboe than flute or clarinet. It's just a lot harder. Not to mention a "good enough" oboe is still a couple thousand dollars. They just aren't like other woodwinds. So oboe is primary now, but I miss flute so I talked about picking up my flute again to be met with,
"That is the worst instrument you could even think about going back to. If it were any other instrument... I won't even teach you lessons."
Initially I thought this was a very strong reaction. I understand that my breathing is still too much like flute (too large a breath) but, that's it, right? I can reallocate my brain that this is just a different horn.
So, I pick my flute back up, and my oboe chops are the best they've ever been right? I can play probably 3-4 hours in a day now. I get out my flute (and trust me, it's not for rustiness, I don't get rusty. I played clarinet on a concert over the summer, and I haven't played it in 8 years, and that was my tertiary instrument) and I could not play the bottom of the first, especially with any weight, or the very top of the second (the third octave was easier) to resound; my mouth would not relax and started to go numb after nary but an hour, and I used to be able to play for 8-10 hours on the flute, it's not tiring on the mouth, my hands would just give out. And my sound was... really small, and for me that is very abnormal. I was the guy who got told he played too loud, and was always principal because if you put me in the section, I would just overplay (and generally, outplay) the principal, which is why in really good ensembles, if I was not first (and I usually sit between 2nd-4th in really good ensembles) so I always get put on piccolo, because even though I'm a touch too loud for a picc, I am so willful that I don't have any problems tuning it, and I use so much air I still have a tone on piccolo. It's weird, I've always been better at piccolo, but when it come to the color instruments of the oboe... I can't play the English horn for anything.
So, in your opinion (anyone can weigh in, but people who double these 2 would help me a lot, even though it's an odd and rare double but one of the most common switches to oboe) because playing with a more relaxed embouchure is the problem, and I don't want to start trying to relax that and undo all the oboe work I have done, at least not till I am playing 6-7 hours a day, so I don't wanna go relaxing that embouchure, but to get a really boss flute tone I would. I just kinda miss it, I don't want to dive all the way back into it. So i am gonna join the colleges lower ensemble on the flute while being in the Orchestra on Oboe. But, do you think it would be much easier for me to play piccolo? I mean, for flute, my embouchure is just very tight and small and muscular. I feel like it would be fine for piccolo, and I can't still seem to control a piccolo. I just don't want anything to hurt my oboe embouchure.
American Oboist. I currently play on a Rigoutat Riec. She is beautiful.
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