Author: vboboe
Date: 2006-07-26 09:42
d-oboe enjoy your comments, food for thought and discussion
<<The one thing I do somewhat disagree with is the straw exercises/fibercane reed exercises - it encourages a gripping, or "holding on to" of the reed ... the reed is meant to be freely blowing in loose lips ... It is supported by the oboe, which is supported by the right hand ... think the best practice is to use the real reed, blowing into it, feeling how the embouchure acts as a complement to the air, rather than "developing the embouchure" abstractly, and separately from the oboe.>>
Yes, you've stated the desirable Goal for embouchure development, and i've got a creative means to that same end. Real reed is used in oboe once a day. All other extra uses of reed creative, but considering reed short lifespan, why use it up faster? Substitute gets good results.
Gripping the reed is a very common beginners problem, not caused by substituting a straw for a real reed. If anything, the sense of pressure caused by oboe's weight on the reed encourages gripping until the correct posture and support is fully provided by a strengthened right thumb, wrist, hand, arm, shoulder & back muscles. Embouchure also has to contain incredible air pressure without leaking air around gums or puffing cheeks, and until the facial / jaw muscles are strong enough, gripping the reed is a fairly normal happening in beginners' attempt to control everything for sound that's not too ugly. On top of that, the oboe player has to learn how to breathe altogether differently, what normal life does that? So, when the embouchure (etc) is strong enough for these things, it's time to move on to developing flexibility. Exercises on reed substitutes evolve to meet the need. This is all built up over time with regular practice at it.
Consider situations such as:
- few playable reeds, with more need to conserve them rather than use them up, result of limited budget, poor accessibility, low success rate during the learning process of making own reeds
- limited hours at civilized times of day to blow one's horn, because it doesn't mesh with other family lives, work hours, meal-times and life's many other chores. Hobbyist oboe players, no matter how committed, lead another life, and figure out how to fit oboe into it.
These situations need workable solutions to get good results. My creative solutions are 'abstract' silent fingering practice, 'abstract' air support exercises for dynamics, embouchure & articulation exercises on substitutes -- all of which require considerable mental concentration for identifying the muscles at work, and accuracy using 'abstract' mechanical devices such as playback on earphones or metronome
The point about silence here is that all these exercises can be scheduled at times when it wouldn't be convenient or realistic for blowing practice. They can be fitted into odd moments during the day, don't have to be all at once. This doesn't mean i don't blow at all, it simply means that if it's not possible to blow any given day in a week, i have supplemental options that provide good results, instead of skipping that day's practice altogether, never a good option.
Bonus 1 -- i don't martyr myself by actually hearing every single mistake i make in the slow and repetitive process of fingering or articulating correctly, gradually building up to full tempo, and those scales / technical exercises are little tunes that go round and round in one's head in endless circles that make musical cages if heard too many times, i certainly don't have the right to inflict that on anybody else -- this essential part of practice isn't music, it's noise! Cut the sound out until the body does it OK, then play it (woe, lots of room for improvement noted!)
Bonus 2 -- next blowing practice, OK, body's co-operating better, now can concentrate on beautifying the tone and polishing the musical interpretation, family says you're playing great today, morale boost!
Yes, there are still improvements & corrections to make, wouldn't there be likewise in any two year oboe student profile?
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