Katica - sorry to hear you've been so unwell, sounds like you're having a rotten time at the moment.

Hope you are feeling much better soon and will be back playing your oboe again. Glad to hear your sister and baby are on the mend too - sounds like a scary time.


Keri - sounds like a nasty accident, hope your daughter's clsssmate recovers soon.

Poor Katica
I hope you're better soon.

I have some exciting news My teacher asked me if I could replace him in April for a performance for which I will get paid. Apparently he has been asked to play in two concerts the same day so wondered if I would be willing to do one of them for him. It's not quite certain yet as it depends on the 2nd oboist being willing to play the 1st oboe part but I am flattered that he thought I was good enough to be paid to play

Wow - well done! That is very exciting news.
He obviously rates your oboe playing very highly! when do you find out for definite? Do you know what you are going to play?

I had a good lesson today! Though still struggling to get back up to speed after being ill! Lots of scale exercises to do and we are working through the Ferling studies. She also suggested that I get the Marcello Concerto in D minor - has anyone else played this?

I should know by the middle of next week and it's Handel's Messiah.
I was surprised as I don't think of myself as that good a player (for example my vibrato is still virtually non-existent most of the time) so I have taken it as a huge compliment.


I love the 2nd movement of this (with Bach's ornamentation)
I have a copy of it sitting in the cupboard but I like it too much to want to learn it just yet. I have played it through once or twice and the notes and rhythm are not particularly difficult (no harder than other similar baroque pieces) but I feel I can't do justice to its musicality yet. (My teacher suggested it to me a couple of years ago and didn't quite seem to understand when I said I didn't want to play it because I liked it - he said most people didn't want to play things because they didn't like them - but he didn't insist).

Sounds like it will be fun - hope you have the chance to do it!

I've just realised that I have this on CD by Nicholas Daniel - I'd not really clicked that it was the same piece of music that teacher was asking me to buy. I agree that it is absolutely beautiful, so looking fowrard to playing it. I know what you mean about not wanting to play the pieces you really like - I really love the Cimerosa concerto, and was a bit disappointed when I actually came to cover it in my lessons because I really couldn't play it very well, and now we've "covered" it I'm not sure I'll ever come back to it with my teacher so I feel slightly cheated! Don't know if that makes sense. I think I will dig it out again and have another go myself.

I like this one too but haven't yet played it. My teacher offered it to me as a choice between this and something else (I can't now remember what) and I chose the other piece because it was one I didn't like as much and so didn't mind playing it badly.


Almost always when we move onto a new piece my teacher says "this is probably as good as you are going to get it for now but there's no reason why you shouldn't come back to it in a couple of years time." I have yet to take him up on this but I assume that if/when I do turn up with something we have already "covered", he won't tell me to take it away. He has also said about baroque music that a) the articulation in the fast movements depends very much on how advanced your technique is and that were I to come back with one in a couple of years time, he would change the articulations he has pencilled in and b) in the slow movements the ornamentation will be different as I develop my own style.

On the subject of returning to the same piece, he often quotes the example of the first Ferling study which can be learnt fairly early on (I think it's on a grade 7 list in the UK) but which is also used as a set piece in auditions for professonial orchestras in France. Obviously a grade 7 candidate and a would-be-professional orchestral oboist are going to play it very differently.

I've just had my last oboe lesson before the two-week Christmas holidays

My teacher seems to have got slightly carried away in suggesting things to do over the holidays. As well as keeping the Vaughan Williams Concerto and a Loeillet trio sonata ticking over he has suggested I have a look at two Vivaldi concertos (C major and F major) and the 2nd movement of the Martinu Concerto.

I have just had a look at the Martinu and have decided that this is something I most definitely won't be able to play my way vaguely through . My teacher seemed to think it would help with playing long phrases but to me it looks like one of those pieces where I'm going to be saying "either you can have the right notes, or the right rhythm or some expression but not all three at once"

Katica, any tips on the C Major Vivaldi Concerto? I seem to remember you were playing this one.

And does anyone know which is "the" F major Vivaldi Concerto? I have just looked in Howarths and discovered he wrote three in F major. My teacher did sing the beginning to me but I have forgotten what he sung (not that that would help much as I can't find any free scores of any of them on the web anyway).

Hello folks, I'm ba-aack!

Bronchitis seems to be finally on the mend, though I am not happy to have had to resort to such a multiplicty of pharmaceuticals to control it, including steroids.

