Author: GMac
Date: 2006-04-15 13:33
Great discussino we have going here...thanks OhSuzan!
Oboeblank, I think we have to clear something up a bit, you said that you can't play with a lot of resistance with less reed in your mouth. To be quite honest, I think that that is completely a reed thing. I find I actually get a lot more resistance when I am playing way on the tip...as I was saying before it really, really makes you blow and support hard enough when you're doing this to get a sufficiently large sound.
Elaine Douvas does play with more reed in her mouth, however she does compromise a lot to do this. She was one of the teachers at Domaine Forget (a camp here in Canada) last spring, and we had lots of masterclasses with her and I had a private lesson as well. What she does is that she makes reeds that are quite hard, and as we all know hard reeds tend to produce a darker sound, so she can afford to play with more reed in her mouth without getting really edgy. Also, she makes reeds that are quite sharp (they crow a C#, much higher than the conventional C crow) and buys really flat (on a normal C crow reed) oboes so that the end result is a dark, resonant tone. However, (and she said this herself!!) she has a very limited range of tone colour and a more limited range of dynamics than playing way on the tip. I agree, she has a gorgeous tone, not bright or edgy, but not only does it lack a large range of dynamics and colour but playing with that style makes articulation much more difficult.
I have to say that I completely disagree wtih you on Richard Woodhams, but this is the wonderful thing about music, that we all will have completely differing opinions! I heard him live last year playing the Strauss concerto, and I could always hear him clearly over the orchestra. Also, if you listen to his recordings, I find that he has one of the most resonant, dark tones out there (again, opinion...).
I really think a lot of this whole balancing thing has to do with how you make your reeds...my teacher plays incredibly far out (I don't quite know how he does it...) and if you've ever heard him play, you know that he can project over the rest of the orchestra no matter what's going on. I've heard him easily project over the entire brass section with no edge or buzz to the sound. However, playing on the tip allows him to play as soft as the clarinets with their subtones. If you hear John Ferrillo (principal in Boston), he's the same way...his sound just sails over the orchestra with no effort at all (and that's in a 80-piece orchestra!), and he's in the same school of playing (way on the tip...he took from De Lancie).
Who's right? I have no idea...I have heard some people that take more reed in their mouth that get drowned by the orchestra...I think it's all about a balancing act. You have to make your reeds suited to what style you're going to play in, and you have to pick an oboe that will complement this style of playing.
I certainly do agree with what you said about the teacher though...trust your teacher, especially if you like what she sounds like. Immerse yourself in her style to get the most out of what she can give.
Good luck!
Graham
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