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Re: just let go . . .

Author: oboedrew
Date: 2009-10-26 18:46

oboeobo wrote:

> Alot of oboe players that I really admire seem to all do
> the one thing that is avoiding me, completely letting
> go of the reed.

> Now don't get me wrong, I can physically let go of the
> reed, but the pitch goes very flat (with a lowish C crow).

> Any thoughts?

You've got the right goal, for sure. The more you let go of the reed, the more freely it vibrates. So playing with minimal embouchure pressure is essential for efficient tone production. Ideally, the embouchure should be only as tight as is necessary to maintain an airtight seal around the reed.

Here's a great diagnostic:

Put the reed in your mouth and form your embouchure as usual. Sustain any note. While sustaining that note, gradually relax your embouchure. Loosen your lips all around the reed. If you're biting, lower your jaw. Relax your embouchure to that point where it is just barely tight enough to maintain an airtight seal. Then relax it a bit more, so air leaks out all around the reed. Continue to relax it until a substantial amount of air is leaking out. This should result in an audible "hiss." Then tighten your embouchure to achieve an airtight seal again. Repeat as needed until you have a good feel for the precise point where your embouchure is just tight enough to maintain an airtight seal, but no tighter. If you're unable to relax your embouchure in this way without the pitch sagging, you know you're relying on embouchure pressure instead of air speed to keep the pitch up. Move the air faster until you can perform this exercise without any change in pitch along the way.

Note that this requires a refined and balanced reed. It won't work if the reed has to be muscled into submission by the embouchure. So if you're doing everything right (moving the air quickly, etc.) and it still won't work, the reed is likely unrefined and unbalanced.

Cheers,
Drew

www.oboedrew.com

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just let go . . . new

oboeobo

2009-10-22 23:33