I got the oboe out yesterday! . Once I could actually find the strength to blow and could blow without actual pain I thought it might be actually be good for opening up the bronchial tubes a bit. I used the Patricola because someone told me that you could actually infect woodwind instruments and I didn't want to contaminate the Howarth. Or is that just bunkum?

My embouchure is totally out of shape... it collapsed after not much more than 20 mins and I had to have a rest. Oh well.

kerioboe, that's great news about the concert - a fitting end to a very productive year, I'd say!

I'm another who is very reluctant to massacre pieces I like with inadequate playing. I'm not sure what my teacher's stand is on this. I felt he gave me the Schumann Romances much too early for me to be able to play them at all decently. He says I need pushing. On the other hand my flatmate said he wouldn't let him play the Sicilana from the Cimarosa some while back because he wasn't ready (I see it's on the G5 syllabus and he was definitely beyond that). I love both the Cimarosa and the Marcello. I have them waiting as a "reward" if I manage to advance enough in 2011. I hope progress speeds up again as 2010 has been a bit dire, nothwithstanding beautiful new oboe.

So, good luck with Marcello and the Messiah, you two.

What is everyone else working on?

I need to get a plan together for the holidays. I now have no lessons until February. Having missed most of November, that'll be more than three months. (I need one of those things with a tear on it!)

There's more than one C Major one, too. I was playing Op8/12 (RV449) and I've still not got the first movement under my belt. In fact, hardly even the first page of the edition I have. If this is the one you are playing I'm happy to share my teacher's tips... There's also RV446, RV447, RV450, RV452, RV534... and that's just on the CDs I have (waaagh... they have just fallen off my shelf... I hope they're not damaged! )

I hope your health continues to improve


Anacrusis (who is a doctor) has posted several times that wood is self-sterilising.


I'm sure your embouchure will come back fairly fast. The one thing I have noticed is that although I still lose my embouchure resistance rapidly if I don't play regularly it does come back faster than it used to. (My teacher also said that he stops playing totally for a month every summer and that it takes him about a week to get back into shape). He recommends just playing long notes for the first day, then long notes and scales and then he plays through the Gillet Vingt Minutes d'Etudes a couple of times As I think I have said before, this must be the world's most boring book and the idea of playing the whole thing several times in a row ... ). I'm obviously lacking in self-discipline because when I haven't played for a while I want to play music that sounds like music .

kerioboe, that's great news about the concert - a fitting end to a very productive year, I'd say!


My teacher says that to me too His other favourite phrase is "It'll do you good."


His new year plans for me are (so he told me today) to get me to play loudly (his definition of loud not mine) and to work seriously on vibrato.


Poor you I forgot you were Southern Hemisphere.

Actually, we're still northern hemisphere here in Central America. But it's the dry(er) season, so everyone calls it "summer". Very confusing! We're having an unusually cool, breezy spell right now and since there isn't any heating (never usually needed) it means digging out sweaters and thick socks. A New Zealand summer would definitely have been better on the chest!

The other downside is that my teacher is reluctant to make me reeds for the "summer" hols. Apparently when the weather changes like this it's difficult to make decent reeds. I suspect it's also because he has now packed up for Christmas and is not in the best shape for holding a knife. He rang me yesterday and played some jazz (over the phone! ) to some backing tracks to cheer me up! I was very touched but am finally convinced he's totally mad when "off duty"! He did sound decidedly "happy"...

I think he is probably right - my teacher also says the same thing twice a year (at the beginning and end of winter). Fortunately in Europe this doesn't correspond to a holiday period and it only lasts about ten days (at worst two lessons) but he won't even scrape a reed for me during these periods.

They are forcasting snow for here tomorrow (a rare occurence) and none of my reeds would work this afternoon, they'd all gone soft and were closing up. I need one workable one for tomorrow evening as it is the music school Christmas concert and a carol we are playing has an oboe solo at the beginning, the end and between every verse

I was really struggling with my reeds when it snowed a couple of weeks ago. Have a lovely one just now that I bought off my teacher yesterday - I'm hoping it will last till Leeds!

Hope your concert goes well tomorrow - my reeds always seem to be terrible immediately before a concert but, so far, have been OK for the concert itself. I had a horrible moment just before my Christmas concert on Saturday when I put my chosen reed into the instrument. I needed to turn it round to be correctly aligned but it had completely wedged tight. While trying to get it in place I managed to detach the reed itself from the staple. It's not good seeing your best reed in 2 bits a few minutes before you are meant to sound the A tfor everyone to tune to! Fortunately my spare decided to behave much better in the concert than it had in the rehearsal!

