A positive attitude to trying 'impossible' bassoon and oboe music

As a bassoon or oboe player, have you ever felt there are some passages of music and some techniques for playing your instrument which you will never (ever!) be able to master? Are there solos that you would never attempt, scalic passages that are just too fast, and staccato passages that are so fiendish that your tongue just can't keep up?

If the answer for you is yes, then a little encouragement may be in order. I recently read the blog post, On the Impossible Bucket List by Cayla Bellamy, and lo and behold even professional bassoonists have passages and techniques that they are afraid to tackle. Cayla is a professional bassoon player and teacher of great experience, one of the best out there, yet even she has challenges to overcome and has been honest enough to admit that.

Here are some quotes that she has heard recently as examples:

"I could never double tongue like that."

"We just can't make that kind of sound."

"I had the heart of a dancer, but never the feet."

"Even if I practiced for 80 years, I'd never be able to play that."

These grow and branch out, one by one, to become a tree of impossibilities looming over our careers.

It may seem obvious, but sometimes we might forget that professional players have in fact had to learn all this stuff the hard way, putting in the hours, and at one point or another facing down 'impossible' passages of music with some determination. This applies to everyone though, from beginner to professional.

The advice given is just have a go at the pieces that are your worst nightmare from a technical perspective. That is not to say that you should try and perfect them, as undoubtedly many of these passages will realistically be beyond our current skill level. But in having a go at them satisfaction can be gained from having experienced a new piece of music, challenging yourself and  maybe even eventually mastering that piece of music to a reasonable degree.

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A Beginner's Guide to the Oboe

The oboe is one of the primary colours of the classical orchestra, capable of great beauty and expression. It has a distinctly penetrating sound that can cut through the orchestra, allowing the oboe to carry melodies seemingly effortlessly across the orchestra and to the audience. There is almost no end to the great repertoire that has been written for the oboe, both through melodic passages in the orchestral setting and also full solo works including concertos.

There is debate as to whether the oboe is inherently more difficult to play than other instruments of the orchestra. Undoubtedly, playing the oboe does have some significant challenges, but so do other instruments of the orchestra, and one would hope that this should not put one off from pursuing a desire to play the oboe. 

In the hands of a beginner the oboe has been described as sounding 'squawky', prone to squeaking and difficult to play in tune. This is partly due to the high pressure the oboe is played at (and resulting need for good diaphragm support) and partly due to the unusual nature of playing on a double reed. However, with some practice and time the lungs, diaphragm and embouchure (muscles surrounding the mouth) will strengthen and the oboe will become more manageable. An experienced oboe teacher will be a big help here in establishing good techniques and quicker progression.

Getting to a very high standard on the oboe however is more difficult as the player is beholden to the variable characteristics of the double reed they are playing on for accurate intonation and general quality and ease of sound. There are many oboists who obsess about finding or making the right reed for the music they are playing, and there are some who prefer to make do and change their reed as little as often.

Below is a recording of players of the oboists from the Royal Danish Orchestra playing a Beethoven Oboe trio. The centre player is playing a Cor Anglais, a slightly larger sister of the oboe, played with similar fingerings and sounding lower.

For specialist advice on oboes and bassoons feel free to view the Double Reed Ltd. website