Author: vboboe
Date: 2007-10-22 06:01
i've read your quote dutchy and i don't get the same message, how i read it is -- the line or direction in which the thumb moves is perpendicular -- not sideways or from the side, or rolled over and off, or anything else but lift up and down (just like the other fingers) -- and, like anything else oboe, it's just one way of doing it
the concensus of experience recommends that the weight of the oboe is supported on the thumb-rest, the instrument is primarily adjusted up and down by the right arm, and the left finger and thumb tips should not be clutching or supporting the upper joint but resting 'soft joints' (neat term, d-oboe) on keys or back
When the left thumb is relieved of duties to support the oboe, then it's free to shift the octave key faster any way that works most efficiently for the player
if the thumb-rest isn't positioned so it's a well-balanced fulcrum for the oboe's weight, this causes strain on the right thumb and arm, and so the temptation to support the oboe with the left thumb is forced on a player. Don't settle for that. Make it work for you by adjusting the rest, padding it some more, getting a cushion or ergonomic adjustable rest, or whatever it takes to get the instrument's balance right for you
as a former T-plate player, it's just another skill to learn, keeping the oboe properly balanced and supported so the reed stays in mouth position, lifting right hand / arm up just a tiny fraction as the left thumb releases its relatively (light) pressure on the upper joint, it's a skill something like automatically tuning the notes as you blow the reed
technical exercises designed to focus on a specific thing sometimes require 'extreme' positions of the fingers in order to train the brain & muscles to make very clear connections
it definitely isn't an absolute rule to keep thumb on the back, just check out YouTube for professional players using thumb-off on conservatory oboes
some oboes are designed with nicely tapered and rounded off thumb octaves set quite low against the wood that can be rolled open and shut very easily and comfortably; others are set high like a big step and perhaps have a pointy sharp end that favors levering it from the side -- or raising and lowering the thumb in a perpendicular fashion as dutchy quoted
" ideally " finger movements should be minimal action necessary to accomplish the job, but this depends how fine-tuned the muscles are and whether the exact position of any size hands is compromised for optimal rapid and minimum movements on any given oboe -- to illustrate, just twist the wrist excessively, try playing minimum movement and fingers get all tangled up -- all hands have optimum positions for their most rapid finger movements, but just holding the oboe compromises that for a lot of people
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