Author: hautbois
Date: 2007-10-06 21:55
To answer the query about the time it took as a beginner to develop a certain facility: As a pre-teen, I really did not have the self-awareness to accurately assess things like how well I played in tune or how well I did or did not phrase, etc. I started at aged 10, was given lots of encouragement by teachers and orchestra conductors, and by age 16 I was principal oboe in All-Eastern Orchestra, and played principal in a local community orchestra, did many church gigs (mostly Bach), and had my own trio sonate ensemble. My guess is that the intonation sense was there all along, as I also sang in ensembles and had a musical family, and had a teacher who guided my reed-making to help me create reeds which easily played in tune. I took a 10 year hiatus, starting in college. Upon resuming the instrument, I would say it took a disproportionately long time to get to where I think I was before the break -- maybe a few years, with moderate practice (maybe an hour most days). When I later had time to truly focus on the instrument (in my 30s), increased practice time quickly provided much greater facility.
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