Blowing Pressure

[JanCM]

Hey!

As a teenager I played the Oboe for 5 years, until the time I finished school. For time reasons I had a break of almost 10 years. I wanted to start again, but I had a diaphragmatic hernia.. Since there is a slight risk of recurrence due to the high pressure in the abdominal area while playing Oboe I‘m thinking about switching to the Clarinet.

Do you have any experiences about the pressure in the abdomen while playing Clarinet? I’ve never tried it but clarinetists always look much more relaxed than oboists..

Sorry for my English and best wishes from Germany!

 

[Carl H.]

I think most of the pressure issues come from setup. A too stiff reed can cause pressure issues on both instruments.

The biggest difference between the two is air consumption. On clarinet I don't think I've ever had to exhale before inhaling while playing oboe it happens most of the time, the oboe just doesn't require the volume of air a clarinet does. If you want to give clarinet a try I would encourage you to do so, but don't give up on oboe.

Try to find a professional oboist to work with and see if you can reduce the pressure issues you are accustomed to and get a more playable setup. Neither should require enough pressure that you would injure yourself.