What can you do when you’re stuck in the crappy groups? I was on a call with a client the other day. She was discouraged because she was finally ableContinue readingWhat Do You Do in a Bad Gig?
Harder Isn’t Better
Harder doesn’t mean better. It is not the case that 12-year-olds need a certain EASY kind of reed, that high-schoolers should step up to MEDIUM, that adults all play onContinue readingHarder Isn’t Better
What if it was EASY?
What if the oboe was easy? I speak about this constantly. We spent a lot of time last week in my first Invincible Oboist class talking about strategies to keep our air low, conversational,Continue readingWhat if it was EASY?
Don’t Wait For It
Don’t wait for it. The lowest notes on the oboe are notoriously difficult to play. They don’t want to speak, they MIGHT splatter, they are SLOW to respond, they feelContinue readingDon’t Wait For It
The AIR is the Sound
It’s never wrong to go back to basics. I was working with some college freshmen and we were playing two-bar phrases. I talked about arcing the air over the barline.Continue readingThe AIR is the Sound
Micro Rests
For oboists, endurance is a huge problem. We can play an endlessly long phrase, because of the way the instrument is constructed, but we can really only do that aContinue readingMicro Rests
Coffee? COMMUNICATE.
Thesis: Communication is important. Letting the other person know your CONTEXT is a part of that. Scene: We’re walking the doggo, so I can’t step into the co-op with Steve. Continue readingCoffee? COMMUNICATE.
When to Cheat
I got an email from an oboist a while ago, back before COVID. After thanking me for the reeds I had sent, and complimenting the warm tone they had, theyContinue readingWhen to Cheat
You are the Music
You ARE the music. YOU are the music. It’s not the oboe. It’s YOU. Too many oboists live RIGHT up against the resistance of the oboe, blowing straight into theContinue readingYou are the Music
Separating it Out
Last semester, my student came in with the Hoedown from Copland’s Rodeo. Let me guess, I said – the low tonguing passage? Of course she assumed that she had aContinue readingSeparating it Out