 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: GaryT1957
Date: 2006-04-05 20:48
Hi all,
Since taking up the oboe after a long hiatus (30 yrs) and getting my new oboe, I've a been practicing alot. However, after about an hour, my embouchure starts to elude me. I was just wondering if I should stop playing BEFORE my embouchure gets blown. I'm so afraid of damaging it.
Also, how long should I give it a rest? Is it better to play several shorter sessions or a long session each day?
Thanks,
Gary
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Author: sylvangale
Date: 2006-04-05 22:11
The most I would ever play the oboe was for 2 hours. It took time to get to that point and when I switched to playing 1 hour regularly. It was painful to try to stick it out to 2 hours.
I would suggest adding 10-20 minutes to your practice session to get to your desired practice time.
If you just want to practice 1 hour a day daily and be able to perform for 3 hours straight on a weekend... ain't gonna happen.
That's where owning a flute or clarinet comes in handy... 
Now I don't even play 1 hour regularly. Bah.
Regards,
Stephen
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Author: GaryT1957
Date: 2006-04-06 01:06
Thanks Stephen...I guess the ticket is to SLOWLY increase practice time. I guess I love playing the oboe so much that I hate to put it down!! Yep...already own a very expensive flute but I hardly ever play it. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to plat it once in awhile. I keep it polished!
Gary
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2006-04-06 06:36
... definitely better to practice blowing with your best tone & pitch so every note is really beautiful (or your best effort in that direction), so stop playing for today when can't keep embouchure in the zone
... definitely better for embouchure's sake to practice 1/7 than 2/3.5
... silent fingering practice works if you do the reps for the difficult and boring stuff, for as long as can concentrate on co-ordination and accuracy
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-04-06 14:24
Gary -
The best advice on practicing I've found is "My Philosophy of Practice" by Howard Niblock, the oboe prof at Lawrence University. It's at http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/conservatory/studio/oboe/practice.shtml. It doesn't address your question directly, but is about making the most of your practice time.
Another great resource is Alan Vogel's wonderful article "French, German and American Oboe Playing: Some Reflection on Having Studied With
Fernand Gillet, Lothar Koch and Robert Bloom" at http://idrs.colorado.edu/Publications/Journal/JNL6/vogel.html. I've benefitted greatly from using Gillet's method of working out difficult finger movements. I do it silently, which lets me concentrate on exact and economical finger motion. (I even do the exercises while riding to and from work on the subway.)
Finally, I cut a plastic soda straw into 2" pieces and squeeze them between my lips for embouchure strengthening.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2006-04-06 15:54
I did some research on the Internet regarding increasing muscle stamina, and I ran across a factoid somewhere that said that after 3 minutes of rest, your fatigued muscle fibers have rested as much as they're ever going to rest. So I've changed my practice regimen--before, I used to knock off for the day when my embouchure got tired, but now, when I start to lose the embouchure, I rest for 3 minutes and then do a little more until the embouchure gives out again. And then do another 3 minutes rest, and then practice some more, and then another 3 minutes rest. And keep doing this until it just won't hold it at all (by which point the lactic acid has built up so much that your body can't effectively flush it out), and THEN knock off for the day.
And it's definitely helping increase my practice time.
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Author: mschmidt
Date: 2006-04-06 22:05
Those are indeed interesting articles. I must admit, as a returning recreational oboist, I found Niblock's article a little intimidating. If I was up for that kind of regimen, I wouldn't have quit oboing way back when.
The only way I got back into playing the oboe and enjoying it was by starting very slowly and being very selfish. I was only going to play what I wanted to play. So for weeks, no scales save the chromatic that I used for trying out reeds. I focused on playing easy music and sounding as good as possible. The moment I felt tired or frustrated I quit. Oboe was only for fun. Gradually, I branched out in my repertoire and went back to Barret and Ferling--and scales. I "worked" more on things. But only because I realized what I had to work on to get what I wanted out of playing. I played for longer sessions.
I think I was close to the spirit of Niblock, though, in being disciplined in my own way--it's just that I had different goals. For someone who grew up always doing what I should be doing, not what I wanted to be doing, it might have been easy to slip into a preprofessional mode. But I'm not a preprofessional! I play for enjoyment! Insisting on enjoyment is its own discipline and ultimately leads to the same musical goals as the preprofessional focus--but it takes longer to get there. But I'm in no hurry. Better to master Barret at the age of seventy than to stop playing oboe at forty-five because I get tired of playing Barret every day.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
Post Edited (2006-04-06 22:07)
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Author: GaryT1957
Date: 2006-04-07 13:39
Wow...thanks all for the great advice and tips. The articles are quite interesting and insightful.
