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Re: Help!

Author: Dutchy
Date: 2005-10-02 02:07

Self-taught oboe newbie here.

Also 50-year-old mom of two college kids and one high school sophomore.

Mom Stuff incoming.

Geeeeeeez.

The mind absolutely boggles--I'm stupefied, literally--at what you're trying to do. Why not announce you're going to pick up the French horn in a single weekend? It's about as realistic. How would you feel if someone announced she had rented a cheapie student flute, had played on it "a bit", and was going to sit in with your band for a concert after only a week or so? That's exactly the same thing you're proposing.

The oboe isn't like a recorder, that you can just pick it up and play it. First graders can do that. It isn't even as easy as a clarinet, Flo. The oboe is widely, and correctly, regarded as (a) the most sophisticated and (b) the most difficult woodwind to play. Period.

It's nice of you to try to accomodate your band director, but sweetie, you're way out of the ball park here.

And I'm gonna yell at your clueless band director, so get out the way, sugar.

[ahem]

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING OF???? ARE YOU INSANE??? ARE YOU SO DESPERATE TO HAVE AN OBOE IN YOUR PODUNK BAND THAT YOU'LL TORTURE A CHILD TO GET ONE??? GET REAL HERE!!

[okay, I'm done yelling]

Seriously, honey, you can't possibly realistically expect to pick up an oboe and play it after only a couple of afternoons. And in a concert, too? Is your band director on meds or what? Get serious now and look at this: what if your band had a 5-year veteran oboist, and for some reason she announced she was gonna play flute, and she expected to pick up a cheapie student flute and master it in a couple of afternoons, AND play in a concert? What would be your reaction? You'd be torn between falling down on the floor laughing, and total outrage that this clueless wonder would treat a sophisticated woodwind instrument like a flute in such a haphazard, cavalier manner.

Go tell your band director you're not ready. No way.

I've been playing for 6 months, and *I* can't even manage a medium reed; my embouchure isn't strong enough. It takes TIME to build up the embouchure, and your flute embouchure is absolutely no help to you here. You're needing to start from square one.

Take my advice and tell your band director he needs a major reality check. Learn the oboe in your spare time, but stick to the flute for concerts. It's what you know. It's what you spent all that time in 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, and 9th grade band DOING. And my youngest daughter played clarinet, so I know what you went through to get where you are.

So go do it.

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