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Re: So, is oboe really difficult?

Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-07-24 17:43

... it's interesting to note that several of our oboe players (including myself) also enjoy the sound of, or have worked with, French horn or cello (i'm adding bassoon to this list) -- why is that do you think? Is it sort of transferred kinship similarity in difficulty level, or is it timbre blend, or ... ?

Just love the horns and oboes in Handel's Water Music ... lovely on a swelteringly hot day imagining oneself driftin' down a cool river on a Sunday afternoon ... with long iced beverage in hand against fevered brow to help the illusion along ... sigh, i didn't videotape that TV documentary about the big Handel celebration on the Thames for the visuals ...

<<awkward and non resonant notes like C# (or is that just me) ...>>

haven't had any particular difficulty getting low C# to speak, or HH C#' on my current oboe, although sounding High C#" in pitch is still a challenge, it's quite sharp ... so C#'s in particular have a 'difficult' reputation on oboes generally? Other really difficult notes other than the raw B / C zone?

thninking back to my very early student days, i certainly had lots of difficulty sounding any of the right pinky notes because i found it hard to completely cover the low D without leaking -- i've definitely found an all-capped instrument model much easier to play than open-hole ring key oboe, because covering the holes without leaking is a cinch compared to splatting one's R3 fingerpad down hard to fully cover that huge low D tone hole -- methinks that kind of difficulty would all depend on the size of hand, finger reach, and relative fleshiness of fingertips -- anyway, i recall my R3 always came away from playing with D tone-hole impression deeply embedded on fingertip back then, just to ensure the right pinky notes sounded, but splatting my finger isn't necessary with current capped oboe now = happiness :-)

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So, is oboe really difficult? new

vboboe

2008-07-22 19:46