They do exist for oboes too, I got one free last year when I bought my new instrument. I do use it but only ever for long rests during a rehearsal when I'm sitting right next to it and can keep an eye on it - I would never leave my oboe on it when I go off for a cup of tea.

I split my lip again

Does anyone else have this problem? It seems to happen whenever I try and practice on a slightly-too-hard reed (with the belief that I'll get used to it eventually...). I don't actually notice it until I stop playing! It doesn't seem to take very long (I was probably only on that reed for 15/20 mins), and always seems to open up in the same place. It's beginning to annoy me...

As we aren't allowed to blatantly advertise on the forum, I thought I'd tuck a little note into the Oboe topic.

I had my first lesson back at last!! 1 hr lessons are the right length.

I'm entering for the twomoors festival this time... my chances of winning are VERY VERY VERY small, but it will be nice to be in a real competition. It's for young musicians from the south west and there's places for 4 people.

The first round audition is in feb so I have ages to practice difficult parts and get them right.

2 contrasting pieces and 6 mins is the time limit so I might do
1. Saint saens sonata 1st movt - about 3/4 mins
2 Handel concerto g minor 4th movt - about 2 mins


It might change, but it seems good.









Ouch. I hope it isn't too bad.

As my post was edited to something that made no sense, rather than just removed , if anyone on here is interested, or has a pupil interested in a Howarth XL (brand new), please PM me.

I'd say those are excellent choices, there's not much that isn't in there somewhere.

Does anyone know a good way to find potential pupils?
I've got one at the moment and I'd like to find some more! I've even got an instrument a beginner could borrow/hire. Or if anyone knows someone in or around York who wants an Oboe teacher...!

Advertising in local newsagents, getting yourself a website, writing to local schools are just a few ways of building up your teaching practice. There are also specific websites that you can list you name on free of charge, although speaking from experience, I've only ever gained about three pupils in total from a teacher listing and that was Brittens, rather than the somewhat over subscribed musicteachers.co.uk.

Be patient though, a glut of pupils won't arrive in a short space of time, but, if you are good and build a solid reputation as a teacher who knows their stuff, your name will be passed on by word of mouth and gradually, work will start coming to you.

If you'd asked three weeks ago I'd have said yes

I don't see why it should have been edited, many people here let the others know they are selling certain instruments and that if anyone is interested to PM the seller...Whats the harm in that...? I suppose you could place a link or something to take people to a review and pictures but again you would have to place an "If anyone is looking, please visit HERE" type post...Sorry you are letting it go honey...I know its a fabulous Oboe with a great pedigree.

Andrew

I am still dithering about oboe/cor-anglais stands.
Is it better to buy a double stand or two separate ones? (Given that I am only going to be using it at the wind-band - at home I only have one instrument down at a time and don't leave it out).

Double Stand everytime, much more stable and less likely to fall over...in this example the bigger they are they less they fall..

Andrew

So a final question for Des. Will any cor/oboe fit on your double clarinet stand and do you think this is true of every clarinet stand? I can't find a place in France that does a double cor-anglais/oboe stand but have seen double clarinet stands.

I can't definitively say that it'll fit every instrument, but I've tried 3 oboes and 2 cors on it and they've all been pretty stable. I've not tried other clarinet stands so I wouldn't know whether they'll do.

This is the one I use, obviously I took off the piccolo bit!

http://www.herculesstands.co.uk/dyn_prod.p...3BB&k=85312

K & M make a double oboe/cor anglais stand specifically for that purpose. Howarth's sell them and also Wrights of New Milton, though I'm sure you can get them from any other major woodwind dealer.

To be honest this is probably a better bet than my solution!

I know Howarths sells them, but I was assuming they are quite heavy to post and so was trying to find a seller in France. I can find K&M oboe stands on sale in Europe but not the double stand (or anything other than slotted cor-anglais stand come to that).

You could quite easily buy a double stand online, there are several sites that sell them...

