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