Author: d-oboe
Date: 2005-08-31 03:00
Make sure that your reeds are the correct resistance - too soft and you won't be able to blow properly, which will force you to make tone quality with embouchure. That will tire you out quickly. Likewise with hard reeds, except that the inflexibility of a hard reed forces you to bite. This tightens up air support making your sound forced and, with the biting embouchure, pinched.
You should be able to move the reed around between your lips. This allows them to automatically compensate and "correct" the breath. The breath should provide the majority of strength and flexibility - the embouchure just fine tunes the pitches. Some teachers have different opinions, but in general the oboe should be played "Lips only" as it gives you the most flexibility. It does require that you build up considerable embouchure strength, but is well worth it, as it gives you much more control over the reed. Much more than biting, and using your jaw - which isn't flexible!
The oboe is by nature unusually taxing - even on a comfortable reed. You just have to accustom yourself to it. With healthy sound production, your embouchure should begin to strengthen.
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