Finally got the time....
- Thread starter Merlin
- Start date
More time? How'd you do it? Less lessons for the kids; say it ain't so.
I dropped from 5 bands to two and life is sane again. Maybe I'll have time to do some of the stuff Terry is doing for his Big Band.
I dropped from 5 bands to two and life is sane again. Maybe I'll have time to do some of the stuff Terry is doing for his Big Band.
More time? How'd you do it? Less lessons for the kids; say it ain't so.
I dropped from 5 bands to two and life is sane again. Maybe I'll have time to do some of the stuff Terry is doing for his Big Band.
I don't teach any kids right now. Nor do I have any.
I've got a lead on an English horn too...
My wife, a very good alto sax player and someone who initially went to college for music, has been asked to direct the beginner's band at the school she teaches at.
She wants to play oboe. She's got a kid interested in playing it and she wants to "learn" with him.
Now, there are only three things I know about oboe:
* I can actually get a sound out of one -- almost an entire scale, actually -- but I can't get a sound out of a flute.
* If you're even a halfway decent oboe player, you're virtually guaranteed employment.
* Cats hate beginning oboe players.
So I'll be interested in hearing about your progress, Merlin.
She wants to play oboe. She's got a kid interested in playing it and she wants to "learn" with him.
Now, there are only three things I know about oboe:
* I can actually get a sound out of one -- almost an entire scale, actually -- but I can't get a sound out of a flute.
* If you're even a halfway decent oboe player, you're virtually guaranteed employment.
* Cats hate beginning oboe players.
So I'll be interested in hearing about your progress, Merlin.
Maybe I'll have time to do some of the stuff Terry is doing for his Big Band.
Uh, oh! We don't use the words "Big Band" except for some extremely limited circumstances. Instead, it's "Vegas style show band" or something similar. Since about 60% of what we normally play is 1960's or later, it's a much more accurate moniker.
I have two trombone players who simply cannot absorb the fact that billing us as a "big band" automatically "dates" the group. I'm thinking of wiring them both for electric shocks so I can correct them of this bad habit...
Just now, I'm awash in little plastic strips. I've got about three hundred inches of the stuff, all to be sectioned up into four and five inch pieces. It cuts much easier than did the letters...
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Our experiences and observations mirror each other quite a bit when it comes to oboe.
Oboe makes flute look easy. I can get a decent sound out of oboe and a) I am not any good and b) I have a student oboe. Oh yeah - I use synthetic reeds. We no longer have any pets as my son is allergic to cats and dogs but I remember our cats giving me dirty looks when I played the oboe. Well right before they ran away. :-D
At least 50-75% of all the trombone players I know should be wired for electric shocks. But seriously, I'm happy now that I have my flute skills up to the minimum neede to handle any of those Reed 1 books that require heavy flute. As much as I would like to add oboe and be even busier doing pit work, I simply do not have the time at this stage in my life. But I'm delighted to hear that other fellow woodwind players do.
I have a somewhat weird sense from time to time. It involves taking an extra instrument with me to a concert or rehearsal, just in case.
I took my recently acquired oboe with me to a concert tonite on just such a whim.
Ended up playing the concert on oboe, and had several expose solos. Managed not to step on anything.
Yay.
I have reed making supplies arriving tomorrow. I'm about to take up making double reeds for the first time in my life. I figure if I can reface a mouthpiece, how hard could making reeds be?
I took my recently acquired oboe with me to a concert tonite on just such a whim.
Ended up playing the concert on oboe, and had several expose solos. Managed not to step on anything.
Yay.
I have reed making supplies arriving tomorrow. I'm about to take up making double reeds for the first time in my life. I figure if I can reface a mouthpiece, how hard could making reeds be?
I'm relatively handy at many other things, ranging from cabinetry to scale model making, and I thought that I would try my hand at it when my son was playing. I made three (about one twentieth of his production), and none of the three was even cosmetically correct, much less playable as a bassoon reed.
His weren't too much better looking (considering he was 11 or 12 at the time), but at least they worked. So, if a twelve year old can do it, I would imagine that an adult could pull it (learning how to make bassoon reeds) off. But, you won't get me to try again...
His weren't too much better looking (considering he was 11 or 12 at the time), but at least they worked. So, if a twelve year old can do it, I would imagine that an adult could pull it (learning how to make bassoon reeds) off. But, you won't get me to try again...
I think they like to make it seem harder than it is. Couple that with the generallly low mechanical aptitude amongst most of the oboe players I know, and yes, it might look hard.
It breaks down into several operations, and it depends on how much of the cane prep you want or need to do.
The easiest is to buy gouged, shaped and folded cane, tie that onto staples, and then scrape.
You get more control if you buy gouged cane and do the shaping/folding yourself.
You get even more control if you buy tube cane, and split and gouge it yourself.
I'm going to start with method #1, and progress from there.
I have a good feeling about this. I think the hardest part will be tying the cane on.
Tammi
Private woodwind instructor
According to Kid #2, wrapping is harder than it looks. You have to be sure the sides seal. She says soak that cane REALLY well before you start to wrap. If it's a bit softer it bends around the staple much easier.
Wire or no wire? Fish skin?
Scraping is another story. German, French, or American scrape? Maybe a hybrid scrape? You'll waste a lot of cane before you get a playable reed.
She say's it's like trying to shave your legs with a straight razor.
I'm being a smart alek, I'm sure you know exactly what you're doing.
If ditzy blond oboeists can do it, so can you!
Wire or no wire? Fish skin?
Scraping is another story. German, French, or American scrape? Maybe a hybrid scrape? You'll waste a lot of cane before you get a playable reed.
She say's it's like trying to shave your legs with a straight razor.
I'm being a smart alek, I'm sure you know exactly what you're doing.
If ditzy blond oboeists can do it, so can you!
Tying is difficult, but by NO MEANS is it the "hardest part."
If you're like most reedmakers, expect to make a laundry basket full of bad reeds before you make your first good one. You seem quite confident in your ability, so maybe just half a laundry basket for you.
Good luck...
If you're like most reedmakers, expect to make a laundry basket full of bad reeds before you make your first good one. You seem quite confident in your ability, so maybe just half a laundry basket for you.
Good luck...