Ace

I've recently started playing the oboe and when my teacher adked me why I wanted to play the oboe I told her it was because it was an endangered instrument (that and the fact my parents wanted to save money on instrument hire)

I think it's less endangered than it was 5 years ago. My daughter plays Oboe and Sax, on paper she is a very similar standard. Most of her playing opportunities a the moment are on Sax. she is in a position where there are several Oboes of similar age who are stronger than her. She's 15 in year 11 and working towards grade 8, she has played lots of repertoire at this level, just needs to take the exam. Perhaps we are just in an area where there are lots of young Oboists and it's not representative of the general situation.

Oboists are still very thin on the ground here (both adults and children), and most groups here would welcome oboists with open arms.

Not correct. Most amateur orchestra oboe sections are full. If you don't believe me, look on the amateur orchestra website and then try to join one as an oboist.

With the greatest respect morton, how do you know what it's like in this area?

I live in London, and a short while ago I emailed round all the amateur orchestras in London as a survey to see what would happen, if I asked to join as an oboist. This is how I know that they are all full.

May be true for orchestras, but I do know there are plenty of wind bands crying out for oboists - and having done a number of school concerts this term, I think I counted one oboist. Altogether...

Wind band music is very hard for oboists. I play in a wind band, and I know that most oboists who are grade 8 standard will struggle, in this band, but other instruments of the same or lower standare seem to manage well. So I think what happens is, that the oboists who are this standard tend to want to play in an orchestra becasue they can manage that better. Perhaps you can try to change this, as it would give more people somewhere to play.

Afraid I've got enough on my plate at the moment, teaching, performing, setting up the Harborough orchestra and doing a diploma next year, sorry!!!

What I would do is get yourself round to amateur orchestral concerts, make yourself known in the area, get onto waiting lists, go on courses and be very proactive. It's no good moping about the lack of opportunities, find what you can, play lots, make your own opportunities and enjoy yourself.

I personally don't want to play in an amateur orchestra, I prefer the wind band. I did the survey to see what might be open to other people, as I am always suggesting to people that playing an instrument might improve their social life. Especially if they are retired.


I do on odd occasions play as an extra in amateur orchestras, (but not for concerts, as I have no interest in doing concerts with amateur orchestras) The problem is that these days I find it very difficult to play quietly enough. This isn't to do with having played in a wind band. It is to do with the standard I have reached.

Surely the more advanced you are, the better your control of dynamics should be.

I hope that wasn't the only reason. Do you actually like the oboe?

As for the rarity, I think it's a bit like buying a polka dot car. You wouldn't think such a thing exists, but once you get one, you see them everywhere.

I can believe this Barry. In this area certainly our Music Service has run a very successful campaign to encourage people to play Oboe. The fact they offered free instruments and tuition has helped enormously. I'm fairly certain that they are not the only one locally to have done this.

I know from other forum members that this opportunity hasn't been in existance further south to the same extent, or at laest it wasn't 4 years or so ago.

From what I know of the North West music scene, there does seem to be a lot more oboing going on there, and that can only be a good thing.

When I took up the oboe I expected it would be hard to get a specialist teacher. Not a bit of it, there are loads. Not all as good as mine of course.

As for adult amateur oboists - well round here we are like Zulus, "thousands of 'em". Luckily I am not yet competing for a position in an orchestra which insists on only having 2 oboists. The outfits I play in accept "n" oboists (where "n" is an integer greater than 0).

Not when your first instrument is supposed to be oboe and you end up playing sax all the time Just because you are capable of playing something else and others are not.

Seriously it has to be good for quality of playing.

This is true, but also the instrument resonates more, so you have to play much quieter than everyone else to make up for this. I find I finish up playing anything from pppp to maximum mp on a light weight reed, while everyone else is playing a nice comfy mf upwards.

I have never heard any other "good" oboist complain of this.
It's usually beginner oboists who are too loud.

hmmmm...

well, at least you're honest

(reminded of a Frasier quote here but feel it would be tactless)

...or too quiet. Daughter spent a term moaning about someone who was always miming. I think in truth they were playing very quietly.

They are probably loud in relation to other beginners. There is nothing wrong with the way I play the oboe, I am only doing what I have been taught to do.

So your pppp is the same as everyone else's mf? You need to learn to play more quietly.

