Embedded Files
Response
Response
Poor low register (below G4) response, with explosive attacks and loud dynamics
Possible Causes:
the reed is too stiff and/or open and wild
the student is biting too much, or has too much reed in their mouth
the students fingers are not covering the holes completely
the oboe is leaking
Solutions:
squish the back of a soaked reed; soak the reed less; try a softer, more balanced and responsive reed; loosen the reed by scraping over the heart into the tip; thin the sides of the tip for greater focus
work on embouchure flexibility exercises; practice whistling to get the jaw down and the embouchure rounder; start with less reed in the mouth
make sure the student is covering the keys with the balls of their fingers; check the fourth finger in each hand in particular; make sure they are not hitting any trill keys or side keys
get the oboe repaired by a qualified oboe repairperson
Poor low register response with shallow tone, inconsistent accuracy and clarity; often the lowest notes "gurgle"
Possible Causes:
the student is biting the reed too closed
the reed too far in their mouth
the reed is too stiff and/or closed, possibly too old
the oboe is leaking
Solutions:
work on embouchure flexibility exercises; practice whistling to get the jaw down and the embouchure round
start with less reed in the mouth; pull out and reset after every breath
loosen reed by scraping over the sides of the heart or try a different, likely newer, reed; soak the reed longer in hotter water to open it more
get the oboe repaired by a qualified oboe repairperson
Left Eb does not speak easily
Possible Causes:
when the student uses left Eb, they loses the note, because the left little finger pulls the left forth finger off the key
Solutions:
Put a piece of tape covering the hole of the 'G' key. This may affect the pitch, but only minimally
make sure the student is covering the keys with the balls of their fingers; check the fourth finger in each hand in particular; make sure they are not hitting any trill keys or side keys
The response of the low register or right hand notes is intermittent
Possible Causes:
sometimes notes in the right hand do not come out, possibly because the middle tenon is wobbly, or the F# to G# adjustment is out, and the student is accidentally hitting the right G# and opening the key
Solutions:
fix the tenon by replacing the cork (unfortunately, the joint may still wobble, so cork/glue may need to be added to the wood of the tenon). Adjust the articulated F#/G# connection
work on curving the fingers more to make sure the student is not hitting any trill keys or side keys and is covering the keys with the balls of their fingers. Check the fourth finger in each hand in particular
Half-hole notes speak down the octave
Possible Causes:
the half-hole is not being opened enough
Solutions:
make sure the left first finger is sliding enough to completely open the half hole
use nose/forehead grease to get finger to slide more easily
check that the fingernail (first finger left hand) is not too long, and hitting other keys
Notes gurgle
Possible Causes:
there is water in a key or octave vent
the reed is too closed, stiff, and old, and too far in the embouchure
Solutions:
look for water in the next open key below the note that gurgles, or the appropriate octave key
use cigarette paper (ungummed) to clean out the water. This works best if the other keys and the end of the joint are covered (hard to do with the bottom joint), and the water is blown out from through the top reed well
open embouchure and roll out reed; soak reed longer to open it, or replace
Attacks are unclear, and not predictable
Possible Causes:
the student is not building up enough air support before starting the note
the reed is unresponsive
the student is biting too much, likely because the reed is too wild
Solutions:
start with more air pressure right away. One way is to place the tongue on the reed, build air pressure, then start the note by taking the tongue off the reed
make the reed more responsive by scraping over the channels of the heart and the end of the tip
work on embouchure flexibility exercises, and choose a more stable, focused reed
Notes squeak
Possible Causes:
the student is biting too much, or not rolling out enough
the reed is too closed and/or weak
the student is moving their jaw too much
the fingers are not covering properly or hitting trill keys
Solutions:
work on embouchure flexibility exercises; find the best placement of the reed on the lips for tone and ease
try to make the reed stronger by soaking it for a longer time in hotter water
work on keeping the jaw open and the embouchure round
make sure the student is using the balls of their fingers, that they are covering all the keys, and not hitting any trill or side keys
Student has trouble getting high D (D6) to respond
Possible Causes:
the student is biting too much, and/or not rolling in enough
the student is not opening the half hole enough (the finger can be taken off the half hole when slurring to the high d)
the reed is too vibrant
the fingers are not covering quickly enough
Solutions:
work on flexibility exercises; find the reed/embouchure placement that helps this note come out. It may be helpful to first practice air attacking this note to find a good oral cavity placement
use nose/forehead grease to get finger to slide more easily and quickly
try a more stable, less vibrant reed
try slapping the fingers on the keys to help synchronize them
Notes blips when going over 'the break' to half-hole C#, D, or Eb5
Possible Causes:
the student is not moving all their fingers at the same time
the student is not opening the half hole enough
the student is not blowing enough 'between' the notes
the student's fingers are not covering the holes quickly enough
Solutions:
work on slapping the fingers on the keys to help get them synchronized (don't lift them too high above the keys)
use nose/forehead grease to get the half-hole finger to slide more
work on blowing air to the very end of each note; practice slurring the interval
have right hand already in position over the keys before it is needed; get the fingers ready the beat before
Student's embouchure 'crumples' and/or tires easily leading to poor response
