Problem Solving
Common Problems of the Young Oboist

Response - Pitch - Dynamics - Tone

Problem:

Poor low register (below G) response, with explosive attacks and loud dynamics

Possible Causes:

• the reed is too stiff and open
• the student is biting too much, or has too much reed in their mouth
• the oboe is leaking
• the students fingers are not covering the holes completely

Solutions:

• loosen reed
• work on flexibility exercises with student; practice whistling to get
the jaw down; practice having less reed in the mouth
• get oboe repaired
• make sure the student is covering the keys with the balls of their fingers; check the fourth finger in each hand in particular; make sure they are not hitting any trill keys or side keys

Problem:

Poor low register response with shallow tone, imprecise accuracy and clarity; often the lowest notes "gurgle"

Possible Causes:

• the student is biting too much
• the reed too far in her mouth
• the reed is too stiff and closed
• the oboe is leaking

Solutions:

• work on flexibility exercises with student; practice whistling to get the jaw down; practice having less reed in the mouth
• loosen reed or use a new reed
• get oboe repaired

Problem:

Left Eb does not speak easily

Possible Causes:

• when the student uses left Eb, she loses the note, because the left little finger pulls the left forth finger off the key

Solutions:

• Put a piece of tape covering the hole of the 'G'key
• make sure the student is covering the keys with the balls of their fingers; check the fourth finger in each hand in particular; make sure they are not hitting any trill keys or side keys

Problem:

The response of Low register or right hand notes is intermittent

Possible Causes:

• sometimes notes in the right hand do not come out, but sometimes they do because probably the middle tenon is wobbly, and the F# to G# adjustment is out, and the student is accidentally hitting the right G# and opening the key.

Solutions:

• fix the tenon ie: replace the cork (unfortunately, the joint may still wobble, so cork/glue may need to be added to the wood of the tenon)
• work on curving the fingers more: make sure the student is covering the keys with the balls of their fingers; check the fourth finger in each hand in particular; make sure they are not hitting any trill keys or side keys

Problem:

Half-hole notes speak down the octave

Possible Causes:

• the half-hole is not being opened enough

Solutions:

• make sure the finger is sliding to open the half hole
• use nose/forehead grease to get finger to slide more
• check that the fingernail (first finger left hand) is not too long

Problem:

Notes gurgle

Possible Causes:

• there is water in a key, or octave vent

Solutions:

• look for the next open key below the note that gurgles, or the appropriate octave key
• use cigarette paper (ungummed) to clean out: works best if other keys and the end of the joint are covered (hard with the bottom joint), and the water is blown out from the inside

Problem:

Attacks are unclear, and not predictable

Possible Causes:

• the student is not building up enough air support before starting the note
• the reed is unresponsive
• the student is biting too much

Solutions:

• work on placing the tongue on the reed, building air pressure, then starting the note by taking the tongue off the reed
• make the reed more responsive
• work on flexibility exercises with your student

Problem:

Notes squeak

Possible Causes:

• the student is biting too much, or not rolling out enough
• the student is moving his jaw too much
• the reed is too closed and/or weak
• the fingers are not covering properly

Solutions:

• work on keeping the jaw open and steady, while finding the correct placement of the reed on the lips
• work on flexibility exercises with your student
• make the reed stronger: soak longer in hot water
• make sure the student is using the balls of their fingers

Problem:

Student has trouble getting high d to respond

Possible Causes:

• the student is biting too much, or not rolling in enough
• the student is not opening the half hole enough ( the finger can be taken off the half hole when slurring to the high d)
• the reed is too vibrant
• the fingers are not covering quickly enough

Solutions:

• work on flexibility exercises with the student
• use nose/forehead grease to get finger to slide more
• work on reed, possibly clipping the tip
• work on slapping the fingers on the keys to help get them synchronized

Problem:

Student blips when going over 'the break' to C# or D

Possible Causes:

• the student is not moving her fingers at the same time
• the student is not opening the half hole enough
• the student is not blowing enough between the notes
• the fingers are not covering quickly enough