In any sort of ensemble it's a question of awareness and balance.
You need to know how your part fits in and when it needs to blend or stand out.
The conductor has the job of monitoring this of course but it helps if individual players have some awareness.
I think that you probably have more need to blend and keep things quiet at least part of the time in a wind band than in an orchestra where the oboe is rather outnumbered. In orchestral solos you would get the opportunity to 'play out'.

- it's not uncommon to see three or four oboes in a wind band, that being the case, balance is key.

My pppp is the same as my teachers pppp. Does this mean that he also plays too loud? I could argue that most people in amateur orchestras actually play too quietly.


What happens if you are playing second oboe in an orchestra? ( I am quite prepared to play either part) I actually find playing in a wind band easier because there are more flutes, than in an orchestra.

[quote name='morton' date='Dec 24 2010, 12:42 AM' post='1016662']
[quote name='pushpull' post='1016106' date='Dec 21 2010, 11:59 PM']

So your pppp is the same as everyone else's mf? You need to learn to play more quietly.
[/quote]
My pppp is the same as my teachers pppp. Does this mean that he also plays too loud? I could argue that most people in amateur orchestras actually play too quietly.

Actually you may have a point here. I remember the first concert I performed in as principal clarinet (having spent years bassooning in orchestras, but being a much better clarinettist) being astonished when I heard the recording and discovering that I was barely audible.

Any really good oboists I know can play at the limit of audibility if required. Are you saying that's still too loud to match an amateur's mf?

It can depend on the mf, but a lot of oboists and flautists don't really make much noise. When I was going on an oboe course once someone remarked that there would be a whole course of people who didn't really blow any air through their instrument. Minimum standard for the course was grade 5.
If I sit in an orchestra next to someone like this, I spend the whole rehearsal playing very quietly. They though are playing at a nice comfortable level. I don't enjoy doing this, so I play somewhere where I don't have to play so quietly.

Also some people can project their sound much more than others.

I echo those sentiments. May your reeds crow.

We're getting towards the end of the year and I wondered if folks have been doing any interesting oboe stuff over the Christmas hols and what you have planned for 2011.

flobiano - have you decided on your post G7 repertoire? Are you beginning to plan for G8 and have something in mind?

pushpull - have you picked your G6 pieces yet? What's your feeling so far about the menu? Anything interesting come out of the Nielsen Romance you were working on?

kerioboe - have you tried out any of your teacher's suggestions? Did you find out which Vivaldi C Major concerto he had recommended?

And the rest of you?

I myself have not been terribly well-behaved in getting back on the oboe - playing around with lots of stuff instead of starting slowly on long notes. But I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and am now ready for being a bit more serious about getting back in form. Shame that my nicest reed isn't liking the rather cool weather we're having and keeps clamming up.

I am trying to work up the courage to get back to the Vivaldi by working a bit on pieces I enjoy. The night before last I had a brief visit to my harpsichordist friend (who is threatening to join the Forum too ). It was lovely to play Telemann (G minor Sonata, 'Dresden' - at least some of it) with a harpsichord for the first time. . My friend had accompanied on the piano me in a recital about a year ago... I was extremely surprised, given all the ups and downs of the last few months that have disrupted oboe-playing, but he said he thought I'd improved hugely and it sounded as though I had advanced three years in one. It was probably mostly thanks to my gorgeous new XL but still I feel pathetically pleased by the compliment.

I haven't come to a decision yet. First things first - I have to decide by Jan 21st if I am entering for the spring session or leaving it a bit.

I'm looking at the Dresden sonata too just now which seems a strong possibility for List A. I hadn't looked at the Nielsen for a while but had a play through the other day and I still like it. I reckon that's a definite for List B.

As for list C - I've just started looking at the Madsen for the first time and that seems a strong contender. I like the Jacob Elegy but Limerick doesn't do much for me. Or the Bach excerpt is rather nice too.

But, I haven't yet had a go at Handel, Boni, Debussy, Pierne, Roussel, blah,blah, blah.

I popped into the music shop on Christmas eve and treated myself to some new stuff including the Bourgeois Fantasy Pieces (for later of course).

Reeds have been seriously odd here too. Fine one day and rubbish the next. By now my reed production line should be in full swing, but isn't. I've got a stack of cane ready for tying on, so come on, get on with it. Mr. Schuring says 2 a day

Good luck with your playing in 2011.

Oops, yes. Better put that on the list. Once I get on a roll my reed tying is OK. But I'm completely useless with the knife. And I'm having problems sharpening it properly. Waiting for new sharpener to arrive - my current excuse to procastinate.

