Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-01-03 16:25
YAAAY! REJOICE GREATLY!
I have a suction test on top joint !!! :-)
After that bright light suggestion (thank you :-) about using plastic wrap under the pads and not getting any positive change, i thought the pads probably weren't the problem anyway (including the suspect 1st 8ve pad)
even though the grainline centre front (between left hand keys) looked innocent enough (a bright light test through the bore also didn't show cracks) i painstakingly stuck small pieces of black hockey tape in 5 different places along the grain-line mentioned earlier, and also stuck a piece on another grainline beside 1st 8ve at the back, six pieces in all
... and there it is, a distinct 'pop' when opening the G# key ... YAHOO!
So it wasn't just one, it was several and all together they were oozing air
And I'm still mystified how some missing low notes on one particular weird reed led to this ... :-)
However, must say my teacher last spring said the top joint was leaking, which is why it went in and got patched up under 1st 8ve in the front grainline, which worked OK then, but these others must have opened up and become leaky since
And of course this leads to the likelihood more will open up later, so now it's a case of see if Yamaha will replace the top joint for a plastic one
this instrument's less than 5 years old, this will at least make the instrument workable while i search for another oboe
warning ... i don't trust that tape to stay in place when instrument's warmed up, the gum will get very soft and so small tape pieces would probably slip about and perhaps get under the key pads ... i just used it as a test to see if i could get any suction on cold top joint
so to cowgirl or anyone else looking for a starter oboe, get plastic top joint for sure, or all plastic, the wood on beginner oboes is thin wall compared to wood used for the thicker wall pro models, and leak sooner rather than later (and it's also debatable if the wood's good quality & cured properly etc) -- however, cracks and leaks occur in the best of wood instruments too, so i'm definitely moving in favor of plastic top joints now
Thanks again for staying with me on this one, i wasn't really sure i was doing the suction test effectively anyway, doubted my own intake pressure was adequate, but it appears that was good and i've obviously been blowing a lot harder than necessary for some time trying to get top joint notes sounding good, have to restrain myself to less blowing effort now :-)
On another aside, was listening to a recording on TV Galaxie channel of VSO doing Debussy's Clair de Lune (wow, that's a gorgeously beautiful shimmering piece) and among the other solo passages, there was the E Horn and the oboe (and the bassoon) and i could tell the difference between oboe's solo melody playing, and merge-with-the-woodwind or with-strings playing, there's just more 'presence' (projection) in the solo passage -- on same reed i betcha!
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