Author: A.U.K
Date: 2011-08-22 20:03
I feel that you can over obsess about aquiring a specific tone..your own unique physionomy, reed type and air control will determine what you will sound like..You can alter the tone with certain types of reed and scrape, some reeds will sound darker more chocolatey..I feel its like a ripe plum bursting if the sound is spot on..(not an overly attractive analogy I know) I used to play on fairly hard reeds but my stamina suffered and it crucified my embouchure. Now I play on much much softer reeds and it has been a trial and error scenario finding a balance between flexibility, response and tonal quality.
With regard to finding your own tone, think of it rather like your own voice..no single person speaks or sounds like another and the Oboe is much the same..I think of my Oboe as an extension of my singing voice able to sing soprano dare I say colaratura (those days are long gone for me) but that is basically what the Oboe does hence the Oboe is given all the beautiful lyrical and melodic lines in orchestration..nothing else comes close to the ability of the Oboe to do these passages justice.. So akin to a great singer the Oboe is the same..Vox Humana, no one will sound quite like another Oboist the same as no singer will..What I would aim for is a signature sound taking the best that you like from others playing but make it your own. Think of great singers, Callas, Norman, Schwarzkopf, Domengo, Sinatra, Minnelli, Streisand ,Bassey, in fact anyone who you recognise the moment they open their mouth and sing..I can hear Oboists in the same way..Nick Daniel is instantly recognisable as is Holliger, Leleux, Schmitt, Mayer..its a specific in the way they sound..its instantly recognisable as them..its their voice.
Go for your own sound, your own voice, refine it, tweak it until you are happy with it and dont expect it to happen overnight..playing the Oboe is a long journey along beautiful roads..except when your reeds are being difficult then its ghastly..and has the equivalant effect as a child in the back of the car asking repeatedly "Are we there yet"..
Andrew
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