I think my current standard is probably only around Grade 4 or 5 but I like the Grade 6 repertoire much more and my teacher is giving me other harder stuff so I thought I'd give some of those pieces a shot. I actually want to learn the whole of the Telemann Sonata but I'm still not really agile enough on the faster bits. Who knows, if all goes well maybe I'll even get to play it in a recital with a harpsichord next year. I have the Bitti sonata too but I don't like it quite as much.

On list B I quite like the Piern? piece and it's not too bad to play, except the longish Eb-D trill does me in a bit. I prefer the Nielsen, though. But I think I'd want a much more singing tone and for a bit of that good old vibrato to emerge before I gave either of those pieces a shot in the exams. Otherwise the long Ds sound rather boring. I haven't given the Sculthorpe piece a go yet, though I do have 'Unbeaten Tracks'.

I still haven't managed to get hold of the Madsen yet. The Jan Van Beekum jazzy piece sounds quite fun but I don't have that either. In the fantasy scenario of me doing Grade 6 I suppose I'd also end up going with the Jacob (I quite like both of them) or the Bach.

Oh, and for a bit of fun I'm also working on a Vanhal duet (Sonata 4 from Six Duets, originally for flute or bassoon, rather oddly...). Also not part of lesson plans but sanctioned for a future recital, hopefully with oboist flatmate or flautist orchestra neighbour playing the top part as they're stronger than me.

After my first couple of batches I started to get the hang of how to use the knife without too much weight behind it, though I'm still more than capable of whipping the tip off the reed just as I get to the end. Hey ho. I'm currently trying to figure out how and where to scrape the back for best results. My teacher does make lovely reeds which have a nice tone and are quite free blowing too so I have a good mentor there. I use a Japanese water stone to sharpen my knives which is fine. The trick though is too keep the knife sharp through frequent use of the stone (ahem!).

I agree at Grade 6 the list suddenly starts to look a lot more interesting. As for the Telemann, I've been working on the quaver passages in the 2nd movement with the metronome to gradually get the speed up and my teacher suggested I might take a look at the other movements too.

I haven't tried it yet. I've just this minute had a look through it and I think I'll give it a go later.

I know exactly how you feel. The same goes for the opening of the Telemann. It needs a touch of something and I would like to have some semblance of vibrato before I do Grade 6 which is why I'm procrastinating a bit (instead of practicing a lot )

I have some extra-curricular items I want to spend some time on too. The Gregson sonata which I've banged on about in the past. I reckon I could have a bash at the first couple of movements now. A couple of Britten's 6 Metamorphoses and start on the Telemann Fantasies. There are also a couple of Schumannn pieces wich are pretty and don't look as tough as the Romances (one of the "5 Pieces in Folk Style" and "Abendlied").

Hi everyone,

I thought it was about time I started joining in this thread. I've been meaning to for a while, but then it seemed so established and I didn't want to but in.

For those that don't know me (I've been to a few concerts at Leeds and Teddington, and also posted occasionally on the forum), I've been playing oboe for nearly 3 years now. I did Grade 5 a year ago and had hoped to do Grade 6 last session, but wasn't ready. I'm now really putting in the work again and hope to be ready for Grade 6 next term.

My pieces will be the Nielsen, which I quite like (I'm having some issues with the rhythm in a couple of places, but nothing major), the Bach (again, no major problems) and the Albinoni, with which I am having problems, mainly due to being unable to play the semi-quavers fast enough. I'm also a bit confused as my teacher has said to aim for crochet = 80, which is quite a bit slower than any of the recordings I've heard. I think I posted about this last summer, but can't remember exactly what I said, so aplocies if I'm repeating myself.

I'm sorry I couldn't use the quote feature properly. I wanted to join in the discussion on grade 6 pieces and reply to people's points, but I couldn't make the quotes work.

Welcome. The more the merrier.

Aagh. Now I'm going to have to fish that out again and give it another go. I had great problems with the bars 51-52 and slogged away with the metronome trying to get the speed up whilst keeping the semi quavers even. One thing I do recall my teacher saying about this and other baroque pieces is not to slavishly follow the (usually editorial) articulations. Sticking in slurs here and there is quite acceptable and can be helpful in fast passages.

Can you do it now or do you need help?

Great to have you here amber_piano!

I'm up for a discussion on G6 oboe. I was just wondering whether this might get boring for the other oboists here, though it'd be great to have their input. Or else we could start a specific thread...

I might be back later on the Telemann and Nielsen... but I've got to get off to get my shopping done and clear the house as it's my turn to host the New Year's party...