Where Are All The Oboists These Days? Options

[Roseau]

What were you supposed to do with your arms? And what's feeling unnatural?

He had me standing with my arms relaxed by my side, holding the oboe in my right hand, then raising my right arm (still keeping it straight) and when it was high enough just bending the elbow at a right angle to bring the oboe into playing position. I then had to adjust my left arm so that the elbow was at the same height as my right elbow (and not bring my right elbow down to the left elbow which was what I instinctively wanted to do).

I felt as though my elbows were incredibly high but I mainly felt terribly exposed (my teacher pointed out that it probably was a risky position to be in if someone was firing arrows at you as it made it far easier to aim at the chest and cause a fatal wound but he thought he could say that the chance of an arrow-firing warrior appearing in the room was pretty minimal (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) ). It altered my breathing sensations (although for the better according to my teacher as you can't unconsciously raise your shoulders with your elbows high). Bizarrely it totally took the weight off my right wrist and the oboe felt much lighter. Finally, I know this should be a good thing, but it made everything (tone, intonation) so much more stable and I am not used to every note coming out without having to make micro adjustments. Awkward intervals, ones where the second note always cracked, just worked, and this took me completely by surprise.

The problem was that as soon as I stopped thinking about where my arms were supposed to be and, for example, started counting a tricky rhythm, I went back to my normal "comfortable" position. In the end he had me just playing the "easy" bits in the piece and missing out great chunks so I could concentrate on my elbows.

He also got me to stand with my feet more widely spaced than I usually do - lined up with my shoulders rather than my hips (but given that half the time I reach the end of the piece and find I'm standing with my legs crossed, I'm not sure that this is going to be any easier to improve than my arm position).

Finally he pointed out that I always come back from the long summer break having slipped back into my preferred introverted style of playing only for myself but that this year it was worse (as in even more introverted) than usual because I was stressed for non-musical reasons. His theory is that if he spends all the lessons this year forcing me to "open up" physically and mentally, then this attitude will become so-ingrained that next summer I won't slip backwards.

[katica]

Huh. Interesting. Think I'll try that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

At Dartington they picked up on my unconsciously raising the left shoulder (and then sometimes slightly tilting the head towards it). It sounds as though your exercise should correct that. And anything that makes the oboe feel light and relieves tension in my hands would be good.

On Tuesday I was playing with a split nail (vertically down into the quick (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) ) and fear of banging it was making my fingerwork even jerkier than usual. In the end I very painfully tore it off with my teeth mid-rehearsal before everything went completely haywire. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ill.gif)

[Roseau]

At Dartington they picked up on my unconsciously raising the left shoulder (and then sometimes slightly tilting the head towards it). It sounds as though your exercise should correct that. And anything that makes the oboe feel light and relieves tension in my hands would be good.

I can't quite decide if it is a good or bad thing that a tutor who has only just met me should make pretty much the same remarks as my usual teacher. I suppose it is a good thing as it means that my teacher knows what he's talking about but I still find it slightly unnerving. (I find even more unnerving some of the unrelated-to-oboe remarks my teacher makes about my introverted playing as this is almost exactly what my piano teacher used to say almost 30 years ago and I would like to feel I have changed (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) ).

On Tuesday I was playing with a split nail (vertically down into the quick (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) ) and fear of banging it was making my fingerwork even jerkier than usual. In the end I very painfully tore it off with my teeth mid-rehearsal before everything went completely haywire. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ill.gif)

Sounds painful (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)
We seem to share similar tension problems but we obviously don't have the same fingerwork problems. He was complaining today that I had gone back to ultra-light finger movements which are too close to the keys and (in between keeping an eye on my elbows) I should be remembering to lift them higher and bang them down on the keys. (He claims that it's all part of my introversion and my general body language which says: "Please just ignore me, I don't really want to be here" instead of: "Are you going to listen to me or what!").

[katica]

We seem to share similar tension problems but we obviously don't have the same fingerwork problems. He was complaining today that I had gone back to ultra-light finger movements which are too close to the keys and (in between keeping an eye on my elbows) I should be remembering to lift them higher and bang them down on the keys. (He claims that it's all part of my introversion and my general body language which says: "Please just ignore me, I don't really want to be here" instead of: "Are you going to listen to me or what!").

No, I definitely don't have your light finger problem... I wish I did!!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) I'm not generally in life a shrinking violet - though I am more shy than most people think and certainly have at least my share of self-consciousness and insecurities. All of which seem to come to the fore when playing the oboe, unfortunately.

Funnily enough, my teacher hadn't actually specifically commented on my raised shoulder - just generally on bad posture, hand-wrist position, tension, etc... I'm not sure that it's that noticeable but when I explained my finger position problem to the tutor at Dartington, she had a good look at everything and then noticed that funny habit. Then of course EVERYBODY noticed...


While I'm on here... any news of Andrew? Hope there haven't been any more fires. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[A.U.K]

Hello all,


Finally things have settled down here on the farm, the fires have stopped though there are farms now burning the linseed (which is allowed) so dont panic if you see that happening around you if you live in the country..

