Some notes on embouchure & breathing

• Make sure your reed is not too far in - you should be able to feel just the tip of the reed when tonguing.

• Your reed should be held against your bottom lip, with your top lip rolling on top.

• When playing, your jaw will naturally move. Take care that the reed doesn't move further into your mouth.

• Focus the corners of your lips inward. If you say the word "home" this should create a good mouth shape (embouchure).

• Take care not to puff cheeks or to have pockets of air between your teeth and lips.

• Our embouchure must work well to control our pitch, intonation, dynamics and sound. Think about what you do with your embouchure to produce a loud sound? How about a quiet sound? Can you make a note as sharp as possible? How about as flat as possible?

• To help with low notes, think of an "orrrrr" embouchure shape. We need less lip pressure and more diaphragm support on low notes.

• Try and keep your oboe at a 45 degree angle to your body. Stand up straight, with your feet shoulder width apart. Bring the oboe up to you, don't lean down to it.

• When breathing, remember to take a big deep breath (like you are going to blow up a balloon!) Say "ha! ha!" as hard as you can - you should be able to feel your diaphragm muscles.

• To produce a good sound we need a steady constant air stream - so our diaphragm support is essential.

• Take a big breath, then quickly force your air out in a "ssssssh" sound. This will demonstrate how we need proper breath support.

• Always remember to breathe fully out before you breathe back in - on the oboe, we don't use up all the air that is in our lungs before we feel the need to take another breath. We therefore need to breathe out the stale air (carbon dioxide) so that we can top up with fresh oxygen.

• Make sure you breathe through your mouth, not your nose.

TONGUING AND SLURRING

• To practice tonguing, blow a long note firmly then divide it into four by saying "tuh" four times. The tip of your tongue should just make contact with the tip of the reed (the note actually starts as your tongue leaves the reed). Try and keep the tone smooth and avoid sudden little puffs of air. Remember to keep the note going after you have made your "tuh" - we want the tongue to merely interrupt the air flow, not stop it.

• When slurring and playing legato, it's important to be able to play any interval smoothly. Make sure you breathe well. Try slurring some pairs of octaves (you could start on a low D) - think about your embouchure & diaphragm support: what happens when you slur from the bottom note to the top?

Choosing reeds

As there is no way to mass-produce oboe reeds, they have to be crafted by hand (see video above). The length and complexity of this process means that oboe reeds are far more expensive than, say, clarinet reeds.

Try lots of different makes of reed to find the one that suits you and your playing. Generally, the lower the grade the "softer" reed you will want (the smaller the tip opening, the less air required to get the tip to vibrate. This type of reed would therefore be more suited to a beginner). Aim for a medium-soft, or medium if your teacher is able to adjust your reed strength.

One important thing to know: reeds are not consistent! Even the same type from the same maker can vary greatly as cane can differ between reeds and also change with weather and acoustic conditions. You might buy 3 from the same maker to find them all very different!

Recommended reeds to try:

• Howarth Academy

• Fortay Student reed

• Kexun Ge standard reed

• Winfield standard oboe reed

Howarths of London & Crowthers of Canterbury both offer a good selection of reeds.