Solutions:

• work on slapping the fingers on the keys to help get them synchronized (don't lift them too high above the keys)
• use nose/forehead grease to get finger to slide more
• work on blowing air to the very end of each note; practice slurring passages
• have right hand already in position over the keys before it is needed; get the fingers ready the beat before

Problem:

Student chin 'crumples'

Possible Causes:

• the student cannot keep air pockets out of the embouchure
• the student cannot keep correct embouchure for very long
• the student cannot control reed easily

Solutions:

• work on pointing the chin, and keeping the chin flat by pulling the lips over the teeth. Practice without the reed, and try checking, and re-adjusting at the end of each phrase.

Problem:

Low register is flat/sharp

Possible Causes:

• the student has loosened/tightened his embouchure too much
• the student has too little/too much reed in their mouth

Solutions:

• try the opposite

Problem:

High register is very sharp, pinched

Possible Causes:

• the student is probably biting too much instead of rolling in and supporting the tone with air
• the reed could be very closed and sharp
• the 2nd octave key vent could be tuned sharp

Solutions:

• strive to use the embouchure and jaw less for biting and more for rolling in
• make sure the student has good air support
• get a new reed, or try soaking the old reed in hot water, and gently opening the tip with the fingers
• get oboe looked at by a qualified repair person

Problem:

High register notes are flat/unstable

Possible Causes:

• the student does not have strong or consistent enough air support
• the student is not rolling in enough, or has too loose an embouchure
• the reed is unstable
• the student is opening their throat too much

Solutions:

• make sure the student has good air support; work on holding it steady
• work on keeping the embouchure steady and rolled in
• get new reed or close the opening of the reed by squishing the back when it has been properly soaked
• use the vowel 'e' to close the throat

Problem:

2nd space C is flat sharp, or ugly sounding

Possible Causes:

• the embouchure and air placement is not quite right
• there is water under the 'C' key
• the reed is unstable

Solutions:

• work on 'rolling out' to get flatter, and rolling in to get sharper. Experiment with the amount of reed in the mouth and the opening in the mouth
• clean out the water with cigarette paper
• work on reed: squish and/or clip the reed

Problem:

Too soft in high register

Possible Causes:

• student is not using enough air support
• student is biting too much instead of rolling in
• reed is not loud enough, most likely too closed

Solutions:

• work on scales with a crescendo ascending (using the air), and saving a decrescendo until the bottom of the scale
• work on flexibility exercises that practice rolling in and out instead of biting
• open the reed with hot water

Problem:

Student can not diminuendo smoothly, or play softly: tends to be sharp in soft dynamics

Possible Causes:

• student is not using enough air support
• student is not closing around the reed enough
• student is not pulling reed out of mouth enough
• reed is too unresponsive

Solutions:

• work on building the air support
• work on flexibility and strengthening exercises
• start small: work first on slight dynamic changes, for instance playing slightly softer at phrase endings. Do this by pulling the reed out of the mouth slightly to get a softer sound
• loosen reed

Problem:

Forked f is stuffy, unresponsive

Possible Causes:

• design of the oboe
• embouchure is not helping the note resonate enough

Solutions:

• get a new oboe
• use more air support: this will also help with slurring to forked f
• more embouchure flexibility to help the note resonate: experiment with placement and air support
• adding the Eb key can help, but may cause the note to be sharp

Problem:

Tone is generally harsh, and not in control

Possible Causes:

• too much reed in the mouth, usually with the lips not rolled in enough
• the reed

Solutions:

• work on having less reed in the mouth, and rolling the lips in more
• new reed, or try thinning the sides of the tip and clipping

Problem:

Tone is generally flabby , unfocused and dull

Possible Causes:

• too little reed in the mouth, or the student has very full lips that are rolled in too much
• student could be biting too much
• not enough air support
• the reed

Solutions:

• work on having more reed in the mouth, and rolling the lips just as much as they need to be rather than biting
• increase air support
• demonstrate sound to the student as they may be trying for too dark a sound
• new reed, or try thinning the sides of the tip and clipping