I had a great lesson last night. The Luft studies are definitely improving my technique which is sounding much less clunky, I need to work on maintaining tuning through out though. It was very obvious that my support was going when I was running out of air leading to a drop in pitch - very slight but still noticeable. This also happened when I took a breath too quickly and didn't quite reset everything. I need to practice playing through more while focussing on maintaining my tuning.
We also did some work on articulation - I have some exercises to do with scales and metronome to clean up and speed up my tongueing. They mainly revolve around repeating each note with different rhythms with the metronome and trying to push it up. This is definitely a weakness and should help sort out some of the raggedy areas in the Mozart Quartet.
Tomorrow we are going to London and I have a visit to the UK oboists Mecca, more commonly known as Howarths of London. I have a long list of reed making supplies that I would like to buy, my teacher also suggested that I pick up the Hindemith Sonata. I'm looking forward to having a good browse.
I then, sadly, have an oboe-less week as we are going on holiday. After that things are definitely going back to some sort of normality, well maybe.
Friday 27 April 2012
Thursday 26 April 2012
New term
It still surprises me how much the school calendar dictates the ebb and flow of my life - even though I have no real connection to the education system anymore. The Easter holiday's are over and term has begun again. I didn't particularly have any time off work - bar the Bank holidays but it did affect oboe lessons and to an extent practice. When routines are disrupted, practice doesn't escape the effect. But now it's a new term. My first lesson was last week and it wasn't particularly good, I was struggling with a new reed and had had a long day at work. Hopefully can start again this week....continuing with the Luft studies and Telemann and Mozart. It would lovely to have something new to work on.
The Rite of Spring performance was also last week - with practice on Monday, Friday and Saturday afternoon followed by concert on Saturday evening it seemed to dominate the whole week. I quite enjoyed it in the end, I managed to follow the parts and be familiar enough with the music to know when to come in pretty reliably. The performance was OK - some bits were a bit ropey but there were also some good bits, we started together, we finished together and the general pauses were generally silent. It was certainly a good experience for me and I learned a lot about orchestral playing. I am quite glad to get it out of the way though - now to look toward the May concert and Orchestral playday in June.
The Rite of Spring performance was also last week - with practice on Monday, Friday and Saturday afternoon followed by concert on Saturday evening it seemed to dominate the whole week. I quite enjoyed it in the end, I managed to follow the parts and be familiar enough with the music to know when to come in pretty reliably. The performance was OK - some bits were a bit ropey but there were also some good bits, we started together, we finished together and the general pauses were generally silent. It was certainly a good experience for me and I learned a lot about orchestral playing. I am quite glad to get it out of the way though - now to look toward the May concert and Orchestral playday in June.
Friday 13 April 2012
Learning to scrape...
..it's time to write something about reeds, or at least about learning how to make reeds. I did have a bit of a dabble with this on my own, from a book last year. I didn't do very well and didn't make anything that could make a noise. In my last lesson before Easter my teacher started some reedmaking with me. We focussed mainly on tying on but got on to the principles of scraping them. She has a profiler so was able to start off a couple for me at least. I've been doing a bit more over Easter. One of the reeds she profiled I managed to get to the point of playing! My first ever reed which actually plays in the instrumnet and even plays in tune! But that was obviously a fluke. I have tied a on a few more and got most of them to the point of making a sound - without the instrument but they don't play. A couple do seem to play if I apply some lateral pressure at the sides...this seems to be a recurring fault so something to ask about at my next lesson. It has been said that you need to make, or attempt to make, at least 1000 reeds before you even begin to feel like you know what you are doing so this is the first step on a long journey. So 15 down, 985 to go.
Tuesday 3 April 2012
1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2,1-2,1-2-3, 1-2-3-4
I had another Rite of Spring rehearsal last night. I think it's starting to click a bit. One of the more experienced players was claiming it was easy, "you just need to count." Just? Well maybe. I can nearly manage the counting as long as I don't have to play any notes at the same time.
It did make me realise that most of the time I don't count - I rely on feeling the pulse and the rhythm often just slots in quite easily. I rarely have to think about it very consciously except when counting rest bars and even then I find I a physical action such as putting fingers on my instrument more reliable than counting in my head. Unfortunately that isn't good enough for this. I need to actually count. In my head. All the time. And play at the same time. It was beginning to get there at the end, it felt less like guesswork and following the person next to me and more knowing when I should play. It's getting there.
It did make me realise that most of the time I don't count - I rely on feeling the pulse and the rhythm often just slots in quite easily. I rarely have to think about it very consciously except when counting rest bars and even then I find I a physical action such as putting fingers on my instrument more reliable than counting in my head. Unfortunately that isn't good enough for this. I need to actually count. In my head. All the time. And play at the same time. It was beginning to get there at the end, it felt less like guesswork and following the person next to me and more knowing when I should play. It's getting there.
Monday 2 April 2012
Easter break
Last Wednesday was my last lesson before Easter. I can understand why my teacher has to work to school terms - she has a busy schedule and really needs the break. But it can occassionally be frustrating for me, as my life and work definitely doesn't revolve around school times. The worst is the summer - 6 weeks of no lessons and usually no time off work. Of course it also means that when I want to take my own holidays (definitely not in school holidays) I am then missing yet another lesson. Ho hum.
Having said that, I am quite pleased to have a break this Easter. It is quite nice to have less pressure to do "proper practice" I have fewer things to work through which means that I now have time to do some focussed practice on Rite of Spring and, maybe more importantly, just play through pieces that I've learned but moved on from. To play music for pure enjoyment, without worrying about stopping to sort out that awkward bit. I've been picking a piece a day to go through, initially for fun but it definitely has some other benefits. It's brought home how much we have actually covered - some of which I had forgotten about! I love coming across those bits that were really tricky, or clunky or difficult and realise that I can now play them quite easily - well some of them anyway. Playing pieces all the way through is also playing dividends on my stamina and breathing. All good...I think I need to think about using the Summer break in a similar way - and maybe finding some people to play Chamber music with. It's good to have a break from constant practising without reducing my playing so that I can start in the new term more refreshed.
Having said that, I am quite pleased to have a break this Easter. It is quite nice to have less pressure to do "proper practice" I have fewer things to work through which means that I now have time to do some focussed practice on Rite of Spring and, maybe more importantly, just play through pieces that I've learned but moved on from. To play music for pure enjoyment, without worrying about stopping to sort out that awkward bit. I've been picking a piece a day to go through, initially for fun but it definitely has some other benefits. It's brought home how much we have actually covered - some of which I had forgotten about! I love coming across those bits that were really tricky, or clunky or difficult and realise that I can now play them quite easily - well some of them anyway. Playing pieces all the way through is also playing dividends on my stamina and breathing. All good...I think I need to think about using the Summer break in a similar way - and maybe finding some people to play Chamber music with. It's good to have a break from constant practising without reducing my playing so that I can start in the new term more refreshed.
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