 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: saraho
Date: 2016-08-08 17:08
I was doing my usual warm up with long notes starting with low D this afternoon. My reed was OK, but the note D sounded like a E-flat. I checked with a tuner and found out all my notes below low E-flat suddenly turned a semitone sharper:
D --> Eb
C# --> D
C --> C# (and this C sounds "muffled")
All notes above low E flat are in tune and sound nicely.
I know this problem didn't exist yesterday...
Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts/advice? What should I check?
Many thanks for your help!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-08 17:42
Check your forked F vent is closing along with RH finger 2. It will open fully when RH3 is closed, but is then closed by RH2 so you can get all the notes from Eb downwards. It's usually the cause of poor response of the low notes if it has gone out of adjustment.
Hold down RH3 and when opening and closing RH2, check the closure of the forked F vent pad with a feeler gauge. You may also see it moving very slightly if you hold down RH2 and open/close RH3. It shouldn't move at all.
But it definitely needs to be held closed by RH2 which a lot of general repairers miss as they may not know how it works and can see it's closed when RH3 is released (when there aren't any fingers closing the RH main action).
And it's also worth checking the closure of the F# vent (the small pad cup between RH fingers 1 and 2 right next to the RH C-D trill lever) as that will also compromise the response if it's not adjusted correctly - neither too light so anything below E won't respond nor too heavy preventing RH 2 and 3 closing.
If in doubt, go and see an oboe specialist repairer as they will have the right knowledge to deal with this part of the mechanism which often eludes some repairers and is one of the most common problems to plague players.
If it's just happened suddenly, it sounds as though the key cork may have become compressed or fallen off the linkage/RH2 key foot. It's only a very tiny piece of silencing material, but enough to stop things working if it's worn out or missing.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2016-08-08 17:47)
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Author: saraho
Date: 2016-08-09 00:02
Thanks for your advice.
I just had a closer look at the keys... and you're right. The "F resonance" key is not closing properly with RH2. Not sure why this happens overnight...
Even though the problem is identified, I don't really know how to fix this. Logically speaking, the readjustment would involve the screw controlling the height of the F resonance key and the screw controlling the E key to the F resonance key. However, I'm a bit scared to turn the two little screws...
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-09 08:23
A lot of stupid and unexpected things happen to oboes overnight just to give players even more stuff to worry about - I'm sure they're sent to try us!
On the F vent key itself, if it has two screws, then adjust the one nearest to the pillar (or nearest the pad cup) as that's the one linked to the RH2 key foot/linkage.
Turn the adjusting screw clockwise by about a quarter turn and see if that improves things. If it's better but still not playing 100%, then adjust it clockwise by a few degrees at a time (and keep checking the regulation using a feeler gauge so all the pads are closing as they should).
Most oboes only have the one adjusting screw on the forked F vent, but on some makes (Selmer USA and others) they often have two.
As far as terminology goes, I call it the F vent or forked F vent as opposed to the F resonance key/F resonance vent as that frees up that term for the F resonance key that's often fitted to German spec oboes which is opened by the F key - it's a much smaller key and usually mounted on the opposite side of the body from the forked F vent.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: matt_lin18
Date: 2016-08-10 01:39
The F resonance key is a tricky one. The pad doesn't need to hit very hard but just enough to make it seal. Make it hit too hard and other notes have issues. There are three vital adjustment screws in the lower joint that has to be adjusted with each other to make it work.
I have a lot of success using this adjustment guide here: http://www.oboehouse.com/images/OboeAdjustmentGuidebySeaton.pdf
You probably do not need to adjust the top joint. Start with the paragraph where it says "Screws #6, #7 and #8 work together and must be adjusted carefully in order for the right hand notes to speak".
There is a labeled picture of the bottom of the PDF so you know what keys the guide is referring to. Take the time to read the directions carefully and make sure you really understand what it is asking for before you do it. Adjustment screws do not need to be turned very much, 1/8 of a turn can make a huge difference.
