The Fingering Forum

RE: oboe embouchure

Author: Torus Tubarius  Date:   2002-11-22 05:57 Well, if you've realized that oboe is nothing like saxophone or clarinet, you're on the right track. It isn't. It's also good that you don't sound disappointed, and were even expecting to sound like a duck; trust me all of us do at first. I would be glad to offer my views on oboe embouchure, but first I'd like to say that having an improved embouchure alone will only partially eliminate your oboe's propensity towards imitating water fowl. To stop calling ducks from ponds miles away with your oboe, you need to develop a good tone, which leads me to one of my famous speeches on oboe playing: *clears throat* A good tone on oboe is dependent not only on your embouchure, but on your reed and appropriate air support. A suitable embouchure, which you asked about, should gently cushion the reed between the lips, with approximately equal pressure being applied to the entire circumference of the reed in your mouth. It's like your lips are a drawstring pouch whose opening has been pulled gently closed on the reed. Your lips should not be rolled too far in or too far out; this may take some experimentation on your part to find what sounds the best, though ideally you should have another competent oboist watch you and make suggestions to this point. You should also be careful not to take too much reed into your mouth; this may also require some experimentation. You should also remember never to close your teeth to bite down on the reed once it is between your lips. Biting down on the reed literally strangles it, and dampers the amount of vibration in the cane. This will lead to a thin, even harsh sounding tone. Conversely, you must be careful not to open your teeth too far or else your playing will sound wild and unfocused. I find that if I take my ring finger and close my teeth on it (touching the nail with my top teeth), that this is about how far apart my teeth are when I'm playing. Once you have the reed cushioned between your lips without biting, you should hold the oboe at about a 45 degree angle from your body and pull your chin down flat, almost like you do when you're whistling (or trying to whistle if you can't). No air should be escaping from the sides of the reed as you blow; if it does that means your lips are applying a disproportionate amount of pressure to the top and bottom of the reed compared to the pressure applied to each side. Try and imagine that as you're pulling your chin down flat, this action is also forming the seal your lips make at the sides of the reed in one smooth motion. Once you've done all that (and believe me it is a lot easier said than done), you're ready to blow. Blowing through an oboe is <i>very</i> different from blowing through a clarinet or saxophone. You must learn to build up an "internal resistance" to your air stream. This means that as you blow you should activate your stomach muscles to push hard against yourself even before any air leaves your mouth. Actually that is exactly what you should do <i>every time</i> you put the oboe in your mouth before you tongue that first note. Push hard against yourself. It's a lot like the Valsalva maneuver... which if you know anything about physiology (and forgive me for waxing all repugnant), is what one does when he is trying really hard to take a dump in the bathroom. Then after you have built up this internal resistance and are ready to blow through the horn, be careful not to let too much air go at once. Rather, you should think of your air stream as being highly intense and focused, which is precisely what you're trying to accomplish by pushing hard against yourself internally. Pushing hard against the air will blow depth and resonance in your tone and will serve to connect the notes together more smoothly. Now I know that's a ton of information, but keep in mind everything I just said takes years to learn how to do. So be patient. Next, what kind of reed are you playing on? Everything I just said above will just about be for naught if you're playing on a bad reed. Since you just started out, I would imagine that you're playing on a reed that you bought in a store. You will quickly find that storebought reeds have serious limitations, and you should try and find a good oboist who makes his own reeds and buy them from him before learning how to make your own. Last thing I would ask is what kind of oboe are you playing on? This also makes a big difference. That's about all I can think of right now. Too tired to make my brain think about anything else. Write back with anymore questions, and good luck.

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RE: oboe embouchure

Author: Eduardo Diaz  Date:   2004-03-21 01:19 hello iam a student of my school and iam now learning to play the oboe, ......... please help with some tips and with a picture of a embouchure. please i need ypur help????????? please write me back Torus Tubarius wrote: ------------------------------- Well, if you've realized that oboe is nothing like saxophone or clarinet, you're on the right track. It isn't. It's also good that you don't sound disappointed, and were even expecting to sound like a duck; trust me all of us do at first.<br /> <br /> I would be glad to offer my views on oboe embouchure, but first I'd like to say that having an improved embouchure alone will only partially eliminate your oboe's propensity towards imitating water fowl. <br /> <br /> To stop calling ducks from ponds miles away with your oboe, you need to develop a good tone, which leads me to one of my famous speeches on oboe playing: *clears throat*<br /> <br /> A good tone on oboe is dependent not only on your embouchure, but on your reed and appropriate air support. A suitable embouchure, which you asked about, should gently cushion the reed between the lips, with approximately equal pressure being applied to the entire circumference of the reed in your mouth. It's like your lips are a drawstring pouch whose opening has been pulled gently closed on the reed. Your lips should not be rolled too far in or too far out; this may take some experimentation on your part to find what sounds the best, though ideally you should have another competent oboist watch you and make suggestions to this point. You should also be careful not to take too much reed into your mouth; this may also require some experimentation. <br /> <br /> You should also remember never to close your teeth to bite down on the reed once it is between your lips. Biting down on the reed literally strangles it, and dampers the amount of vibration in the cane. This will lead to a thin, even harsh sounding tone. Conversely, you must be careful not to open your teeth too far or else your playing will sound wild and unfocused. I find that if I take my ring finger and close my teeth on it (touching the nail with my top teeth), that this is about how far apart my teeth are when I'm playing. <br /> <br /> Once you have the reed cushioned between your lips without biting, you should hold the oboe at about a 45 degree angle from your body and pull your chin down flat, almost like you do when you're whistling (or trying to whistle if you can't). No air should be escaping from the sides of the reed as you blow; if it does that means your lips are applying a disproportionate amount of pressure to the top and bottom of the reed compared to the pressure applied to each side. Try and imagine that as you're pulling your chin down flat, this action is also forming the seal your lips make at the sides of the reed in one smooth motion. <br /> <br /> Once you've done all that (and believe me it is a lot easier said than done), you're ready to blow. Blowing through an oboe is <i>very</i> different from blowing through a clarinet or saxophone. You must learn to build up an "internal resistance" to your air stream. This means that as you blow you should activate your stomach muscles to push hard against yourself even before any air leaves your mouth. Actually that is exactly what you should do <i>every time</i> you put the oboe in your mouth before you tongue that first note. Push hard against yourself. It's a lot like the Valsalva maneuver... which if you know anything about physiology (and forgive me for waxing all repugnant), is what one does when he is trying really hard to take a dump in the bathroom. Then after you have built up this internal resistance and are ready to blow through the horn, be careful not to let too much air go at once. Rather, you should think of your air stream as being highly intense and focused, which is precisely what you're trying to accomplish by pushing hard against yourself internally. Pushing hard against the air will blow depth and resonance in your tone and will serve to connect the notes together more smoothly.<br /> <br /> Now I know that's a ton of information, but keep in mind everything I just said takes years to learn how to do. So be patient. <br /> <br /> Next, what kind of reed are you playing on? Everything I just said above will just about be for naught if you're playing on a bad reed. Since you just started out, I would imagine that you're playing on a reed that you bought in a store. You will quickly find that storebought reeds have serious limitations, and you should try and find a good oboist who makes his own reeds and buy them from him before learning how to make your own. <br /> <br /> Last thing I would ask is what kind of oboe are you playing on? This also makes a big difference. That's about all I can think of right now. Too tired to make my brain think about anything else. Write back with anymore questions, and good luck.