I have to agree with you, mschmidt. I play for my own enjoyment with no goals for becoming pro. Yet, I strive...always, to practice as often and as long as I can so that playing oboe is even more fun and enjoyable. When I first got my new oboe...I didn't really "practice" much of anything for about a week or two. Spent time playing simple things and easy scales and just getting the feel of the new instrument. Sorta just playing around with it as if it were a new toy. Now, I am much more focused and am happy to report that I am always finding new things to work on.
I love the idea of the straw. I don't have any but I do have a thin and hollow styrene plastic tube (spare from building models) and I'm going use that for strengthening the embouchure when not playing.
I'm also praticing fingerings for silent practice.
Please forgive my long-windedness, I really enjoy the exchange on this board. Everyone is so helpful and encouraging. I kinda feel like we are all friends.
Gary
Oooops...one more thing...any special breathing exercises to help increase abdominal support?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-04-07 15:36
Gary -
For building support:
Breathe in down to the bottom of your abdomen, expanding the sides and back as well as the front. (Don't be surprised if you get hyperventilated.)
Make a medium loud, medium tight hiss, pushing up from your abdomen, front, sides and back, and creating a "bubble of air" under your ribs. Hold the hiss for a fairly long time -- maybe 10 seconds. (Many singers use this exercise.)
You'll tire yourself out quickly. Quit when the muscles start quivering, rest 3 minutes and do it again.
You can also do this through a straw, or through a staple, holding the cork end between your lips.
Finally, practice long tones, medium volume, holding them for 10 seconds.
Give this your best time -- the first 10 minutes of a practice session. Stop when you feel yourself losing concentration.
Ken Shaw
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-04-07 21:12
Damaging embouchure is usually more of an issue with brass players as their "reed" is their lips. Our lips just seal the reed. However, know that anything done incorrectly for too long will result in injury - at worst extreme pain, or at best a nagging bad habit.
The embouchure is a funny thing, in that its muscles don't really get used EXCEPT for when we play oboe. There is generally no cross-training, as singers can do, or piano players, or string players. That means we really must practice moderately (max 1 hour at a time) more frequently. At my particular level, I find that 3-4 sessions (1 hour) throughout the day allows me to generally complete a decent amount of work.
You may not need as much! If you set out to achieve a small goal, it may well take you only 45 minutes total...and that's perfect.
As for embouchure, the best thing for that is an endurance exercise, where you focus only on blowing, and keeping the sound together.
Here's mine:
I play, ****continously**** 6 two-octave scales in this format:
-metron @60
-5 whole notes, breathe out one beat, breathe in one beat, 5 whole notes, etc
So the first bit would go, if I started on D major:
D (1,2,3,4), E(1,2,3,4) F#(1,2,3,4) G(1,2,3,4) A(1,2,3,4)
breathe out one count
breathe in one count
B (1,2,3,4) C#(1,2,3,4) D(1,2,3,4) E(1,2,3,4) F#(1,2,3,4)
breathe out one count
breathe in one count....etc!!!
In total it sums up to about 12 minutes (minus the short breaths) of continous playing.
You might not need this much; try one octave scales, with 2-whole-note phrases.
Your lips will be pretty dead by the end, so I would recommend doing this at the end of your last practice session.
d
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Author: GaryT1957
Date: 2006-04-07 21:36
Thanks D,
After an hour, my lips do fatigue...heck I've even tried a softer reed when that happens but that's even worse. I'm going to note your routine give it a shot. Back in school, i used to about an hour of band/orchestra in the morning, afternoons I'd grab a practice room (if I had a free period or skipped a class), then play for a few hours after dinner. Ofcourse that took time to build so I just have to go slow.
Gary
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2006-04-08 01:44
... thanks gary & ken, perfect timing for me too on this one :-)
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Author: d-oboe
Date: 2006-04-08 12:33
definitely don't opt for a soft reed for endurance's sake. Your embouchure will tire even faster. Make sure that the reed allows you to play in tune, and to blend with your ensemble (even if that means the piano) If it allows you to do this easily, you will last much longer.
D
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Author: GaryT1957
Date: 2006-04-09 15:06
Hi Vboboe....just goes to show we all have something to contribute, no matter what are skill level. I'm glad this has been helpful to you as well.
Thanks D...I found out the hard way that after my embouchure tires, going to a softer reed didn't work. I'll try to be patient and let my practice time get longer over time...heck, I needn't be in a hurry.
Gary
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