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Re: how far along...?

Author: my58vw
Date: 2005-11-12 11:01

I think it really depends on a few really important factors in regards to where you were before you started playing. I would say my experience is far from usual.

I started taking lessons in late August, which is about 3 months ago. I know exactly where you are going with the jelly embechure, I was like that after about 30 minutes of playing for the first month or so, but it got better. In early October I began playing with the colleges wind ensomble, in mid october with the orchastra and in late August with the local community group, 3 bands over 30 pieces of music.

After 5 weeks on the instrument I auditioned with wind ensomble and made it in second chair (2 oboes and an english horn), and after about 3 months I am playing a few difficult pieces like A festive overture and Folk song suite (with the second movement solo) and I am playing first chair. I still have a long long way to go but learning under fire can be the biggest motivator.

That said it has not been easy by any respect. My instructor says that I have progressed nearly 4x faster than most other people she has worked with. Tuning is a challenge, and some of those tricky fingerings are coming along (like Db - Alt Eb to F) and the stuff above high C (i.e. C#, D, Eb, E, F), tounging is difficult (when touble tounging) expoecially the eight note 2 sixteennote passages (thing Festive overture) that are on the same note.

It all depends on how motivated you are, how much experience you have and how much pacience you have. I have been playing music (and many different instruments, including flute, clarinet, most brass, percussion) for over 15 years, and oboe fingerings are just like flute in many ways. I did not have to go through learning rhythms, and to be honest I made my first few notes in my first time on the instrument.

I don't mean to put myself up on a pedistal because I am far from that, I bet people here could put me to shame on the oboe, but motivation is the key. You will come along, just give it time, it is one of funnest (and most frusterating) instruments you can play. Oh my gosh reeds... well you get the idea. Keep up with it and it will get better quickly.

Good Luck

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