The Oboe BBoard

The Oboe BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Re: Lower Lip, upper Lip

Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2006-10-04 21:14

I brought this subject up with my teacher today, because embouchure formation has been an ongoing issue for me.

Her take is very much like what d-oboe has written, that the "American style" player plays with a bit of an overbite (both lips rolled quite in, but the upper lip more forward. This was (very valuable) news to me -- don't quite know how I missed that little point in the past.

She also wants the oboe held rather "down". Straight out, as she demonstrates, gives too bright a sound; too far down gives a muffled sound. She believes that oboists from European traditions (and using European reeds) may hold the oboe more horizontally (she mentioned Italians as doing this).

As far as Ms. Douvas being an "upper lip" player, my teacher understands that to mean that when Ms. Douvas opens her mouth to take a breath, she leaves the reed resting on her upper lip, rather than the lower lip. I'm not sure what that would imply as far as her embouchure overlap (or lack of it).

Teacher also cited an example of someone she has taught who has a considerable natural underbite, and as a consequence, produces a tone that is quite a bit brighter than one usually associates with the American style. Thus she seems to imply that pushing the jaw out would result in a brighter tone, while pushing it back would create a darker tone.

Just my .02 -- this was a valuable conversation for me to have with my teacher, and I got immediate (good) results experimenting with these variables in my own playing.

Susan

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics