Music for All Summer Symposium presented by Yamaha www.musicforall.org

Oboe Master Class Aryn Day Sweeney

Tips for Practice

When learning a new piece: -Take note of the key signature -Play scales and arpeggios in that key -Look at music and take note of all the scale, arpeggios, and patterns you already know -Take notice of all exceptions to the standard patterns -Take notice of all the sections that repeat within the piece -Divide piece into multiple sections (from 5 notes to 5 measures) -Practice the sections from worst to best (may be out of numeric order); if section 5 is the hardest start with it and move toward the least difficult section. Hopefully in time the sections will change order, “leap frogging” so that no section is really that bad. -Practice transitions between sections -Learn the piece slowly with all the “extras.” (dynamics, articulation, phrasing)

Metronome Method (designed to sneak up on the right tempo) -Intended to increase speed, not to make accurate -Establish a BASE speed, a tempo you can play everything at accurately -Increase tempo gradually from BASE speed with a Snakes n’ Ladders approach (poor performance, slow down and good performance, speed up) -Never practice more then 3 times on the same tempo mark -Practice with the metronome on various durations; the eighth note, quarter note, half note -Keep track of your personal best speed

*When there is a problem the act of naming the problem is an enormous step forward in correcting the error. Then design a campaign to eliminate the error.

*Practice difficult passage with the rhythms found at the end of the article for evenness, and speed.

*Don’t practice what you’re good at because then you will never improve! If you always sound good when you’re practicing you are practicing the wrong things.

*Practice performing, end each session with a run through of your piece without stopping.

*Set goals for your practicing and a method for practicing to reach that goal.

OBOE FUNDAMENTALS

PUTTING INSTRUMENT TOGETHER: Remember to line up the posts without bumping anything, and not to hit the A flat key that bridges between the top and bottom joint.

SWABBING YOUR INSTRUMENT: Do this after every time you play!!! Or else odd things may start to grow inside your oboe! Make sure before you pull the swab through that it doesn’t have any knots, otherwise it might become stuck inside. If it does become stuck inside take it to your music teacher or the instrument repair shop and have them remove it. Do not attempt to do this yourself by sticking funny things inside your oboe, you could damage the instrument.

SOAKING YOUR REED: Only a minute or so in a decent amount of water, you can do this while putting your instrument together. Remember if you soak the reed too long it will be very hard and if you soak it too little the reed may crack!

HAND POSITION: You should have your fingers rounded, not flat, because you will be able to play much faster! Watch yourself in the mirror to make sure you’re covering all the correct finger holes and have curved fingers! You should be able to feel the small circle in the center of each key with your fingers.

EMBROUCHURE: This word means how the reed fits into your mouth and the muscles around your mouth. It should be like a whistle, not flat and pressing down in the middle like “mmmmm.” You should have a flat, long chin and your bottom lip should show a tiny bit. Keep your teeth an inch apart in your mouth and do not put too much reed in your mouth, play on the tip!

AIR and BREATHING: Open throat and low breathing. You should fill yourself with air the way you fill a glass of water, from the bottom to the top. Your shoulders shouldn’t be moving, only your belly! Two full beats before you play remember to breath out your old air, then breath in the new air, and play!

SUPPORT: Support is the feeling in your belly of pushing in and up, as if your belly button was being pushed in. You should never play a single note that is unsupported, focus on feeling your support when you do your long tones and warm ups.

LONG TONES: Practice these every day. Hold any note you like for as long as you can (a minimum of 8 slow beats), without letting your air stop or the note have any wobbles. You want the note to be as steady as possible.

TOUNGING: Say ‘ter’ not ‘ta,’ it works better for our reeds. Do not stop your air between notes, ha ha ha, do not do this! Keep your air going all the time, like a long tone, and just let your tongue interrupt the air slightly. The tip of the tongue should hit the very tip of the reed.

PLAYING SOFTLY: To play softly on the oboe you never want to blow less air and stop supporting!!! You simply make your embouchure into miniature size (not smaller by pushing down in the middle because that would be biting and while you would play softer you would be very sharp as well). You must bring the corners of your mouth in toward each other in addition to pressing down in the middle (only a little bit!) in order to make your embouchure miniature and play softer.

HALF HOLE TECHNIQUE: To use your half hole correctly, first make sure that you are only using it when you should be and that it is covered when it should be! Then simply make the movement to uncover and cover the half hole very firm and precise always keeping in contact with the key (never let your finger jump up off the key).

OCTAVE KEYS: As with the half hole, make sure that you are only using them when you should be and that you are using the appropriate octave key for the note you’re playing! You can only use one octave key at a time not both together because this will be a very hard habit to break later on and it will slow down your technique!!! VIBRATO

Vibrato is an important and indispensable ingredient to a mature oboists tone. The role of vibrato does vary between nationalities or “schools” of oboe playing and between players as well. Generally speaking, American vibrato is not strict and rigorous but flexible and fluid, with many changes in speed in order to create various shades of color and degrees of expressions. Many oboists replica their vibrato after a vocal vibrato, which is a vibrato that results from an established and capable tone production technique.

Students generally reach a point when they both musically attentive and understand the concept of sir support, it is at this stage that vibrato begins to appear quite naturally. After this step, it is easy to cultivate and use vibrato to change colors in the sound. When given time to mature on its own vibrato tends to sound more natural and free, a part of the sound instead of an addition to it.

If a student does not have a natural vibrato that “kicks in,” first work on musical phrasing and encourage them to color the sound and communicate a musical target in each phrase. Vibrato will often occur naturally as air speed increases and the student desires to create varied colors and shapes within the phrase.

Use of the metronome to teach and/or refine vibrato:

1) With the metronome at 60, pulse and relax with your diaphragm using the syllable woo. 2) In order to develop a free, natural, singing vibrato pick any note; pulse first in quarter note pulses, then 8ths, 16ths, quintuplets, and sextuplets. After the group of sextuplets “turn off” your pulsation and let your vibrato free, finding your own speed.

Note: the woo syllable sound become less violent as the number of pulsations per beat increase. Quick Reed Adjustment Guide

Crow Produced Diagnosis Adjustment

Sharp, Brittle Crow Not Vibrating Enough Blend transition to the tip

Blend sides of tip

Make sure tip isn’t too thick

Crow is flat Too much out of heart No remedy

Too much out of back No remedy

Too much blend between Scrape corners where

Heart and Tip tip and heart meet

Single C crow Back of reed not activated Scrape back of reed without

Scooping

Too closed Open with pliers or fingers

Rattling Crow Tip too thin No remedy

Tip/Heart to blended Scrape corners where

tip/heart meet

Poor Balance Match scrape on both sides General Response Problems

Response Problem Solution

Poor response in all Leaking Nail Polish thread Registers Leak in cane-no remedy

Too thick Scrape everything

Reed is sharp Too thick Scrape everything

Not vibrating Blend, take out nicks

Over wrapping no remedy

Reed is flat Too much blend Scrape corners where Tip/heart meet

Too much cane out No remedy

Tip too long Clip

Reed is loud, hard Opening too large Pliers or fingers to close To control down opening

Tip too thick Thin corners/sides of tip

Reed is stuffy Tip too thick Thin corners/sides of tip

Not vibrating enough Scrape and blend tip/heart

Low Notes don’t Speak Not vibrating enough Scrape and blend heart/tip

Reed to open Pliers or finger to close

Reed makes “chirp” Tip too thin No remedy Noise (buzzy) Not vibrating into Blend, take out nicks Back of reed