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RE: oboe embouchure

Author: Eduardo Diaz  Date:   2004-03-21 01:19 hello iam a student of my school and iam now learning to play the oboe, ......... please help with some tips and with a picture of a embouchure. please i need ypur help????????? please write me back Torus Tubarius wrote: ------------------------------- Well, if you've realized that oboe is nothing like saxophone or clarinet, you're on the right track. It isn't. It's also good that you don't sound disappointed, and were even expecting to sound like a duck; trust me all of us do at first.<br /> <br /> I would be glad to offer my views on oboe embouchure, but first I'd like to say that having an improved embouchure alone will only partially eliminate your oboe's propensity towards imitating water fowl. <br /> <br /> To stop calling ducks from ponds miles away with your oboe, you need to develop a good tone, which leads me to one of my famous speeches on oboe playing: *clears throat*<br /> <br /> A good tone on oboe is dependent not only on your embouchure, but on your reed and appropriate air support. A suitable embouchure, which you asked about, should gently cushion the reed between the lips, with approximately equal pressure being applied to the entire circumference of the reed in your mouth. It's like your lips are a drawstring pouch whose opening has been pulled gently closed on the reed. Your lips should not be rolled too far in or too far out; this may take some experimentation on your part to find what sounds the best, though ideally you should have another competent oboist watch you and make suggestions to this point. You should also be careful not to take too much reed into your mouth; this may also require some experimentation. <br /> <br /> You should also remember never to close your teeth to bite down on the reed once it is between your lips. Biting down on the reed literally strangles it, and dampers the amount of vibration in the cane. This will lead to a thin, even harsh sounding tone. Conversely, you must be careful not to open your teeth too far or else your playing will sound wild and unfocused. I find that if I take my ring finger and close my teeth on it (touching the nail with my top teeth), that this is about how far apart my teeth are when I'm playing. <br /> <br /> Once you have the reed cushioned between your lips without biting, you should hold the oboe at about a 45 degree angle from your body and pull your chin down flat, almost like you do when you're whistling (or trying to whistle if you can't). No air should be escaping from the sides of the reed as you blow; if it does that means your lips are applying a disproportionate amount of pressure to the top and bottom of the reed compared to the pressure applied to each side. Try and imagine that as you're pulling your chin down flat, this action is also forming the seal your lips make at the sides of the reed in one smooth motion. <br /> <br /> Once you've done all that (and believe me it is a lot easier said than done), you're ready to blow. Blowing through an oboe is <i>very</i> different from blowing through a clarinet or saxophone. You must learn to build up an "internal resistance" to your air stream. This means that as you blow you should activate your stomach muscles to push hard against yourself even before any air leaves your mouth. Actually that is exactly what you should do <i>every time</i> you put the oboe in your mouth before you tongue that first note. Push hard against yourself. It's a lot like the Valsalva maneuver... which if you know anything about physiology (and forgive me for waxing all repugnant), is what one does when he is trying really hard to take a dump in the bathroom. Then after you have built up this internal resistance and are ready to blow through the horn, be careful not to let too much air go at once. Rather, you should think of your air stream as being highly intense and focused, which is precisely what you're trying to accomplish by pushing hard against yourself internally. Pushing hard against the air will blow depth and resonance in your tone and will serve to connect the notes together more smoothly.<br /> <br /> Now I know that's a ton of information, but keep in mind everything I just said takes years to learn how to do. So be patient. <br /> <br /> Next, what kind of reed are you playing on? Everything I just said above will just about be for naught if you're playing on a bad reed. Since you just started out, I would imagine that you're playing on a reed that you bought in a store. You will quickly find that storebought reeds have serious limitations, and you should try and find a good oboist who makes his own reeds and buy them from him before learning how to make your own. <br /> <br /> Last thing I would ask is what kind of oboe are you playing on? This also makes a big difference. That's about all I can think of right now. Too tired to make my brain think about anything else. Write back with anymore questions, and good luck.

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