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2016-08-10 14:20
You ask a good question "how could this change overnight"?
I would suspect a bumper cork. Ordinary screws have no "play" in them, so the maker will put a thin layer of cork onto the surface under the screw. This damps the noisy clatter of the keys and also adds a little bit of play, making adjustment a little easier.
Perhaps the tiny sliver of cork under the screw that Chris described has fallen off? Take a look in your case, perhaps you can find it? A dab of contact adhesive (both surfaces, then wait) could be all you need.
J.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-10 15:35
Corks can suddenly drop off if they're contaminated with key oil or the adhesive has failed which can happen if shellac or superglue has been used to bond them onto the keys as they're too brittle.
Or if the key hasn't been degreased prior to sticking the cork onto it or the adhesive is of a type that reacts with the silver plating and gets rejected.
If you have plastic or Teflon tipped adjusting screws, on some rare occasions the tips can drop out or in the case of Teflon tipped ones, then Teflon can crumble if subjected to undue pressure.
In a perfect world we'd have metal on metal contact, but that will make oboes sound even more like a typewriter than they do already.
What make oboe have you got? The only ones I can think of that have two adjusting screws on the forked F vent are Selmer USA oboes and they usually have nylon tipped adjusting screws which don't require any other silencing material under them.
But they have square cut nylon tips that can go out of adjustment if they move even by a tiny amount. If you have nylon tipped adjusting screws, have your repairer dome them with a smooth file so they give better and easier adjustment as well as working in any rotation whereas square cut ones may have been cut at an angle and only work best at a certain point of rotation.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: saraho
Date: 2016-08-11 00:26
Attachment: 20160810_212356.jpg (448k)
My oboe is a Howarth S40c. I still don't quite understand why the F vent would slightly lift off after pressing the D key (as if playing low D), with the RH2 down...
I've attached a pic showing the F vent with both RH2 and RH3 down. You can see there's a tiny gap (I've put a piece of cigarette paper to show the gap).
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-08-11 01:19
Attachment: S40cFvent.jpg (151k)
The F vent is set up so it's released when RH3 is closed, then closed again when RH2 is closed. Here's how I set it up (see attachment for a labelled photo):
- Keep RH3 held closed to free the F vent.
- Then adjust the screw (B) to close the F vent pad fully along with LH2 (closing and releasing RH2 as though you're playing D-F-D-F). The key foot (C) is the one linked to RH2 which closes the F vent.
- The other adjusting screw (A) is to adjust the regulation of RH3 in relation to RH2 - that will remove any double action between RH3 and the F# key (the one with two adjusting screws right next to each other).
Your F vent is opening considerably, so it looks like the key cork on the top side of the key foot (C) has fallen off. Also check the rod screw that holds the RH main action in place hasn't come undone as that can put the RH main action out of whack - especially as the lower end of the screw is holding the lower part of the LH2 key and especially the key foot (C) in place.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2016-08-11 01:25)
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2016-08-11 11:31
I agree with Chris - looks like the cork has fallen off the key, based on your picture. There should be a sliver of cork between the bottom of the adjustment screw and the metal keywork at point "C" in Chris's photo.
You say you don't understand why the key should lift off when you press the D key? The reason is, it is designed that way.
This key is the "Forked F vent" - it is designed to open only when you finger Forked-F, and otherwise to remain closed. This is achieved by opening it when your RH ring finger is depressed, and closing it again when you depress your middle finger.
If the adjustment is out of whack (or if the key-cork drops off) your middle finger will not close the key but will leave it a tiny bit open. If you over-adjust, you can leave a gap under your middle-finger key and also under the small key between your index and middle-fingers. Getting this just right is hard.
J.
Post Edited (2016-08-11 11:32)
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Author: saraho
Date: 2016-08-12 23:26
So I took my oboe to Howarth today. According to the notes, the repairer has tightened some loose screws, and sealed leaking octave boxes.
I didn't realise that the octave boxes were leaking.....
Anyway, my oboe is now healthy and happy :-)
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