Oboes for Idgets- Home

~Bad Habits, Troubleshooting, Reeds P.1~

I began playing the oboe in the eighth grade. My band director, wonderful as he was, just didn't know much about the oboe (unless you're an oboe player, you're just not going to get all the information you need from your "Double Reeds Methods Class" that you had to take in college!). And since I never had the opportunity to take private lessons, I had acquired a multitude of bad habits. I spent my entire freshman year trying my teacher's patience while breaking these bad habits. In my years teaching private lessons, I have seen these same bad habits in young players. It really is no one's fault. The oboe is just a finicky instrument!

In addition to bad habits, one of the most common problems I find is that the oboes are not working properly. Again-- no one's fault. The oboe has a very intricate adjustment system, and it doesn't take much for it to get out of quack-- I mean whack. In the repairs section, I will tell you the most common problems I have encountered.

And last, but most certainly not least, are reed and embouchure problems. If a student has a bad reed, that's the end of the story-- no matter how good a player (s)he is, or how good an instrument (s)he has, they still won't sound very good! In the reeds section, I will give you tips on how to select a reed.

Hopefully this page will address some of those concerns. If, however, there are questions you have that are not answered here, please send me an email!

Bad Habits

Using "Forked F"-- The first scale the beginning oboe player learns is-- you guessed it-- the Concert Bb scale. When you look at the fingerings for Eb (R1, R2, R3, Eb key) and regular F (R1, R2, RHF), you will notice there just isn't a way to get from one to the other without playing an E natural (R1, R2) in between (unless you have a "Left Hand F" key, which beginner instruments DO NOT). Oboe players are forced to use the alternate fingering for F-- the "Forked F" (R1, R3). Most beginning band music is written in the keys of Concert Bb or Eb, so the oboe player must use the "Forked F" most of the time. The problem is, the oboe player usually learns this alternate fingering as the ONLY "F" they ever play-- even when it would be easier to use the regular fingering for "F" (for example, when going from "F" to "E" natural).

Solution-- the best solution is to get a "Full Conservatory" oboe. This oboe will have a "Left Hand F", which all but renders the "Forked F" obsolete. If you can't do this though, the best you can do is remind the student to use to the "Forked F" only when going to or coming from a D, Db/C#, or Eb/D#. I have my students mark an "X" above all "Forked F's".

Using the wrong octave mechanism-- the oboe has three different octave mechanisms. There is the half-hole, the thumb octave key, and the side octave key. Some oboes also have a "third octave key", to be used on notes above the High Eb.

The half-hole is used for fourth line C#/Db, D, and fourth space D#/Eb.

The thumb octave key should be used for fourth space E up to G#.

The side octave key should be used for A and up.

What happens most of the time is the student either uses the thumb octave key for the half-hole notes, or the half-hole for the thumb octave key notes. If their reed is easy enough, they MIGHT be able to get away with it, but I can usually hear it. If they are using the thumb octave key on a half-hole note, the note will probably crack or come out an octave too low. If they are using the half-hole for a thumb octave key note, the note will probably sound airy or fuzzy. If the student forgets to use the side octave key on the high notes, the notes will either crack or come out an octave too low.
Solution-- this one is just a woodshed problem. They just have to practice playing the notes with their corresponding octave mechanism.

Sliding or lifting the half-hole-- The first finger of the left hand should act as a hinge on the half hole. Most students will either slide it up and down, or actually lift it off the key and place it on the half-hole. Both of these habits just require too much movement and will slow the player's technique down.
Solution-- I actually take a pen and draw a vertical line down the center of the pad of this finger. Tell the player to put this line on the line that separates the main part of the key from the half-hole, and use this connection like a hinge. They can "swing" it up for regular play and "swing" it down for the half hole.

Head position-- The angle of the oboe to the body of the player is a small concern, but one that needs to be addressed. If a student switches to oboe from clarinet, (s)he has a tendency to hold the oboe too close to the body. While this position is appropriate for the clarinet, it will cause the bottom lip to pinch off the opening of the oboe reed. On the other hand, some students will try to hold the oboe almost parallel to the ground so that they can insert the reed straight into the mouth. Besides looking silly, this position will sometimes put too much pressure on the TOP blade of the reed. Some players will just tilt the oboe-- AND THE HEAD-- down to correct the angle, but this constricts the air passage in the throat.

Solution-- Hold your head straight and bring the oboe to YOU-- don't go down to the oboe! The correct angle of oboe to body should be about 45 degrees.

Left Hand position-- I notice this to be a problem mostly when a flute player switches to oboe. Flute players will try to hold their left hand in the same position they held it for flute. This bends the hand at the wrist (bringing the palm very close to the body of the oboe) and causes the fingers to be VERY "crimped" and tense (see top photo at left).

Solution-- Straighten out the wrist and pull the palm of the hand away from the oboe. I tell my students to pretend they are holding an egg between their palm and the body of the oboe (see bottom photo above.)

Articulating incorrectly-- There are two common mistakes here-- articulating with the throat, or tonguing on the roof of the mouth (as opposed to the tip of the reed). Both of these will sound bad and slow down technique.
Solution--Tell students to put their tongue on the tip of the reed (closing off air flow), and blow. While they are blowing, have them drop the tongue. This should show them what proper articulation feels like. After that, it is just a matter of reminding them when you hear them do it incorrectly.

More Tips....

For more information, contact
LoreeEH@ec.rr.com