As a slight change I just got a recording that Pushpull mentioned of Francois Leleux playing the 12 Teleman Fantasias/ Fantasies...I also got a copy of the Holliger again, both highly individual performances I have to say I prefer the Leleux it's sublime, effortless. The Holliger is as expected a technical masterpiece but for me at least lacks the fluidity of Leleux's recording, not to mention Leleux's performance is considerably faster, the tongue and fingers move at breathtaking speed...Really it makes you sick I am now going to sulk and only a plate of shortbread will bring me out of it...

regards

Andrew

Hehe, glad you like (??) it. My only quibble is that I think the acoustic is perhaps a bit too live, though it's nicely recorded. I'm certainly in no position to quibble about the performances.

Be sure to clean your teeth.

Yes you are right the acoustic was very Lively...I don't object to that it gave so much to the performance and added to the overall finish of the recording. I accept that it probably flattered the sound by why the heck not...Music is not always to be analytical in its performance it is to be listened to and enjoyed and I certainly enjoyed Leleux's performance. This I gather was recorded awhile back and recently he has taken a bit of a step back from the musical spotlight as a performer,in his later recording of the Bach Concertos he takes a much more passive stance and blends seamlessly with the Orchestra to the point he could be sitting with them rather than be playing out in front...The Easter Oratorio is staggering...

As for my shortbread binge well it passed and my dental hygene is as always under control...strange you should mention it but I am, because of my reeds unbelievably finickety about it...I never drink anything except water for a good hour prior to playing...Tea, Coffee, anything sugary is a death knell for reeds, even cleaning your teeth too near to a practice can be the very devil for the cane...so keep em clean and minty fresh always rinse out with water prior to playing and your reeds will last you longer...Also clean your reeds in a solution of Hydrogen peroxide...it keeps all the nasty bugs and biology projects at bay...sorry to be gross but it makes all the difference...

regards

Andrew

Just got some from Tescos Finest range. Shall I post you a piece ?

A Piece A PIECE...better send the packet

Well, I had a thoroughly depressing lesson today! You know those days when you realise just how far you have to go....?

Firstly we spent half the lesson on reed-making, and it was brought home to me how rubbish my knife technique is, after I'd hacked off a corner for the third time...

And then the other half of the lesson was mostly on my first Gillet study! Ha! This is *really* pushing my technique. Gillet is truly evil.

Ah well, no point having lessons if you don't want to be pushed, I suppose.

They're brutal aren't they? I've not got the book atm (i borrowed it from my teacher) but I'm working from the excercise book, thats bad enough! Scales in 7ths

I have come to expect nothing other than a very comprehensive response from you Andrew

Interesting about the coffee though. I'm just about to launch into mug no. 3 before starting practice. Oh and I've often been given tea in a lesson to wet my whistle Surely not some ploy to force me to buy more reeds?

Roy.

I often clean my teeth before practising - I didn't realise that it might affect the reed (if it's the same for clarinet as oboe). Does it affect the sound (lives in hope that I can blame something ) or the life expectancy or what???



My knowledge of chemicals isn't very good but that's bleach isn't it??? I'd be worried about not rinsing it sufficiently and doing myself some damage


(sorry about a clarinet player butting into the oboe thread but it's quite interesting sometimes )

Only if you get a fragment of bacon in the tip of the reed.

1st session of the morning done. Next cup of coffee going down. Clean reed and swap to another......

I've seen ultrasonic reed baths on ebay for all reeds has anyone tried one?

They aren't cheap it would be interesting to know if they are any use.

AmandaL mentioned using one a while back ("don't put your fingers in......"). Do a search for "ultrasonic", you'll find it.

Hello Skyers, you are very welcome here anytime...To be honest reeds is reeds, be they Oboe or Clarinet so the same approach can be said for both. Yes Hydrogen peroxide is a form of bleach I guess so one would always rinse thoroughly afterwards...DO NOT USE HOUSEHOLD/DOMESTIC BLEACH ON YOUR REEDS ANYONE...Hydrogen peroxide is quite different...You should rinse throughly aftewards, hydrogen peroxide is as thin as water and will vanish quite quickly...If you are nervous about it good old TCP is also very good at cleaning reeds and sees off most nasty bugs...You can if you want to be ultra obsessive like me get a hydrosonic cleaning bath for your reeds...needless to say this is very much an American thing but you know how I hate to be left out.


