Where Are All The Oboists These Days? Options

[Roseau]

Trouble is. I don't trust the repairer now and will have to pay again to take it somewhere else.

If you now have an instrument which is not fit for its purpose I would suggest you have cause for redress under Consumer Rights legislation. So he either puts it right or reimburses your costs. As I recall that is an expensive instrument you have (an XL right?). To be left with that in an unusable state is totally unacceptable.

Howarth's serviced my XL last summer and gave it back to me in a worse state than when I gave it to them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) They had changed the cork tenons and made the middle joint so tight that I couldn't dismantle it and one of the keys had become very noisy. I took it back and they were very apologetic and fixed it up while I waited. Although I would still have preferred them to have done it properly the first time as I'd left it with them for over a month.

[Barry Toner]

Hello All - just dipping in again.

I want some sympathy - I've had my oboe serviced and it's absolutely horrible now. I wish I hadn't bothered. I'll never be able to play it again.

Hoboe

Do you have an expert (teacher?) who could look at it and give an educated opinion on the state of the instrument? What did the repairer aim to do? If it was a general service, it certainly should be in better playing condition now than when they received it.

What you need to do is to get a written statement of the exact nature of the problems with the instrument to the original repair person as soon as possible. "It's absolutely horrible" is not precise enough, hence the need for an detailed expert opinion. The repairer who caused the problem has to be notified of the problems (preferably in writing) and given the opportunity to correct the faults, or they will be able to wash their hands of the situation. If they cannot fix the problem which it sounds like they have caused, then, and only then, can you take it to another repairer and have any chance of getting repairer 1 to pay for it.

[katica]

Trouble is. I don't trust the repairer now and will have to pay again to take it somewhere else.

If you now have an instrument which is not fit for its purpose I would suggest you have cause for redress under Consumer Rights legislation. So he either puts it right or reimburses your costs. As I recall that is an expensive instrument you have (an XL right?). To be left with that in an unusable state is totally unacceptable.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Deepest commiserations, hoboe! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/thereThere.gif)

Apart from the oboe repair disaster, how are things going?


News on my front - can't BELIEVE what my teacher got me into today! There's only one other oboe student - a relatively recent adult beginner - at the community centre where I have lessons and for the next three months or so he and my teacher can't find a lesson time that suits both, so Yours Truly has been recruited to fill in. It's not uncommon here for instrumental teachers to have sort of teaching assistants - usually advanced students who help with beginners. Well, there's no way I could be called advanced yet... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

I think said student is quite relieved to have some time with me as I have the impression that he feels a bit intimidated in lessons. Better not tell him that I quite often still feel that way too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

Still, I feel it's a big responsibility and I really hope I'm up to it.

[Roseau]

Still, I feel it's a big responsibility and I really hope I'm up to it.

If your teacher thinks you're up to it, then you must be (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

It will probably be an interesting experience and will make you think about your own playing too. I taught my daughter a little bit over the summer when she wanted to start the oboe - she had seen my teacher once and he had lent her an oboe and told me to teach her a bit. I was worried that she would start lessons with him and he would tell me I'd done it all wrong and she had loads of bad habits but he didn't and said I had done a good job of it, and I would have thought you would be the same.

I do find, however, that quite often now I can hear something is wrong but can't work out what she is doing that is wrong (because she does things wrong differently to the way I did them wrong) so I suggest all sorts of things she could try and none of them work and she then comes back from her lesson where our teacher knew immediately what she was doing wrong and fixed the problem in 5 seconds.

At least you will presumably have a normal "adult" relationship with your pupil and, unlike my daughter, he won't tell you you're "rubbish" and that you sound awful compared to your teacher (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Hardying]

News on my front - can't BELIEVE what my teacher got me into today! There's only one other oboe student - a relatively recent adult beginner - at the community centre where I have lessons and for the next three months or so he and my teacher can't find a lesson time that suits both, so Yours Truly has been recruited to fill in. It's not uncommon here for instrumental teachers to have sort of teaching assistants - usually advanced students who help with beginners. Well, there's no way I could be called advanced yet... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)

I think said student is quite relieved to have some time with me as I have the impression that he feels a bit intimidated in lessons. Better not tell him that I quite often still feel that way too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

Still, I feel it's a big responsibility and I really hope I'm up to it.

Gosh how impressive - well done - hope you enjoy the experience & I'm sure it will help your own playing too! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[MrsB]

I had my first oboe lesson this evening. I've been playing for 4 weeks after a break of I think 14 years and sorted out a lesson with a music student to work on my tuning,tone and breathing.

Itwent well, although different to what I think I had expected as we did quite a lot of talking. He corrected myposture and gave me some tips on playing from my diaphragm; including suggesting an exercise involving lying on the floor with a book on my stomach! I played through some grade 1 and 2 pieces from mynew book and he set me two grade 3 pieces do work on before we have another sessiona and recommended me some harder reeds.

He gave me quite a lot of confidence in reading music (something I get quite daunted by) andsurprised me when he said he thinks I can already play at grade 3 standard - my aim was to get to grade 2 standard so I can join a local windband.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Roseau]

He gave me quite a lot of confidence in reading music (something I get quite daunted by) andsurprised me when he said he thinks I can already play at grade 3 standard - my aim was to get to grade 2 standard so I can join a local windband.

Good for you (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
So when are you going to join the windband?

[MrsB]

I'm not sure I believe him (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif) I played much better during our lesson than I do at home - proving his tips worked, so I need to keep playing like that!

The next windband session starts in April so I may see about popping along...

