Author: my58vw
Date: 2006-02-23 12:06
We have had a majot amount of discussion in regards to the "sound" - i.e. timbre of the oboe, in particular from different areas, nationalities, reed scrapes, bore shape, etc. The big question then is how much difference do the following parameters really make...
1. Oboe make, i.e. Loree vs Buffet
2. Oboe material, i.e. grenadilla, violetwood, greenline, plastic
3. Bore variations between a brand, i.e. AK vs standard vs DM in a Loree
4. Amount of wood remaining in the bore, i.e. Royal vs standard Loree
When I was in the market for a new professional oboe I had a hard decision to make in regards to the instrument and I choose the greenline over the loree, maginoux, fossatti, etc. Back then the more important factors were stability, scale, and material (one of the reasons for going greenline). My teacher plays a loree royal and in the past few weeks I have had the oportunity to evaluate a few different oboes, including all mentioned above again. This time I looked a timbre and scale with a single american scrape reed, i.e. the biggest varability eliminated.
Once again, my main instruments looking at were the loree and my greenline, playing selected solo works (including parts of shuberts oboe concerto) and evaluating the timbre. My greenline is very centered and focused, i.e. it is bright, but with a good reed choice it can be very warm, The loree, on the other hand, has a very distinct and warm tone, but feels less direct like the greenline. I speculate the greenline is more consistant due to the material and corresponding vibrational qualities of the instrument.
Now for a pro or serious amature level player, how important are these minute differences in sound? It is dunny because here in America many of the players choose loree, maybe by tradition, but it is taking the greenline a while to make waves in the pro world. Does that really mean loree is a better instrument for the tastes of the american classical listening audience?
I would love to play a cocobolo or violetwood instrument next!
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