 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: BusyBee
Date: 2016-12-11 14:10
Hi there,
I'm writing a book featuring an oboist. I've done some research, but I have a question which is a little difficult to find an answer to...
How long approx. do you think it would take someone to go from being a complete beginner at oboe to playing Ennio Morricone's Gabriel's Oboe? Assuming that they're already a musician (piano, violin)?
Thank you in advance for your help.
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Author: Jim22
Date: 2016-12-11 21:42
Took me about a year. I played flute, sax, and clarinet on the way to playing oboe. It's not an extremely technical piece if one is familiar with the timing issues. Intonation, tone quality, and reeds take more time to master. I'm not there yet, but making progress. It really is all about the reeds for oboe.
Jim
Jim C.
CT, USA
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-12-12 03:28
Attachment: lacaliffa.jpg (216k)
Another Ennio Morricone tune along similar lines to 'Gabriel's Oboe' is 'La Califfa' - I've just played this in two concerts. The arrangement starts off in D Major, then modulates to F Major, then a band interlude and then the oboe comes back in and modulates and finishes off in Gb Major (6 flats).
Normally when I see key signatures of more than four flats on oboe I get very nervous, but the funny thing is all this was written in the key of F Major, but the accidentals were added and that tricked me into playing in Gb Major without even batting an eyelid.
See attachment of the copy of the solo part I made to make it as a whole instead of split between two players (as there's only me on oboe in the band I'm in).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: mschmidt
Date: 2016-12-12 07:51
Jim22's response is a good one, and raises a good question: does the character in the novel need to play the piece well, or just ok? Because if you really want to melt someone's heart with the sound of your oboe, you have to play for a while and have some control over your reeds.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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Author: BusyBee
Date: 2016-12-13 01:48
It's a heart melt situation. I can't imagine a better way to melt a heart than with a well-played oboe.
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Author: BusyBee
Date: 2016-12-13 01:54
I know, right? Writer invading your board. I'll be off soon.
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Author: Jim22
Date: 2016-12-13 07:03
I guess we're off topic a bit, but I will say oboe is by far the toughest for me. I think the biggest challenge is reeds. At least at my level, each is unique, and they change daily and with the weather. It's really quite difficult to progress without good reeds. Secondly, oboe seems way harder to play in tune. The pitch on the other woodwinds I play are much more stable, maybe to a fault. I'm really just starting to appreciate that the player is responsible for setting the intonation and then make the instrument match the desired pitch. Then there is the need to relax and let the upper register play, despite the feeling that you really need to pinch the notes up. Anyway, I am making progress. Good luck with your book.
Jim C.
CT, USA
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Author: mschmidt
Date: 2016-12-13 09:16
In that case you'd better give the incipient oboist at least two years, have them somehow acquire a very nice instrument, and a very good teacher who knows how to make reeds and to teach how to make reeds.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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Author: JRC
Date: 2016-12-13 17:37
Too many variables....
1. how much time dedicated to oboe, and talent issues
2. teacher issues...how often and what to learn (just playing? make own reeds?)
3. quality of acceptable level of "playing" the tune
4. this tune require relatively high level of breathing control, tone and intonation control, even though does not require very high level of finger acrobatics.
5. this tune require relatively high level of musical maturity
And I probably missed a few...
The answer is very highly dependent upon all these factors. So... a short answer is one month to rest of your life. A long answer will likely be very long and require interactive dialog....
The question rings... "How long would it take to write a book in Swahili? "
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Author: SarahC
Date: 2016-12-14 09:31
I would go with the four to five years estimate to really master a beautiful tone.... A tone that would melt hearts!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-12-14 11:42
The difference in making the listeners cry with emotion and cry in pain is huge, so the upper register tone is something that needs to be well developed on oboe to deliver this kind of solo to full effect.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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The Clarinet Pages
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