Transcript Brett Clausen - Oboe

The Positives and
Negatives
Of Adding Double
Reeds to
Your Ensemble
Positives
Adds additional color to your ensemble
Meets instrumentation needs i.e. solos, exposed parts, more interesting music
Is a positive element in Festival Judge’s comments
KCHF Scales easier so as to encourage dbl reed players to try out
Students have more opportunities down the road; 1st Chair in school ensemble,
Symphonic Band in HS, Honor Groups, Youth Symphony, college $$
Personal excitement and enthusiasm for the studen
Negatives
Too many unknowns, strange animal, don’t trust it
Painful to listen to
Can’t hide the sound
Unsure of how to fix problems
Reeds cost too much
Always out of tune
O
B
O
E
Fundamentals for
the beginning
oboist
Assembly
Don’t bend the bridge keys.
Engage bridge key to avoid contact when assembling top and bottom joint.
Align long rods of the bottom and top joint.
Hand position is typical of woodwind
instrument
• straight wrists
• curved fingers and relaxed.
• octave thumb must be free and moveable
Tongue Placement on Reed
TooooTooooTooooToooo
Lips: Oooo! Ahhh! Mmmmm!
Oboe Nose
Teeth: A thumb width apart
Grip: 360 Pressure
Replacing the teeth/jaw support with air pressure
This requires the attack and release to have support/air pressure to
avoid the “vacuum effect”, the pitch rising at the beginning of the
attach and falling at the release of the note.
Consistent pressure in tummy area
preceding the attack and through the
release, like pressure in your water
pipes whether on or off.
The Importance of the Reed
Teaching students the
correct embouchure and
air pressure only works if
they have an oboe reed
that vibrates and is in tune
Find reeds that play
at A=440
You can’t lower a sharp
reed and a flat reed will
cause the student to
develop bad habits like
biting or pinching
Adjusting pitch is only
done with the
embouchure and air
speed, not by pulling the
reed in or out
3 “F” Fingerings
Applies to both Octaves
Forked F Rule
Use when D key
preceeds or proceeds
the F Note
Reg
Side
Forked
F
F
Pinky Rule
Always alternate Pinkies, R L or L R on Db-Eb
R
L
Key Signatures
and scales that
require alternating
pinkies:
R L
R
Octave Key Progression
Knuckle Roll
Thumb
2nd Octave Key Notes
1st Octave Key Notes
Half Hole Notes