 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: bcd
Date: 2012-07-31 16:53
Hi all, I am new to the forum and have spent a very enjoyable few hours reading through the posts. I thought I would share a few things I have learnt in my 10 years of playing:
To prevent a new wooden instrument from cracking, make sure to play it every day for a month after you've bought it so the wood acclimatises well. For the first fortnight play no more than 30 minutes a day, every day, and for the second fortnight 45 minutes a day, every day. Once you've finished dry the instrument thoroughly, then leave it with the case open somewhere cool and shady and let it rest for 30 mins before shutting the case and putting it away. This last step will make sure all water has evaporated from the instrument.
When cleaning an oboe with a pull through, don't pull it through rapidly. Over time this will widen the bore, and the instrument will go noticeably out of tune. Instead gently pull the silk half way through each joint, leave it for a few seconds to soak up the water, and then gently pull it through the rest. If it gets stuck don't force it!
To soak a reed quickly and thoroughly, you can use a film canister 1/3 filled with cold water. Soak the reed tip in the water for about 90 seconds, then remove it and put your mouth to the staple (cork) end. Lower the reed back into the water and suck in slightly, so water is drawn up through the tip (but not all the way into your mouth). By doing this you can wet the inside of the reed as well as the outside in a short time.
If you are playing after a meal don't forget to brush your teeth! There is nothing worse than scraping a reed which has become more resistant only to find a piece of tuna come out....
Carrying a small elastic band or two in the oboe case has saved me a number of times - it can be used to secure pots of water for reeds, tie music to stands in windy outside concert venues, hold closed keys that are not sealing properly, and many more things!
Double tonguing is very useful for a small number of cases, although it is by no means essential. It is not too hard to do once - instead of making the "t" action with your tongue think of making a "k" motion. For long runs of semiquavers, tonguing in the "t, k, t, k, t..." action is often advised but I find it very difficult to keep even! I use double tonguing for short runs of fast semiquavers, say for 5 at once, where you can go "k, t, t, t, t".
If you are thinking of taking the oboe to a high level, I can strongly recommend the study book by Gillet. It is expensive (around £50) but contains many tuneful, challenging and useful studies to improve technique and sound quality. The book itself is available online through imslp for free ( http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/b/b3/IMSLP91079-PMLP187104-Gillet_-_Etudes_for_Oboe.pdf ) and if you buy it you will also get a most excellent fingering chart, complete with harmonics and multiple variations for each note.
Finally, if there is a music college near you, ask if they have oboe masterclasses that the public can attend. Here in the UK I go to many every year, all of them free, and it is very useful to watch oboists such as Francois Leleux teaching students, and giving them tips on pieces which I aspire to play, for several hours.
I hope some people will have found this useful, bcd.
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Some tips |
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bcd |
2012-07-31 16:53 |
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KJC |
2012-07-31 21:18 |
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ptarmiganfeather |
2012-07-31 23:23 |
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GoodWinds |
2012-08-04 00:00 |
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DrewSorensenMusic |
2012-08-01 03:04 |
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HelenJ |
2012-08-03 16:35 |
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dblomd |
2012-08-05 00:21 |
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The Clarinet Pages
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