[katica]

Thanks for the encouragement, Hardying and Roseau. I'm not sure this is a very impressive show of confidence. I know my teacher has been feeling a bit burned out by teaching beginners - and stagnated intermediate, so presumably me too - and was hoping for a pretext to have bit of a break. But I suppose he must trust me enough not to make a complete hash of it.

Well done MrsB!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

We expect to be hearing of your windband adventures very shortly. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Today's practice got de-railed by flatmate and myself getting an attack of the sillies and (amongst other idiocies) trying out our altissimo register skills. We both twice managed to do a pretty creditable immitation of Nicholas Daniel's F# attempt, though it was "only" an F (fourth octave). However, we must admit that this was unintentional as we were really trying to get a high C and produced an accidental harmonic. By which time we realised it was past midnight and we should expect a complaint from the neighbours tomorrow. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

Flatmate says I should expect my teacher (his ex-teacher) to throw the Haydn concerto at me some time soon. I strongly doubt I'm anywhere near being able even to contemplate it and feel pretty sure teacher would agree. But he does frequently have bouts of throwing out impossible challenges so I may as well get my brain in gear just in case. Who has played this and what's it like to learn?

[louise1712]

I'm not sure I believe him (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif) I played much better during our lesson than I do at home - proving his tips worked, so I need to keep playing like that!

The next windband session starts in April so I may see about popping along...

Excellent, go for it MrsB (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thanks for the encouragement, Hardying and Roseau. I'm not sure this is a very impressive show of confidence. I know my teacher has been feeling a bit burned out by teaching beginners - and stagnated intermediate, so presumably me too - and was hoping for a pretext to have bit of a break. But I suppose he must trust me enough not to make a complete hash of it.

Well done MrsB!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

We expect to be hearing of your windband adventures very shortly. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I'm sure you'll be great as teacher katica (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) As others have said, he wouldn't let you near beginners if he didn't think you were ready (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[katica]

I'm sure you'll be great as teacher katica (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) As others have said, he wouldn't let you near beginners if he didn't think you were ready (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Thanks for more encouragement. I need it!

While there are some wonderful musicians and teachers here - I feel I've had great good fortune myself - the level of quite a lot of teachers in local music schools can be fairly atrocious, so the bar isn't set very high. I'd never be let loose in the UK and I can't imagine any pupil who'd want someone of my level. After all, I think I'd be pushed to scrape a decent Grade 6 if I sat an ABRSM exam, despite the more impressive-sounding repertoire my teacher occasionally tosses my way - and I can't usually play decently.

[Roseau]

Today's practice got de-railed by flatmate and myself getting an attack of the sillies and (amongst other idiocies) trying out our altissimo register skills. We both twice managed to do a pretty creditable immitation of Nicholas Daniel's F# attempt, though it was "only" an F (fourth octave). However, we must admit that this was unintentional as we were really trying to get a high C and produced an accidental harmonic. By which time we realised it was past midnight and we should expect a complaint from the neighbours tomorrow. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

Reminds me of something that happened at my summer course last year. Once a day each group of instruments went off to work by themselves on instrument-specific technique/repertoire. Someone in the oboe group mentioned a piece written for Nicholas Daniel (I've forgotten what), which spends almost all its time up above what "normal" people play. The tutor's opinion was that it was an easy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) way of impressing people but why would you want to play those sort of notes because they are not particularly nice sounding notes on the oboe. Because none of us believed that they were "easy" he proceeded to teach them to us. I can't now remember how high we went (and have forgotten the fingerings) because I thought they sounded ghastly. Anyway, imagine five oboists starting at third octave Ab and going higher, all at the same time with only one of them who really knows what he is doing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif) At the coffee break later on the bassoons (who had been closest to us) wanted to know what on earth we had been doing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) They said it had taken a while to work out what instrument it was and thought at first they were sick piccolos (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

the Haydn concerto

I've got a copy and have played through it but haven't ever looked at in a lesson with my teacher, although I have thought about taking it along a couple of times. The first two movements don't seem impossibly tricky (and I can't remember anything about the last movement - I'd have to go and look).

I've got an oboe lesson tonight after two weeks of school holidays (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

While there are some wonderful musicians and teachers here - I feel I've had great good fortune myself - the level of quite a lot of teachers in local music schools can be fairly atrocious, so the bar isn't set very high. I'd never be let loose in the UK and I can't imagine any pupil who'd want someone of my level. After all, I think I'd be pushed to scrape a decent Grade 6 if I sat an ABRSM exam, despite the more impressive-sounding repertoire my teacher occasionally tosses my way - and I can't usually play decently.

Presumably your teacher thinks you have a good grasp of the basics, which is what a beginner needs to know and refinement of tone can come later. Sometimes I think it can be quite encouraging to hear someone who is better than you but not impossibly better (ie someone who makes you think "that could be me in a few years time" rather than someone who is so good that you know you'll only ever play like them in your dreams).

[notmusimum]

Does anyone know where I can buy the music for Dave Heath, The Sapphire? I've looked on Emersons and they don't have it. Emsoboe is desperate to play it.

[Arundodonuts]

Does anyone know where I can buy the music for Dave Heath, The Sapphire? I've looked on Emersons and they don't have it. Emsoboe is desperate to play it.

His website says to contact him for music:
http://www.daveheath.co.uk/contact.htm

Just had a listen on Youtube. Quite nice (better than that Gabriel's thing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ill.gif) ).

[notmusimum]

Does anyone know where I can buy the music for Dave Heath, The Sapphire? I've looked on Emersons and they don't have it. Emsoboe is desperate to play it.

His website says to contact him for music:
http://www.daveheath.co.uk/contact.htm

Just had a listen on Youtube. Quite nice (better than that Gabriel's thing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ill.gif) ).

Thanks! Don't know the other piece Em plays his stuff on soprano sax (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)