The Oboe BBoard
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Author: oboeyogi
Date: 2017-08-27 13:33
Hi all
I am play the cor for the local concert band ( images of a city by Franco Cesarini) and my conductor want me to play loud when I have my solo if not most of the time.
Any Ideas on how to make it loud.
So far I am opening the reed up and using lots of wind but he want more.
My next plan was to make the reeds shorter and have yet a bigger opening, as I am just start to go a bit flat.
Thanks Nicholas
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-08-27 13:54
Cors aren't loud instruments and it's all down to the scoring and how sympathetic the players are around you.
If it's a cor solo and heavily scored, then you've got no chance of being heard.
This is why with orchestral cor solos the scoring is usually very sparse or there's no-one playing at all so the cor can be heard.
Cors simply don't do concert band level ff. They're a polite and refined instrument by nature and as soon as you get some git on tuba blasting out regardless, then you may as well not bother playing. Just based on my own experience.
Another gripe is if the cor solo is cued in the alto sax part and THEY PLAY THE CUES AND THE CONDUCTOR DOES NOTHING!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: mschmidt
Date: 2017-08-28 07:59
Gosh, Chris, that is awful! (The saxes playing the cues.)
I have found that I am best off making my cor reeds (of course I call them EH reeds) rather differently than I make my oboe reeds. Of course, I am an American, with an American reed style, so I don't know if that helps. But I had to experiment a bit and throw caution to the wind to figure out how to get a reed that really has a good amplitude of vibration without sounding harsh. But a cor will never be as harsh as an oboe could be, so you have some room to move.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2017-08-28 14:44
What is the floor like in your rehearsal-room/concert hall?
If it is carpeted, perhaps you can get a sheet of plywood and place it beneath the instrument. I have found this works well, especially if you can angle it a fraction towards the audience.
J.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-08-28 15:22
jhoyla wrote:
"What is the floor like in your rehearsal-room/concert hall?
If it is carpeted, perhaps you can get a sheet of plywood and place it beneath the instrument. I have found this works well, especially if you can angle it a fraction towards the audience."
If you don't have a piece of plywood, then use your music folder to do the same thing.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: oboeyogi
Date: 2017-08-28 15:51
Is a wood floor but was thinking the same thing.
The french horns have what look like clear 10mm Perspex board behind them for the projection I could try that on the floor. I will try it next week.
To mike my reeds are made with my KGe oboe reed profiler g18 template It works just as good on the cor reeds. I just have to make sure I wire them very open. I picked up the profiler from a retired player, and it make life so easy now it's set up.
Thanks Nicholas
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-08-28 21:14
The horns and some woodwinds often have those Perspex screens as a shield from the other brass or percussion sat behind them so they can hear themselves.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: concertmaster3
Date: 2017-08-30 17:37
I tend to make my EH reeds a bit thinner at the tip (though not quite oboe thin, but thinner in comparison), but with more spine for projection with warmth to the sound. I've been told that I could play quieter during a few times. I kind of find that a mark of achievement on cor!
Ron Ford
Woodwind Specialist
Performer/Teacher/Arranger
http://www.RonFordMusic.com
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