Author: vboboe
Date: 2007-07-27 18:01
... very timely topic for me too, thanks for explaining Mack's X (good description, helps visualize) and also reminding me of the Ever-Essential Long Tone Exercises, it hit me squarely between the ears yesterday exactly what my oboe teacher has been trying to tell me about my intonation all year, yes, i 'knew' it but didn't 'feel' it if you know what i mean?
There i was yesterday practising with a fellow band member who's a renewbie retraining his trumpet chops, the weather's clear and sunny, not too hot, but the air pressure's high, and four of my five usual reeds (toning variously at slightly C#, two C 's and B) weren't co-operating very well, moist enough but still balky, finally i tried the fifth 'Bb' reed (which tones and plays quite flat, and is a softer reed overall) -- well, bingo, things began to improve, reed much more responsive
BUT -- even so, i noticed great variances trying to stay in tune with the other player (yes, also because he's working on his own intonation too) but mostly because mentally i was thinking this is a Bb reed tone, got to lip it up all the time just to hold the fort, so to speak -- but surprise, surprise, that didn't work as i thought it should -- it took awhile to find the sweet spot, and after that it seemed to keep slipping away from me -- it was quite an exercise, certainly painful on the ears at times and overall rather discouraging, not one of my better practice days, but very important in terms of self-discovery as a *student* oboe player
... i've come away from it thinking it's so very hard for me to play these different pieces of cane in this piece of wood in tune with someone else ... oboe truly isn't an easy instrument, am i totally, totally nuts?!
Well, now i've talked to a trumpet player, i realize what they have to do with their lips is just as demanding, they have to shape their mouth just so to pitch every note too, and i've previously talked with the flute player, and she says a similar thing is needed to play flute in tune also, especially in the higher register where most flutes have notes to play, and the alto saxophones are also telling me that they have to adjust their lips too to refine their tone and focus their notes
that's reassuring, it's not just oboe, and it's not the instrument itself, it's the player who has to figure out how to play the instrument
... so, it's back to DAILY Long Tone Exercises for me, with a tuner to help me hear and hopefully remember when i've hit the right notes spot on
ear training seems to be a very important part of the various Long Tone Exercises, one can practice long tones as much as one likes, but if not actually playing the notes "spot on" every time, i'd be telling my ears to accept 'anything close in the vicinity' instead of 'focused' tone and my mouth / air support wouldn't learn how to zone in either
... and after those exercises are done then comes the reality check of playing in tune any way, any reed, any day, any weather, anybody else
... so now this student's really ready -- know's what's wrong, what has to be done to fix it, and now it's up to me ... practice, practice, practice!
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