Regards

Andrew


Cleaning ones teeth before playing is ok but do it a little while before you play. Toothpaste has alllsorts of gunk in it that will clog the reed fibres so rinse Rinse RINSE with water...

My personal philosophy is that life is too short to be quite as obsessed about reed hygiene as Andrew is... (Sorry!) I quite regularly have a cup of tea *during* a rehearsal, let alone just before it. (I do try and get the biscuit crumbs out of my mouth before I start... But I don't clean my teeth.)

A reed is going to wear out / be temperamental anyway, whatever you do prior to playing it. And sometimes a bit of gunk makes them sound better!

I was given hydrogen peroxide mouthwash by a doctor once, so, although it was made clear not to swallow it, it can't be THAT bad for you.

You are of course quite right Claire, I am particularly Obsessed...I know its a problem...I'm working through it with my therapist ...once I have cracked the reed Obsession I will start on my shoe issue...far too many pairs (65) at last count...

Andrew

My teacher once treated (?) one of my antique reeds to a session in his ultra sonic cleaner. It made a massive difference, to the extent that I couldn't play it afterwards...he hasn't offered since!
Thanks for the advice about toothpaste, I usuallu clean with just water before playing, especially after homemade flapjack...

On a different tack...and sit down Andrew...I am now giving temporary houseroom to a secondhand Loree with a view to buying it. I tried all sorts of different models and then couldn't decide between Marigaux and the Loree, so I have the Loree for a little while to try out. I've had fun today as it's a Conservatoire model and I usually play a thumbplate instrument! It sounds really nice, and it's really exciting!

....so whens my initiation?

Yes its not a good idea to swallow hydrogen peroxide but we are only talking about cleaning reeds in it then rinsing them clean...Use TCP if you feel happier about usuing that...far safer and apart from tasting like TCP the whole time its not a bad idea to give the reeds a clean now and then...



Im Sitting

Glad you liked the Loree Conservatoire model..Mariguaxs make a wonderful sound, but for me there is only Loree but it's personal. Beware the open C at 1st octave it can be very wild, close it right down by slamming down index, middle and fourth finger (f#,e and d) and that will help calm it and step back of the reed a little. Loree's tend to be a little tight in the bottom end (low C,B and Bb) but you will adapt and nothing sings like a Loree in the 3rd Octave in my opinion...

Good luck let us know which you chose...

Andrew

That sounds fun
I'm sure you'll get used to the Conservatoire system easily. I have ended up with an oboe with the Conservatoire system and a cor anglais with a thumbplate. I now have no problem switching from one to the other. On the whole I prefer the Conservatoire system - in particular I don't like 2nd octave C with a thumplate where I feel I haven't got enough fingers on the instrument and I'm going to drop it but there are a couple of passages where fingering has been easier on the thumbplate and I can see why some people opt for a dual system.

On a different subject I broke my favourite reed at my windband rehearsal last night . (Someone bumped me and I banged it against the music stand ).
I currently don't have any reeds that I am in love with and the new one my teacher gave me in my lesson today is boringly ordinary.

Question for the reedmakers amongst you:

My teacher is trying to change my scraping technique. It feels all wrong!! And I've been looking at videos on Youtube, and am suspecting that her way is not the only way, and my old way wasn't so bad after all.

What is seems to come down to is this: do you move the blade along the reed through the action of your right wrist, with your left thumb just being a pivot? Or do you move the blade by pushing with your left thumb? I have been doing the former but my teacher wants me to do the latter. I'm blowed if I can figure out how to do it.

are there any sites with tutourials on how to make your own reeds?
Im not going to... yet, but would just be interested to see how they are made.
HC

Ah, that would be when we get together and take you the nearest glade of arundo donax, at which point you have to perform a dance of supplication and swear your life to its goddess.







