Author: cjwright
Date: 2010-02-15 05:37
From oboes.com
Key Work System:
"Full Conservatory" — what does that mean?
The term “conservatory”, as is widely applied to the oboe, simply means the mechanism is based on the standard set of fingerings in current use, nothing more. Let us point out that "full conservatory" is not a well defined term, and can be used in a sales environment misleadingly. For young players, we recommend that you be sure to find an oboe that has left F and low Bb, as these are essential. However, split-E, 3rd octaves, and low Bb resonance keys, which might be part of the definition of “full conservatory”, really have a very minimal role. With this said, we will remark on the following loosely defined terms:
Simplified Conservatory Key work – very basic, beginner oboes, though they employ technically “conservatory” fingerings, are often lacking some very basic keys. These oboes often do not even have low Bb or left F, both of which will be missed by even the very elementary oboist.
Modified Full Conservatory – full conservatory but missing one or more of the optional and not necessarily essential key work refinements, like split E ring for the Eb-E trill, Bb (bell) resonance, 3rd octave, F resonance. These should, however, have left F, low Bb (key on bell), C# and D trills to be useful.
Full Conservatory System – full key work; please note that what constitutes a full set of keys is a matter of opinion, manufacturer, model, and age of oboe. Some of the keys that may or may not be on a full conservatory oboe are, for example, 3rd octave, Bb bell resonance, and F resonance. For example, the famous older "Tabuteau" model Loreé oboes did not have the F resonance key. We at Covey oboes, for another example, do not put 3rd octave keys on our newest model oboe, the Classic, for acoustical reasons; the extra tone hole in the top joint changes the acoustics of the instrument, and our performance goals for this model we feel are compromised by including the 3rd octave. By no means does that imply that this model oboe does not have "full-conservatory" key work, but rather that a trade-off choice was made to the instrument's (and therefore oboist's) advantage!
Cooper
Blog, An Oboe In Paradise
Solo Oboe, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra
Post Edited (2010-02-15 05:37)
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