Posture:
- The purpose of posture is to support great air use. All posture choices should be made with air in mind.
- If standing, keep the feet apart and the knees slightly bent to help breathe and support low.
- Sitting should be as close to standing as possible.
- Avoid either slouching/leaning back OR sitting excessively straight and tense.
- Let the spine keep its natural curve
- Avoid either slouching/leaning back OR sitting excessively straight and tense.
- Keep the head UP and avoid pushing it forward
- It is extremely common for oboists to push their head forward and tilt it down towards the reed. This should be avoided as much as possible!
- Bring the reed to you, not you to the reed.
- You may have to sometimes feel that you're actively bringing the head up and back to help combat this.
- It is extremely common for oboists to push their head forward and tilt it down towards the reed. This should be avoided as much as possible!
- The oboe angle should be relatively low.
- Head up, oboe down.
- This helps the air aim across or up. The air should NOT be aimed directly down the oboe.
- When sitting, the bell should be slightly higher than the knees.
- The angle is not as low as clarinet, but it should be far closer to that than many young players end up with.
- Experiment with oboe angle to notice the change it makes in the sound.
- An angle that's too high will contribute to wild tone and tuning issues on sensitive mid-range notes (Bb, B, C) and high notes
- Too low isn't ideal either, but it's better to err too low than too high, and it's more immediately obvious to the player when you do manage to get too low.
- Oboe angle affects embouchure as well as air direction.
- A lower angle, assuming a good embouchure, naturally brings the reed into contact with more lip cover. There is such a thing as too low, but it's lower than you may think, and most students tend towards too high instead.
- Keep the shoulders relaxed and low.
- Students tensing the shoulders out of nerves can be helped by tensing them intentionally and then relaxing them.
- The elbows need to be at an angle that allows for a relaxed but mostly straight line from the elbow to the middle of the hand.
- Especially on the left hand. A little wrist drop may be necessary on the right hand, but should be minimal.
- Neither tuck the elbows in nor stick them out excessively. Just get them to where that straight line can happen.