There are a few bits and bobs on Youtube. Careful, it might put you off!

i look forward to it.

This is one of those things where it is easier to demonstrate than describe. My teacher gets me to use my wrist and to angle the blade so when doing the inital scraping my hand starts with my palm facing me and finishes with the back of my hand facing me. When putting the finishing touches it is still very much a wrist movement but more of a rocking movement than a complete rotation.

What I find hard is the way he wants me to hold the knife with my index finger on the top of the blade as, according to him, it is the index finger and not the thumb which provides the necessary weight when scraping. (Actually, I do think he's right as I have never taken the corner off a reed when I remember to put my index finger on the top and have wrecked corners frequently when I just use the thumb to push, it's just I find it awkward).

See, that's what I think I do too. But my teacher doesn't like it. Maybe I should just ignore her!



Are you talking right hand finger and thumb here? I'll have to go and think about that, with knife and reed in hand. I'm not sure what I do. I definitely hacked off all four corners trying my teacher's left-hand-thumb-pushing way tonight.

I'm in the pivot camp!

I'm talking about the right hand (the one holding the knife). My natural inclination is just to wrap my fingers round the knife and I have to make a conscious effort to stretch my first finger out.

Having just had a quick scrape to try and see exactly what I do, my left-hand doesn't really move at all - I certainly don't push with my thumb.

I'm a pivoter too!

Kerioboe I'd never tried your teacher's index-finger-on-top-of-the-blade suggestion, but after a very quick 'go' just now I think I see what he means (must try it properly when I get time).

Claire I've just remembered something else.
When my teacher first started showing me how to scrape reeds it was at the same time as another (teenage) pupil. He spent ages showing us exactly how to hold the knife and the reed and wouldn't let us both scrape at the same time. When she had gone (I had a lesson afterwards) he said that he is always very strict with his teenage pupils about how they hold the knife and how they scrape because his first priority is that they don't cut themselves or anyone else (particularly a worry with teenage boys according to him). He said that as I was an adult he didn't have to worry about my safety and I should therefore be aware that what he was showing me was the technique that suits him best and that it is something he has refined over the years, partly by scraping hundreds of reeds but also by watching and talking to other reed makers. He said that he could guarantee that the technique he was teaching me works but that over time I might well find that there were some things I would change and that it would be useful if I could have the opportunity of watching a few other people make reeds (although he didn't know where I could find anyone) just so I could see what the other possibilities are.

In other words he has quite an open opinion about how to scrape a reed (although this doesn't stop him saying that I probably wouldn't wreck the corners quite so often if I held the knife exactly the way he has shown me).

Thanks Keri.

Having posted the same question on the Oboe Bboard, and looked at some reedmakers on Youtube, I've come to the conclusion that there are actually wrist-rotaters *and* thumb-pushers. So my teacher is actually being a bit dogmatic by insisting only her way is right! I'm going to go back to doing it my way, and try not to let her actually see me... (Don't tell her I said that.)

This is wholly based on what I've seen my teacher do (definitely not what I do, which is - I don't). I think I'm remembering it right (but the thumb definitely does not push the blade).

Staple sits on the palm of the left hand on the fleshy mound below the index finger with the reed tip poking out at 45 degrees beyond the finger.
Thumb clamps down with the knuckle over the staple.
Knife sits on reed with the back of the blade resting against the knuckle of the thumb.
Using the knuckle as a support behind the blade, the right hand rotates the knife, thus scraping the blade across the reed (the blade staying in contact with the thumb which doesn't move).

I must admit to behaving a bit the same way .

My teacher's most regular criticism is that my reed-making is too much like my playing - too cautious. Since I like scraping cautiously I tend to scrape them into an almost finished state at home where he can't see how little I take off each time.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a fairly challenging fairly slow piece (not really lento but adagio rather than allegro); either a whole piece or a movement from a sonata?

At the end of my lesson today my teacher asked me what I would like to play next and (rather pathetically) I couldn't think of anything better to say than "something slow."