Possible Causes:
the student doesn't have the strength to keep a good embouchure for very long
the student cannot control reed easily enough as likely as it is too hard
the student cannot keep air pockets out of their embouchure
Solutions:
work on building up embouchure endurance much like an athlete works on strengthening their muscles, ie: don't overdo every day, take some days off, but practice regularly for increasing lengths of time
try an easier reed, and/or a reed with a different balance between response and stability
work on pointing the chin, and keeping the chin flat by stretching the lips over the teeth
Pitch
Pitch
Low register is flat/sharp
Possible Causes:
the student has loosened/tightened their embouchure too much
the student has too little/too much reed in their mouth
Solutions:
have the student try the opposite of what they are doing
High register is very sharp, pinched
Possible Causes:
the student is probably biting too much instead of rolling in and supporting the tone more with their air
the reed could be very closed, sharp and likely old
the 2nd octave key vent could be tuned sharp
Solutions:
strive to use the embouchure and jaw less for biting and more for rolling in. Use more air support than embouchure support. Use the shape of the oral cavity more to help tune
get a new reed, or try soaking the old reed in hotter water for longer, and gently opening the tip with the fingers
get oboe checked over by a qualified oboe repair person
Notes are flat/unstable, particularly A5 and above
Possible Causes:
the student does not have strong or consistent enough air support
the student is not rolling in enough, or has too loose an embouchure and too open an oral cavity
the reed is too unstable for the student
Solutions:
make sure the student has enough air support; practice holding the note steady for increasing lengths of time
work on keeping the embouchure steady and rolled in and use the vowel 'e' to close the oral cavity
get new reed or close the opening of the reed by squishing the back when it has been properly soaked. Thinning the sides of the tip and clipping the reed should help to stabilize it
2nd space C is flat, sharp, or ugly sounding
Possible Causes:
the embouchure and air placement is not quite right
there is water under the little 'C' key
the reed is too unstable for the student
Solutions:
work on 'rolling out' to get flatter, and rolling in to get sharper. Experiment with the amount of reed in the mouth and the opening in the oral cavity to fine tune the note
clean out the water with cigarette paper
squish the reed more closed and/or thin the sides of the tip and clip the tip of the reed if possible
F#5 is unstable
Possible Causes:
the embouchure and air placement is not quite right
the reed is too unstable for the student. This note can be unstable on an otherwise stable reed
Solutions:
work on 'rolling out' to get flatter, and rolling in to get sharper. Experiment with the amount of reed in the mouth and the opening in the oral cavity to fine tune the note
squish the reed more closed and/or thin the sides of the tip and clip the tip of the reed if possible. It may also be helpful to add the low B key to stabilize this note
Dynamics
Dynamics
Too soft in high register
Possible Causes:
the student is not using enough air support
the student is biting too much
the reed is not loud enough, most likely too closed and /or old
Solutions:
work on scales with a crescendo ascending through the high register (using the air), and saving a decrescendo until close to the bottom of the scale
work on flexibility exercises that practice rolling in and out, and adjusting the shape of the oral cavity for pitch instead of biting so much
open the reed with hotter water or try a newer reed
When playing softly, the student has poor response and/or notes end too soon, and tends to be sharp in the low register, and flat in the high register
Possible Causes:
the student is not using enough air support to keep the reed vibrating as they close their embouchure to play more softly, particularly in the lower registers
the student is not adjusting the reed placement to keep the pitch steady (rolling in or out as needed)
the reed is too unresponsive
Solutions:
work on using enough air to keep the reed vibrating even when getting softer, especially in the low register. May feel counter-intuitive at first
work on flexibility and strengthening exercises. Closing the lips, but keeping the oral cavity open and round generally creates the most focused soft dynamic tone
loosen reed by scraping over the heart into the tip
Tone
Tone
Forked f is stuffy, unresponsive
Possible Causes:
the instrument is poorly designed and lacks an F resonance key
the embouchure is not helping the note resonate enough
Solutions:
adding the Eb key can help the tone, but may cause the note to be sharp. Check if there is an F resonance key.
experiment with more embouchure and oral cavity flexibility to help the note resonate; use more air support which will also help in slurring to forked f which can be an unresponsive note
Tone is generally harsh, and not in control
Possible Causes:
the student has too much reed in the mouth, usually with not enough lip contact
the reed is too wild and unstable
Solutions:
work on having less reed in the mouth, but the lips rolled in more. Find the "sweet spot" where the tone is the most focused, round and warm
try a new reed, try squishing the reed, or try thinning the sides of the tip and clipping
Tone is generally flabby, unfocused and dull
Possible Causes:
the student has too little reed in their mouth
the student could be biting too much, or have too much lip contact, dulling vibrations
the student has not enough air support
the reed itself could be very dull
Solutions:
work on having more reed in the mouth, and rolling the lips in as much as they need to be for good tone
demonstrate good focused oboe tone to the student as they may be visualizing too dark or muted a sound. Have the student experiment with how much the reed is rolled in and how much lip contact to use
increase air support
try a new reed with more brilliance in the sound
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