Okay now this situation has been really getting my last nerve, and I would like some advice from an experienced oboist… or someone of that sort.
So I have been playing Oboe for about a month now, and I can not get the dang thing to stay in tune.
My electronic tuner goes from sharp to flat, from flat to sharp, it is just ridiculous. If I attempt to play a phrase the tuner will just wave back and forth. It is frustrating me because eventually I really hope to develop a nice, natural vibrato. but that’s kind of impossible without being in tune.Details:
I am teaching myself to play oboe. This is because my high school band teacher isn’t an oboist, and private lessons really aren’t optional because for one thing we don’t have enough money for that, and another reason is that there simply aren’t any teachers for that in the small town I’m living in. I currently play trumpet, but I wanted to switch instruments because trumpet just isn’t appealing to me anymore ><
I’m using a Student Model Selmer Oboe, and Jones Medium-Soft reeds.
Please, any advice could help.
The question was found here. The player is using a Selmer. Sigh.
Just a couple of quick comments:
Go online and buy Steven Hewitt’s “Method for oboe”. It is a cryptic but inclusive ‘method’ for learning how to approach the study of the oboe, or any other instrument. Given the lack of a teacher, it will keep you honest on the learning curve.
Keep in mind that your chops will tire easily for the first few months. Don’t put a vibrato as your first goal, rather concentrate on a consistent, even sound. Once you can balance the force necessary to make the sound with the resistance of the instrument comfortably, it will be time to think about vibrato. Think 6 months to a year…
Work from the Rubank beginning books on through the series. Although dated, these books are a well thought out sequence of learning.
Keep reading this blog, and also follow the IDRS website, where many questions are answered.
Good luck. And keep it up…
WestwindBob
Good suggestions, Bob. I’m not sure the questioner will read this blog, though. (The question was asked here: www.selmersaxophones.net/selmer-instruments/how-do-i-stay-in-tune-while-playing-oboe