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Re: Who plays an oboe other than Loree?

Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-08-10 19:35

The thumbplate duplicates the action of RH finger 1 for giving Bb and C - you lift your thumb off for the Bbs and Cs. It's a throwback to an earlier system which has been the mainstay of British players and most players here start off on basic thumbplate system oboes where Bb and C are only possible with the thumbplate as there's no other linkage to the RH1 fingerplate to make for these notes (the side key on thumbplate system oboes duplicates the thumbplate action for trills only). If you play flute, it's the same thumb movement when playing B-C in you lift your thumb for C while LH1 is closed.

In the UK, all oboes are generally built down to low Bb but the most basic ones have simple action 8ve keys instead of semi-automatic (and only a LH3 C-D trill key), so you have to completely release the 1st 8ve touch as you open the 2nd 8ve key (and vice versa) so as you lift/lower LH3, you rotate your left wrist to do this. Semi automatic 8ve keys are the ones most commonly found on oboes so you can keep your thumb on the 1st 8ve touch and opening the 2nd 8ve automatically closes the 1st 8ve vent without having to remove your thumb (which is much better). Over in Germany (although being challenged by semi-autos now) and Eastern Europe, players prefer fully automatic 8ves which only have the left thumb touch (no 2nd 8ve touchpiece for LH1) and the vents switch over automatically when you have the thumb touch held down and raise or lower LH finger 3 (like saxes) so the correct 8ve vent opens at the right time. It's far more complex in design and a pain to regulate (or keep in perfect regulation in some cases!) and therefore far more expensive as a result if you were to buy a fully automatic oboe compared to a semi-automatic. For the altissimo register, a linkage from the G# key makes sure the lower 8ve vent is open for high F.

So more often than not, thumbplates are added to conservatoire system oboes either at the time of manufacture or afterwards at the player's request. To get an idea of what the tone quality is like for Bb and C played with thumbplate fingerings, play A and with your right hand finger 1, hold down the uppermost end of the long linkage bar running down the right side of the top joint - this will give you Bb. Now play B and do the same, only this time you'll get C. Then compare them with the conservatoire fingerings - some dual system playes use the conservatoire fingering for Bb and the thumbplate fingering for C which is less nasal with thumbplate fingering, whereas Bb is more mellow with the conservatoire fingering.

Here's a photo of the thumbplate and 3rd 8ve in the usual thumbplate position (to the left of the thumbplate):
http://www.howarth.uk.com/pic.aspx?pic=./wo/HowarthXLBWTPOboe.jpg&pid=35115

The 3rd 8ve key in the usual (conservatoire system) position overlapping the 1st 8ve touch is no good for use with a thumbplate, so it's positioned to (most commonly) the left or on the right if requested (which is the more expensive option). The 3rd 8ve on conservatoire systems should overlap the 1st 8ve touch but not make contact with it - the risk there being the 1st 8ve key may be held open which isn't ideal. In any case, the 3rd 8ve touch should be just enough out of reach until you need to use it so it isn't opened accidentally. The overlapping 3rd 8ve touchpiece is more likely to get bent into the 1st 8ve, soalways check there's around a 1mm minimum gap in between them.

While I initially started on a B&H Regent oboe when I was 15 (and packed it i a couple of years later), I decied to use primarily conservatoire system fingerings when I took up oboe after a ten year break when I bought a Yamaha 821TP oboe - I took the thumbplate off to force myself to use conservatoire system fingerings, but there were some intervals, arpeggios and leaps which I found much easier using thumbplate fingerings, so I reinstated it and enjoy the best of both conservatoire and thumbplate system worlds.

And more besides - tremolos of G-Bb or G-C are much easier with dual system instruments compared to pure thumbplate or pure conservatoire. To do these you ideally need a dual system oboe, but you can do this on pure conservatoire systems by holding the uppermost end of the linkage bar on the side of the top joint down, then play G and trill with LH finger 3 only for G-Bb, or LH fingers 2 and 3 for G-C. Oherwise on a dual system you leave your thumb off the thumbplate completely to do these tremolos.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

Post Edited (2013-08-10 19:47)

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