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THE WOODWIND FAMILY
HISTORY
The oboe's history dates back to at least the 1200's.
This was when an instrument called the shawm was invented. This
ancestor of the oboe was rather loud and shrill, but used the double reed
made out of cane, similar to what
modern-day oboists use. Over the next four centuries many changes were made
to the instruments, and the higher-sounding shawms often were called
hautbois in the French courts. Hautbois means "high wood", and when
pronounced in French sounds very similar to the word "oboe". By the
1700's the instrument was a regular part of the orchestra. Over the
next hundred years, many keys were added to the oboe so more notes could be
played. Several other types of oboes were also used, including the
oboe d'amore, the English horn, and the baritone oboe. The baritone
oboe was replaced quickly by the bassoon.
The bassoon's history goes back as far as the oboe's history,
with an instrument called the dulcian (meaning soft and sweet), which was
another large one-piece instrument played with a double reed. When the
English began playing it they changed it a bit and called it a curtal.
Around 1700, French instrument-makers took the curtal and changed it so it
could be made of four separate pieces. In the 1820's Carl Almenrader &
Adam Heckel designed the modern German bassoon, which is the most common
bassoon used today.
PROBLEM SOLVING
I recommend that you get started with a teacher so that you learn to hold
your instrument correctly, and make your first sounds correctly.
| Is your sound high and pinched, without
much of a note? |
Relax your mouth a bit or perhaps blow a
little softer. It's also possible that you need a softer reed. |
| Is your sound low, without much of a note? |
Try to use more air to support the sound.
You could try lowering the instrument, to decrease the angle. It
could be the reed is to soft. |
|
Are you just getting an airy sound, with no note? |
Firm up your lips and corners of your mouth. Be sure your lower
lip is rolled in. Try to use more air to support the sound. |
|
Does the air keep stopping? |
Make an "oh" shape with your lips. Make sure you aren't squeezing
the lips against the reed. Perhaps you have too much reed in your
mouth, also. Or it could be the reed is to soft. |
DOUBLE REED LINKS
WIZARDS! is a
double reed quartet with a great Webpage.
OBOE
LINKS
Playing in Tune is the topic at
http://idrs.colorado.edu/Publications/Journal/JNL4/oboe.html
Interesting Oboe facts at
http://www.finermusic.com/classroom/exercise4/exercise4grades6_8.html
ENGLISH
HORN LINKS
Everything English Horn at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~gbrowne/geoff7.htm
BASSOON
LINKS
Tips for Beginning Bassoonists
A page with a bit of good info:
http://www.jpj.net/~jmprev/bassoon/info.html
English Horn exposed:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~gbrowne/geoff7.htm
Bassoon Pitch
discusses the bassoon's intonation
Neat sound clips & a neat quote at
http://www.emich.edu/public/music/wp/bassoon99.html
The Bassoon Place
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