Pitch

Response | Pitch | Dynamics | Tone |

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