The Fingering Forum

Oboe quiz

Author: TorusTubarius  Date:   2003-10-01 21:32 Here you go. A short quiz on the oboe, intended for both oboe players and non-oboe players alike. First a quick note: DO NOT LOOK AT ANYONE ELSE'S POST BEFORE ANSWERING. That defeats the purpose. As you answer, think to yourself, "What would Torus say?" 1) The oboe is: a) pitched in F b) pitched in Bb c) pitched in Eb d) pitched in C e) none of the above 2) The founder of the "Philadelphia School of Oboe Playing" is: a) Marcel Tabuteau b) Ray Still c) Antonin Dvorak d) John de Lancie e) Kathryn Greenbank 3) Imagine all the important factors which go into playing the oboe as a pyramid. What is located at the top? a) tone b) technique c) pitch d) phrasing e) oversized ego 4) True or false. To play the oboe well, you need to use a larger amount of air. 5) True or false. To tune the oboe you pull out when sharp and push in when flat. 6) Which of the following is a common fingering "blip" on the oboe? a) middle D to F# b) low C to low B c) Bb-C d) Ab-Bb e) Gb-Fb 7) Which of the following does Torus spend the most time preaching about regarding the oboe on the WFG? a) reeds b) air c) fingerings d) different types of oboes e) A440 8) True or false. The bell of the oboe can have a dramatic effect on tone and projection. 9) Which of the following notes tends to be notoriously sharp on the oboe? a) A, second space b) high B c) low E d) middle E e) middle F 10) Which of the following is a famous oboe solo? a) The solo beginning on high C# in the first slow section of Strauss' <i>Don Juan</i> b) "The Cat" from Prokofiev's <i>Peter and the Wolf</i> c) The opening section of "The Cuckoo" from Respighi's <i>Gli Uccelli</i> d) The last four measures of "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang e) The third solo entrance in Mvt. II of Rimsky-Korsakov's <i>Scheherazade</i> <u>Bonus Question!!</u> What inherent property of the double reed allows the oboe to play as expressively and have so much variation in tone color as it does? <i>Hint: Think functional similarity to something you use everyday.</i>

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RE: Oboe quiz

Author: TorusTubarius  Date:   2003-10-01 21:34 Ok so let's see some clarinet, saxophone, flute and bassoon quizzes. And in case it wasn't obvious, please post your answers so you can be graded.

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Answers

Author: Torus Tubarius  Date:   2003-10-03 03:29 1. E Although many people responded that the oboe is "pitched in C", I maintain that no instrument can be pitched in C, as this is a redundant and obtuse designation despite its ostensibly greater ease of use. Refer to my posts from 12-14-02 and 1-30-03 for the whole argument. 2. A Marcel Tabuteau, a student of Georges Gillet, came to America in 1905 and became principal oboist with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1915. In 1924 he helped to found the Curtis Institute of Music, and from his position there in the Oboe Department, helped to forg, through a combination of talent and charisma, an entirely new sound, style, and method of reed-making which is now regarded as uniquely American. This American school is called the "Philadelphia Style" due to Tabuteau's position in the Philadelphia Orchestra, which he held for more than 30 years. 3. C Although it is the oboe's tone which is perhaps its most distinctive feature, the inability to play in tune will sink you before having a bad tone will. After all, tone is subjective; being on pitch is not. 4. false You need a larger amount of air <i>pressure</i> to play the oboe well. The actual volume of air needed to play the oboe is quite small. 5. false Unlike the flute, clarinet, saxophone, or even bassoon to some degree, it is generally frowned upon to pull the reed or any other joint apart to tune. Rather, the oboist relies on air, the reed, the embouchure, and his ears to tune as he plays. 6. D 7. B Though A440 is a good guess. 8. True The shape of the bell on the oboe can have a dramatic effect on the tone and projection of the instrument. Many oboists buy bells separately from their oboes to customize this aspect of oboe playing for themselves. 9. D Middle E, in addition to the Eb, D, and C# below it all tend to play sharp on the oboe. Middle F is generally in tune, but is often stuffy sounding. High B is often flat. Low E is often flat. A, second space is usually in tune, which is a good thing since that is the note the orchestra tunes to. 10. E A beautiful solo following the bassoon and violin solos. Answer A is a violin solo. "The Cat" is a clarinet, "the duck" is the oboe in <i>Peter and the Wolf</i>. There is no solo at the beginning of "The Cuckoo", although the beginning of the preceding movement, "The Dove," is one of the most beautiful oboe solos ever written. And Kool and the Gang had no oboe part to "Celebration," although there is an oboe solo in their disco-funk classic, "Get Down with the Genie." Bonus: The double reed device is functionally similar to the anatomy and physiology of the human vocal cords. This allows the oboe to "sing" in a way which would otherwise be impossible.

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