 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: woodwindfreak
Date: 2008-10-04 02:16
having a really hard time hitting low D and below -
occassionally I hit the low A or Bb, but more often
I get nothing or it flips up the higher octave
any ideas?
-a frustrated beginner
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-10-04 14:44
dear frustrated beginner
low D isn't easy in the beginning
do you have caps over all the finger holes on your oboe, some with holes in them and others no holes in them, or do you have rings that fit around open tone holes?
do you have two left pointy end pinky keys and a linkage to make a cap cover a big hole on the bell?
unclear what you mean by low A or Bb, low A (2 ledgers below Treble staff) isn't available on oboes
as a very rough guess, it may be that you're opening one of the octave keys in your attempt to get your fingers to cover the holes properly
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Author: johnt
Date: 2008-10-04 17:32
Could be that the reed has closed down too much to be of any use. Or that too much has been taken out of the back. Remedy is to make a new reed, ensuring that the spine goes all the way to the tip of the tip on both sides of the reed. If the reed is half way decent, having this spine, btw which must be perceptible when backlighted, will guarantee the lows voicing. Of course as voboe mentioned, the fingers must properly cover the holes. The oboe must not have any leaks. The F resonance key must close completely. If it doesn't it must be adjusted until it does. My 2ยข
Best,
john
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Author: D
Date: 2008-10-04 18:29
I am just starting too. I have found it helps me (assuming your reed is working properly) to think of the air moving quickly but 'fatly' and hitting a target about a foot away from the bottom of the oboe. You have to push it out with your middle and relax your mouth, especially the top lip. Prepared to be contradicted on these points by real players, but they help me.
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Author: D
Date: 2008-10-05 07:08
Something I should have added. Play the low E, then get someone else to press the D, C, B and Bb keys while you blow. This helps to see if you are moving another finger normally when you try and do it yourself. If it suddenly works then that is a pretty clear indication.
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Author: lbarton
Date: 2008-10-06 17:04
Assuming reed is good and oboe adjusted properly ( big assumption with rental and school instruments):
Relax lower jaw, make embrochure more rounded as if you are sucking a straw in a thick malted milk , and flatten chin. Often I have my students who are having low-note trouble play their E and then slur down one note at a time, rather than tonguing each. As they try to go downward gradually increase speed and air flow. Have patience-sometimes its takes a while before those low notes come out. Lois Barton
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Author: D
Date: 2008-10-06 20:59
Lois
Can you elaborate for me a bit on the flat chin idea. I've not been taught it, or certainly, not been taught something called that so I'd quite like to know a bit more and have a go.
Thanks
D
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2008-10-07 01:16
... in the hands of a beginner, just the activity of stretching, splatting fingers from E to D and gripping the pipe to reassure oneself that the holes are fully covered often jiggles the instrument and changes the embouchure position & pressure on the reed
so first try fingering Left Eb (which means all right fingers must be down in position already on D), blow steadily to get Eb, then lift left pinky up while still blowing steadily -- and see if oboe goes down to D right away
the left pinky Eb doesn't need as much of a stretch as right pinky Eb
once D sounds then practice alternating E & D, LEb-D-E, E-LEb-D, D-E, etc. to practice repositioning fingers without jarring the reed
the added bonus with starting at LEb is it's higher up the pipe than REb (which is below D in hand position) so it makes more sense to the student pressing the higher up key = plays a note higher than D ... hey, it's a gimmic but it works
the long term goal of course it to make right-handed students develop the use of their left pinky, starting as early as possible
in the very early days, it gets faster results to just blow the reed with mouth around it like a whistle, this is muscular effort enough just holding the two blades in the right position to make a sound, the other refinements can be taken up later when the embouchure is in stronger condition
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2008-10-07 09:35
Toby, hi,
If you have a good reed that seals all the way to the tip, and an oboe that is sealing well, you should have no trouble playing a low D with a relaxed embouchure. The fact that you ARE having trouble is probably an indication that either the instrument or the reed are out of whack.
Let's start with the instrument, and test the top joint. Take out the reed, dampen your fingers, close all the holes, seal the bottom of the top joint (I use my RH ring finger to seal the bore-hole) and then suck as strong a vacuum as you can manage into the reed-well. Close off the vacuum with either your top or bottom lip, and start counting seconds until your lip falls away.
How many seconds did it hold? If it held less than 8 seconds you have a problem with your top joint regulation (my guess - this is your problem).
If this is NOT the problem, you need to use the same technique with the bottom joint, only this time you finger bottom C with your RH dampened fingers and close off the bore with your LH, simultaneously closing the bottom B pad manually. It's a bit tricky but doable. rotate the joint a little so that the armatures don't interfere, and suck a vacuum as before. Same 8 second test.
[note: a more objective way of timing the vacuum is to finger either LH G# or 1st Octave key on a semi-automatic model, and time until the key springs open. Use the B pad on the bottom joint.]
If you pass both of your vacuum tests with flying colors, next you should test your reed for leaks. Using only your thoroughly dampened reed, seal the bottom with your ring-finger and suck a gentle vacuum into the reed. Does it make an audible "pop" when it pops open? Does it "hold" the vacuum for a second or two?
Try sealing as before and blow into the reed. Dampen your lips and your fingers. Can you either hear or feel air escaping?
Does the reed speak easily, and crow octave Cs?
If all of the above tests pass, your reed and instrument are in fine shape. That leaves ... you. :-) Never assume it is you up front, without discounting all the other possibilities first. Let us know what you discover.
J.
Post Edited (2008-10-07 09:38)
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Author: kimber
Date: 2008-10-07 15:50
I noticed that when I came back to playing after a few years, my low notes didn't speak right away...it took a bit to figure out that I was turning in my hand inward slightly to reach the full fingered noted, making the top of my right hand ever-so-slightly hit against the A/Ab trill keys, opening them enough to cause the problem. Now I'm just extra careful.
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Author: oboeidaho
Date: 2008-10-15 06:36
Do you have an oboe teacher? I am assuming not or you would have had them play the low notes - but if you have access (or can get access!) to a more accomplished player who could test your oboe that would be great. I have found that most of my students have instruments that don't work when they come to me (ie: even I can't play them) This is usually a huge relief for the poor student, as they think it is all them. Of course, reeds could be the problem too, but I'm betting it's your oboe. Let us know!
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2008-10-21 20:54
on the flat chin thing....basically you open your mouth more ("drop your jaw") but not so much that you could let air escape while you blow. Your teeth will be farther apart. It's the same technique used for hitting low range on brass instruments, if you've ever played one of those. What it does is uncompress the reed, if you are compressing it in the first place.
EBH
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