Author: HautboisJJ
Date: 2009-10-18 16:50
Greetings fellow bboarders,
I have a lot going through my head lately...
Not all good oboe teachers give you the solution, they tell you your problems and inspire you (or...leave you) to find the solutions....
It has been like that for the past 3 years in the conservatory...for oboe technique, for reed making...all the practicalities of oboe playing...3 years i have been gathering this immense amount of bad habits...that i wonder...wouldn't it be nice if i was given the information that i have gathered now 3 years ago and was able to start working the correct way 3 years ago?
Of course...one might say...but then you become a better teacher, as you know the solutions to problems...but what if i graduate not being able to play as a result of my existing problems which i will not be able to remove in a year's time before i start auditioning for jobs and things like that?
I feel so close to reaching the ideal reed and embouchure setup now that i am absolutely confident about it. Intonation, tone and variety of color and expression is of course largely governed by that. But my fingers...the correct posture and hand position, agility, precision, tongue coordination, single tonguing speed, tongue position....i have recently gained much knowledge on these matters...but actually applying it and removing the bad habits that existed is so difficult, that it is becoming depressing...
Tomorrow i am playing in a masterclass where a major major oboe player working in the states will teach. All the standard excerpts, La Scala di Seta included, and i still can't play, ironically...the bar with all the slurred quavers in groups of 2 up to speed...
And i still can't play one single scale, not even c-major, perfectly.
A reknowned flute player from the UK said that he doesnt believe in practising scales. He believes in developing independency and strength of fingers, which i believe in as well, that will result in one being able to play scales. But how can this be achieved on the oboe? What exercises?
What daily routines do people do to gain this strength?
Imagine that i am a total beginner, what would one practise to ensure absolute perfection in finger technique from start?
I mentioned that i recently gained much knowledge on the technical matters....the correct way of playing (at least according to a fantastic oboe player from Europe whom has superb technique). I think to make that change in the technique requires months of rehabilating the brain and not practising anything else that is heavy other than those fundamentals. When the school puts on pressure by enforcing concerts, masterclasses, auditions etc, one is not allowed to practise in the manner, because jumping the wagon would result in the re-introduction of bad habits....how does one cope with existing problems while practising new material without allowing bad habits to creep in again....
I wished i had a year off from school to study with someone who could really just teach me the fundamentals of technique....
I wished i could practise slowly 8 hours a day....
Howard
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