Author: d-oboe
Date: 2005-10-12 08:16
With good posture (including the neck - no looking down!!) 45 degrees is generally OK.
When the oboe is held higher, it produces a more raucous sound. This is due in part to the loss of control by the upper lip, which results in more reed being taken in, and a biting embouchure. Playing with more reed in the mouth means that the lips are sealing on harder cane - in some cases, the bark. Some schools ascribe to this type of playing, (getting the oboe higher and taking in more reed) but it seems a rather tiring way of playing.
If the oboe is held too low, on the other hand, the breath is cheated from having a smooth stream of air through the instrument. It increases the already high breath back pressure. Aesthetically, playing with the oboe (or any instrument for that matter) too close to the body makes the player look shy and weak, so would be best avoided.
To determine the best position then, the player should correct posture, get a decent reed that doesn't need to be influenced by the embouchure too much, and just play a comfortable note at a mezzo-forte. This should be done without any pre-adjustments; some players will raise their arms too much, sit up too straight (tense), or play with a strange, supposedly "relaxed" embouchure.
None of this. Pick up the oboe and play an easy note, and put the oboe back down, and that's how it should be all the time. Easy!
Easy!
Easy!
D
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