oboeinsight

I’m not exactly sure where these facts come from, as the newspaper doesn’t tell me, but here you go:

MUSICAL EDUCATION FACTS
Most popular instruments for children: violin, trumpet, trombone, flute, percussion.
Most in-demand instruments on college or conservatory level: viola, bass fiddle, oboe, bassoon, French horn, English horn, tuba.
Most in-demand instrument on adult, amateur level: violin.

Not many schools have an English horn major, by the way. In fact, it might be only Julliard that offers that. I was surprised clarinet and saxophone didn’t make the most popular instrument list. Hmmm. But it’s so fun to be in-demand, you know? And violin is most in-demand for adults? My guess would have been piano. (But piano isn’t listed as the most popular instrument for children either, so maybe they aren’t including piano in this list.)

I found this attached to an article my news alert service on the word “oboe” provided. Funny thing was that I read the same article back in January. Judith Schoolman is the author listed for both, so it’s not that someone plagiarized, just so you know. I do find it odd that it doesn’t say it’s an old article, but maybe things like these work the same way as poetry first rights. You can sell a poem with first rights and later publish it again. I can’t remember if there’s a certain amount of time one must wait to resell something, but I am guessing that with an article you must have to wait around six months. Just a guess, of course!

In any case, it’s the article I mentioned back in January, about how some instruments can be a ticket to scholarships. I know that’s the case for oboe. So do a lot of parents. But I want to remind readers that the oboe itself isn’t the ticket … it’s how you play it! Don’t assume it can sit in its case day in and day out and somehow provide you with miraculous money.

Devin Cohen, a 15-year old from Bolton, Conn., has been playing bassoon for five years, and has already made the two hours a day he practices pay off.

TWO HOURS! See that? Get it? It takes time. Commitment. A little bit of craziness. (Well, maybe not that last one … or maybe so. You tell me!)

Passion. Practice.

Please.
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Not much to say today, and I doubt not much for the next few days. It’s just a slow time for me. And that’s okay.

What’s not okay is that I couldn’t go to the IDRS convention this year, I’ve not ever gone, and I can’t go next year. So to feel as if I’m nearly there I’ve been reading Prairie Oboe Companion by Jillian. It’s really wonderful to read about it all, even though it makes me a wee bit envious of her experience. And the story she tells in July 28th’s entry (second paragraph) about a high school student and master oboist and what he says to the audience is priceless. Really.
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If you have an oboe that I’ve not suggested be dumped, you have an oboe with a left F key. Some of my students arrive at their first lesson having never played or learned this fingering even if they have the key. Why? Because nearly every book I’ve ever seen doesn’t include it on a fingering chart!

I didn’t learn it either. I, in fact, learned the forked F fingering with the E-flat key first. (The E-flat key was added, I believe, because the F resonance key either hadn’t been added to oboes yet or because the folks making fingering charts didn’t know about it. I’m guessing the former.) I wonder, also, of left F had not been put on the chart because … well … maybe it hadn’t been invented when these books were written …? Anyone know? That would be my guess.

I can promise you that a fingering you learn when you are first discovering oboe can haunt you for nearly forever. So learn your F fingerings in this order: regular F ( XXX | XX F key 0 ), left F ( XXX left F key | XX0 ), and forked F ( XXX | X0X ). Really. It’s the best order for most everything, although not all.

When not to use regular F: If you can use regular F, you want to use that, but if your right hand ring finger is used before or after F you move to left F. But of course sometimes you can’t do that, because you are playing a combination of keys before or after that requires the left pinkie for a note. So move to forked F.

And of course these rules can be broken. I sometimes use forked F because of the way it responds, or because of its slightly different tone. (On my Marigaux the note is nearly the same as the other fingerings, but I’ve noticed Lorees aren’t quite that way. My old oboe—a Loree—had a stuffy forked F which came in handy for a pianissimo low F when necessary. Sometimes I use forked F when I’m playing D before or after just because that combination is easy to work for me.

The truth? I do what works best for me, and provides the smoothest and cleanest results. Make sense? I think so.

In fact, even if we learn all the rules—and I do think they should be learned!—we often then break them. That’s how it works. So there you go.

Or not. You can disagree with me if you’d like. :-)
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“At the first rehearsal, it was a riot, because the oboist was just warming up her reed and my ears perked up. I heard this unusual sound and I said, “What are you doing?” and she said, “Warming up my reed.” I said, “That’s the way the piece is gonna start.” It sounded like a bird.”

It’s funny, but I’ve never thought about the word “bird” when I think about crowing the reed! I do realize a crow is a kind of bird. Hmmm. Funny me. I also never “warm up my reed” … but I guess others do. (I do check the reed by crowing it, but I’ve not considered that warming it up.)

I read this article here.
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A lot of people have the idea that classical musicians are smart. Some think we are intellectual giants. (Well, until you read this blog, eh?!) I don’t like destroying our grand image, but I have to tell you it simply isn’t true.

Now some of my classical pals are brilliant. Many, in fact. But I recall carpooling years ago (no one I work with now, and I can’t even remember the person’s name, so don’t go guessing!), and I have to tell you the violinist in the car was about as bright as a doorknob. And I was shocked because … you know what?! … I thought classical musicians had to be smart. (That was before I was smart enough to realize I’m not that smart! ;-)

Shoot. We look pretty smart, don’t we? (Please, oh please say yes!)