I seem to have been so busy having a wall of 60ft trees removed from opposite the studio which has opened the view up and let in daylight..I had no idea how dark it was then wham daylight. The trees had become dangerous and were badly infected with a canker and had started to break, huge limbs were begining to come down..There was a stack of Hazel to be coppiced as well which had got very ungainly and bushy and it has been a huge, worrying job, I fret all day long as the tree surgeons swing around the trees weilding chainsaws, great big blokes swinging around on ropes make me nervous incase they cut the wrong bit off.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

My last lesson was cancelled..my teacher was up to her neck in her farm stuff, its a busy time of year for farms getting the places put to bed for the winter, finishing up the jobs that need to be done..it's just the way it is..

Oboe-ing has suffered a tad but it'll come back quickly enough..I may have a blow through this morning..

for those of you who suffer from tension just try to relax as much as you can, no two people will stand in the same way, our bodies are unique..(mine is a work of art.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) ).."breathe and play" is the best piece of advice I was ever given..I don't over analyse or agonise over certain issues, they will in time rectify themselves as you play..yes of course certain things have to be addressed but I don't tie myself up in knots I just relax, breathe and play..generally in my experience things work themselves out..

@Keri, there is nothing wrong with an intitmate style of playing, not every Oboist wants to be brought to the fore..the style of playing you seem to have is perfectly suited to chamber music and has much to its appeal..Not everyone is the same and I feel you have your own style which is fine and I hope you don't feel you have to change to fit a format..I am sure you play beautifully, delicately and lightly which is a sharp contrast to some of us who blast out like reed trumpets with fingers pounding the keys..

@Kate..I think the summer school did you good, you got out there and gained some valuable advice and thoughts on your playing from some excellent and highly experienced teachers and performers..some maybe in stark contrast to what you learned at Home in Costa Rica..there is nothing wrong with that imagine yourself as a sponge and take what you learnt and combine it with what you have already learned..it all makes for a richer and fuller bank of technique and Oboe skills..I know that you had the best time and I admired your travelling so far to do this summer school..your a game girl in my opinion and more power to you sweetie..Go Kate Go Kate Go Kate..atta girl..I think my summer was spent living vicariously through yours.. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

@Hardying, Sorry I had to cancel our duet sunday, the fires here were a nightmare, the horses took ages to sort out and the police were everywhere trying to find the perpetrators (as of yet no luck) and we are still repairing hedgerows, cutting and laying whats left trying to form boundries and filling in the gaps with temporary fencing to keep the animals safe.. I will see you at the Gloucester event and once again my apologies

Well I had better get going the two terriers (Daphne and Bim) want walking and are getting their point across by using my drawing room as a race track using the sofas and chairs as bouncing off points to go haring round the room destroying the calm and serenity as they go..its very funny but can the upholstery take much more I wonder..

Have a good day one and all..

Andrew

[Roseau]

Finally things have settled down here on the farm,

Glad the fires are stopped and I hope you'll be back to oboeing soon. Does your teacher also have a farm?

"breathe and play" is the best piece of advice I was ever given..

This is actually my teacher's favourite maxim (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Unfortunately I am given to over-analysing everything (useful in my professional life as a researcher but, as you point out, very unhelpful when playing the oboe). My teacher is always telling me to stop "thinking" and just play, pointing out that the oboe is designed to play in tune and that it is counter-productive to be constantly wondering what might go wrong before it's gone wrong.

@Keri, there is nothing wrong with an intitmate style of playing, not every Oboist wants to be brought to the fore..the style of playing you seem to have is perfectly suited to chamber music and has much to its appeal..Not everyone is the same and I feel you have your own style which is fine and I hope you don't feel you have to change to fit a format..I am sure you play beautifully, delicately and lightly which is a sharp contrast to some of us who blast out like reed trumpets with fingers pounding the keys..

I don't think he's trying to make me change to fit a format and I think he does have a point about my playing at times being too introverted. The summer school tutors made similar comments about me having a lovely style in certain types of music and certain situations but that I am easily destabilised and need to learn to play more confidently.

[katica]

I do LOVE your posts, Andrew! They're so vivid... and frequently make me chortle (especially that image of Daphne and Bim dashing round your drawing room! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) ) as well as being full of lots of useful support and advice...

I have to say that most of the excellent advice at Dartington wasn't really in stark contrast at all to teaching at home. Quite the contrary. It's good to get a differente perspective too but mostly it reinforced a lot of what I'm learning with my teacher, which was very validating of his approach I think. In fact I found it I found it a bit spooky how similar his style is to Nicholas Daniel's (but don't tell either of them that!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )... right down to the wicked sense of humour. The exception was advice on learning vibrato - my teacher advocates not forcing it, though he does use exercises very similar to those used for developing vibrato ("ha" "ha") for other purposes...

And I feel I totally didn't earn that praise for being get-up-and-go and off to Dartington... after all, even if I forget it sometimes, I am actually English and can still find my way around the place. I myself was really impressed by a lad from Calcutta who was learning (and teaching) piano and had never been out of the country before but managed to get himself to deepest Devon on his own... I wish I could have gone with a couple of folks from here who would really have loved it, though it would have been tough for anyone without really good English.

I really hope to be able to make Dartington (or some other course) again next year but I won't have as much time off and family may resent it... and I'll already have spent a week of leave in January (I hope (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fingersCrossed.gif) ) at the music camp my teacher runs in southern Costa Rica. That's going to be quite a big challenge - a week of really hard work and really energetic youngsters.

[Hardying]

Hello all,


Finally things have settled down here on the farm, the fires have stopped though there are farms now burning the linseed (which is allowed) so dont panic if you see that happening around you if you live in the I
@Hardying, Sorry I had to cancel our duet sunday, the fires here were a nightmare, the horses took ages to sort out and the police were everywhere trying to find the perpetrators (as of yet no luck) and we are still repairing hedgerows, cutting and laying whats left trying to form boundries and filling in the gaps with temporary fencing to keep the animals safe.. I will see you at the Gloucester event and once again my apologies

No problam Andrew, just glad things are easier for you & look forward to meeting you & hopefully having a chat at Gloucester. Hope they catch the rotton b.....s who started the fires!
Take Care
Helen

Quote Katica
I really hope to be able to make Dartington (or some other course) again next year but I won't have as much time off and family may resent it... and I'll already have spent a week of leave in January (I hope (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fingersCrossed.gif) ) at the music camp my teacher runs in southern Costa Rica. That's going to be quite a big challenge - a week of really hard work and really energetic youngsters.

It would be great if you could join me on the Sarah Francis weekend at Jackdaws 13 - 15 April, or Andrew Knights at Benslow, late May bank holiday weekend (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) - or even better - both of them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[katica]

It would be great if you could join me on the Sarah Francis weekend at Jackdaws 13 - 15 April, or Andrew Knights at Benslow, late May bank holiday weekend (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) - or even better - both of them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

It would indeed be great... but unlikely, I'm afraid. Any UK visit next year also needs to coincide with my kiwi sister being in the country, probably from late June for a couple of months, so a Dartington repeat looks like a more likely option. Really hoping they ask ND back and he says yes.

[itchy1]

Hello
it's nice to be back, sorry about your fires andrew. We've just had a farm sale, and land now rented out sadly, so so sad.
But oboe going well, but I must get back to reed making. Perhaps when I've finished leading my last retreat in a little while.

[Roseau]

Hello
it's nice to be back, sorry about your fires andrew. We've just had a farm sale, and land now rented out sadly, so so sad.
But oboe going well, but I must get back to reed making. Perhaps when I've finished leading my last retreat in a little while.

Nice to see you back again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I didn't realise you lived on a farm as well.

I have just had another pathetic lesson (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) with my teaching telling me he was getting alarmed at how introverted my playing had become and would I please let him back into my "bubble" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

However, I got home to discover a message on my answer phone from someone at work who has finally decided to do something about what has been causing me major stress over the past few weeks. So hopefully, if work problems are sorted out, then I will be less tense and I might stand some chance of getting my breathing back down where it is supposed to be and able to get a decent sound out of the oboe again.

[Hardying]

[However, I got home to discover a message on my answer phone from someone at work who has finally decided to do something about what has been causing me major stress over the past few weeks. So hopefully, if work problems are sorted out, then I will be less tense and I might stand some chance of getting my breathing back down where it is supposed to be and able to get a decent sound out of the oboe again.

Hope this makes a big difference for you - (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[notmusimum]

However, I got home to discover a message on my answer phone from someone at work who has finally decided to do something about what has been causing me major stress over the past few weeks. So hopefully, if work problems are sorted out, then I will be less tense and I might stand some chance of getting my breathing back down where it is supposed to be and able to get a decent sound out of the oboe again.

Hope things are resolved for you soon Keri. It's awful when the "problem" is outside of your control but having a major impact on you.

[flobiano]

It would be great if you could join me on the Sarah Francis weekend at Jackdaws 13 - 15 April, or Andrew Knights at Benslow, late May bank holiday weekend (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) - or even better - both of them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

It would indeed be great... but unlikely, I'm afraid. Any UK visit next year also needs to coincide with my kiwi sister being in the country, probably from late June for a couple of months, so a Dartington repeat looks like a more likely option. Really hoping they ask ND back and he says yes.

marches oboe school????

Hope work situation gets sorted out Kerioboe and you can relax a bit more.

I'm trying to do less internetting and more practising...have a lot of work to do before exam. Those trills in Arethusa are sounding rather raggedy at the moment. Working on both Poulenc and Saint Saens first movements at the moment - can't choose between them. I have first rehearsal with accompanist on Wednesday so that could provide deciding factor.

[Hardying]

I'm trying to do less internetting and more practising...have a lot of work to do before exam. Those trills in Arethusa are sounding rather raggedy at the moment. Working on both Poulenc and Saint Saens first movements at the moment - can't choose between them. I have first rehearsal with accompanist on Wednesday so that could provide deciding factor.

Good Luck - all lovely pieces
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)