Even the young’uns aren’t so bright. Robbing a bank? Sigh. I read James Reel’s recent blog entry and just cracked up.
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… to this isn’t, as Susan guessed. The answer, instead, is a tuba. The article was about a tuba quartet.

Um. Sure. Oboe … clarinet … tuba … all so very much alike. Yes indeed.
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I’ve heard from a few people, and I can tell what they and some family members here have said that I’m a silly girl who over reacts to everything. Sigh. So I guess I’ll just forget about the email and move on to other things to whine about! There’s always something, you know, so letting that go doesn’t mean yours truly can’t find something!

Or not.

So … if anyone wants to do the work for me and put together a page for band double reed players, feel free. I’ll then post the page. Right now I have no time to do this. (Perhaps the gentleman who wrote the email will drop by again—he doesn’t appear to be a member, though, so maybe it was a one time visit—and if he knows HTML this would give him a nice little project. Whoever does it will certainly get credit on that page. Otherwise it will have to wait until I’m not working on some other things that, for me, are slightly more important right now.

I do NOT want to turn this blog into a Complaint Station™! Honest and true. And I love my “gig”. Teaching is energizing and great fun. Students can be a joy. There’s nothing in the world that can beat playing with pals. So it’s “all good” as some might say. :-)
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I had a new student scheduled to arrive at 4:00 today. At 4:35 I finally called to see what was up. The mom, who had called, scheduled the appointment, and got directions to the house wasn’t there. The man I’m assuming was her dad said her mom had work and probably forgot. Hmmm. Very odd. I asked him to have her go to my site, click on the email address, and email me. She never did.

I finally called a few minutes ago … the mom said, “We aren’t going to take lessons. I can’t drive to your house.”

Now why in the world wouldn’t she have called me before the scheduled lesson and cancel so I didn’t wait around?

That’s pretty frustrating and, it seems, just a tad rude.

But I lead the life of a music teacher. While the income seems somewhat guaranteed, it’s really not. Especially since I charge per week rather than per month. I just can’t see charging per month; I have conflicts at times, and I don’t want to be “owing” lessons. I ask students to be flexible because of my performance schedule, and so I want to be just as flexible for them!

But just not showing up is just not right. Don’t you agree?

And please note: I would never write anything negative about a student that I teach. I’m only writing about a student I won’t be teaching because … well … to vent. The only things I write about students I have is GOOD NEWS! I also never mention names unless I get permission, although once I get that permission I love to post kudos to students who have done something notable.

For instance, I had a new student this morning. She was wonderful and it was a joy to meet and work with her. I haven’t asked her about putting her name here yet, but she knows who she is! :-)

Joshua Kosman, classical music critic for the San Francisco Chronicle has a new blog. Welcome to our happy world, Mr. Kosman. (And don’t take what I say about reviewers too seriously! Unless it’s complimentary, of course! ;-)

In Other News
I had sent a message to my friendly emailer, and I’ve heard nothing back. I’m not sure what this means. I’ve also not heard one word, darn it all! from any readers. I’m not sure what that means either. C’mon folks. Tell me if I was being too sensitive. I can (sniffle, sniffle) handle (sniffle) it. Really.

AND … no one has answered these two posts!

Shoot. Where IS everyone? Let’s get with the program, eh? After all, the world does revolve around me.

Right?
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I read this, which included this paragraph:

Still, it was in the three central movements that the conductor achieved the greatest results. The Concertante section featured serene contributions from the woodwinds — and a scintillating solo from principal flutist Maria Tamburrino — and the Rondeau sounded downright springy. The Andantino found the orchestra uniting in playing of ravishing warmth and beauty. In addition to Tamburrino, there were excellent contributions from concertmaster Robin Hansen, oboist Laura Griffiths, and clarinetist Mark Brandenburg. Principal horn David Sprung played the brief, but crucial, posthorn solo with flair.

It’s always wonderful when reviewers give musicians a mention. So often we feel invisible. When I play a huge solo (say, for instance, the English horn solo in Ravel’s Piano Concerto, and I don’t get mentioned, I assume I was awful. Other times we are mentioned for something that a reviewer didn’t like. But getting mentioned for doing a good job doesn’t always happen. This review is fun; a few people listed here are colleagues of mine.

Only problem?

There were no clarinets in that work!

How very curious.

So one wonders: was the reviewer there? Was it a different concert the reviewer attended? Surely the reviewer knows what a clarinet is, yes? I’m assuming reviewers of concerts know their instruments.

I do remember one funny incident, however. Many, many years ago a string orchestra played for a ballet. The reviewer said that the viola section sounded particularly strong, because the orchestra went heavy on violas. She was very complimentary. Heh. We were only listed heavy on violas; the folks who put together the orchestra roster made an error and listed all the second violinists under the viola section!

Of course then there was the time I got a very nice mention for my English horn playing when the solo was being played by a baritone horn. Now that was bizarre! Did the reviewer think an English horn was a brass instrument? I’m guessing so.

Speaking of which … no one has yet to answer the question of yesterday! C’mon, folks, give it a go!
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Here’s the paragraph for you:

“People are amazed when you just walk out on stage or take it out of the case,” said Troiano, 54, who said bewildered fans often ask if the massive instrument of twisting metal pipes is an oboe or clarinet.

So what instrument do you think might get confused for an oboe or clarinet?