INFORMATION FOR PARENTS OF
BEGINNING OBOE AND BASSOON STUDENTS
It seems there are always many questions about beginning a student on oboe or bassoon. To parents, the situation is especially bewildering. Not only is your child embarking on a musical path that you may be unfamiliar with, but also playing an instrument that you can't even identify, much less help them with.
But the rewards are many, and the task is certainly worthwhile. A decent oboe or bassoon player, even if not a music major, is bound to get a larger college scholarship than any other instrumentalist. These players are always in short supply in college musical groups, and your child is sure to shine.
BASICS
The oboe and the bassoon fall into the family of “Double Reeds.” These are instruments that have two reeds tightly bound together instead of a single reed against a mouthpiece. When air is blown through the opening between the two reeds, they both vibrate and create the sound, which is then amplified through the body of the instrument. This aspect makes the instrument have that nasally sound so characteristic of the family. Not everyone recognizes the sound of an oboe, but who wouldn't recognize the “snake-charmer" song?
Double reeds can be funny, clownish and entertaining, or soulful, sad and lovely. Very expressive and creative musical passages are often assigned to the oboe or bassoon family. However, you probably aren't going to hear those sounds from your child for a year or two. The joke amongst music teachers is that nothing sounds worse than a beginning oboe or bassoon player. But they must start the journey somehow.
INSTRUCTION
The single most important thing you can do to help your young player is to find a private lesson teacher. If you have a teacher, someone who specializes in the area of double reeds, you are on the right track. But why, you ask, should I pay a teacher when my child has a perfectly good director that my tax money is already paying for?
Here's why. In college, your child's musical director had to major in one instrument. Generally the one they played in school, they must show professional ability to absolutely master that one instrument. On the other instruments, they usually take a class to help them learn how to teach. Unless you are lucky enough to have a director who majored in oboe or bassoon, they just aren't going to have more than a rudimentary knowledge of double reeds. Most of the time, double reeds are lumped into a woodwind class lasting only one semester.
And even if your child's director is a double reed major, he or she probably has hundreds of students to see every day. The chances of one-on-one instruction for 30 minutes a week are slim to none. If you want your child to be successful, a private instructor is a must. While an hour-long lesson each week is the best, a 30-minute lesson will suffice.
Another thing you can do to help your child is to provide a few CDs of the classical variety, especially featuring the oboe or bassoon. The child must grow an awareness of the way the instrument is supposed to sound. Otherwise, children tend to think that if they sound as good as the person sitting next to them in class, they are doing great! I know that as the only beginning oboe player in a small west Texas town. I really had no idea that my sound was bad. Back then (OK, back in the old days ) a good recording of an oboe or bassoon player was hard come by. There wasn't a store within 80 miles of us that sold them.
But now, with the internet, great recordings are easily available to everyone. And besides, what a great opportunity to let your child listen to some variety of music other than the junk they play on the radio and tv these days. Here's a link to a site that has a huge variety of great CDs of any style and instrument: http://www.tapmusic.com/.
REEDS
One of the most bewildering aspects of the double reed family is the reed. What kind, how many, how to take care of them, and most of all, why are they so cotton-pickin' expensive? Well, just one look at one of your child's reeds and you can probably tell they are hand-made. Even the mass-produced reeds are very labor-intensive. The best reeds are entirely made by hand and tested by a player. They are really a bargain when you figure that it takes perhaps an hour to make one reed. For commercial reeds, my favorite is the Marlin Lesher or Richards reeds for advancing students. Both of these are available on Johnny Paul's truck. Stuart Dunkel http://www.stuart-dunkel.com/ sells professional quality reeds from his website. They are expensive, but worth every penny if your child plans to major in music and become a professional player.
I recommend to all of my double reed students that they have at least 4 reeds. This would be three to rotate in playing sessions each day and a spare. Get a good reed case. If you buy a plastic one, drill some air holes in it so the reeds won't mildew.
Can your child learn to make reeds? If they have an experienced private teacher and hour-long weekly lessons, the answer is probably yes. When your teacher says that your child is ready, they will ask you to make a small investment in tools. A good reed knife will be necessary. They must be kept extremely sharp. So if you are not sure about your child's ability to handle a sharp, potentially lethal weapon, please do not put a reed knife in their hands. When they make reeds, do not make the mistake of allowing them to carry the reed knife to school unless you enjoy being the focus of public incidences. One student made the news by having a cake knife at school. Imagine the flap over a reed knife that looks and acts like a straight razor!
In one of the oboe-reed-making books that I have, the author implies that you must make a laundry basket full of reeds before you become good at it. That is a lot of reeds but I don't think it is that much of an exaggeration. In our world of instant gratification, it is difficult to accept the fact that you will have to practice for a long time to be able to consistently produce good reeds. As a parent, you must weigh the cost of the goofs against the cost of just purchasing reeds. If your child wants to become a professional player, however, they must learn how to make a good reed. For a good website that carries tied reed blanks, go to http://www.advantage-usa.com/DoubleReeds.html
Another important aspect of helping your child become an excellent double reed player is to find a good quality repair technician, and have their instrument checked over at least once a year. Double reed instruments are very easily out of adjustment. One look at an oboe will tell you about this situation. Look at all those itty-bitty screws! Turn one of them 1/8 of a turn too far, and this instrument is not going to play. The bassoon problems tend to be more of a bent-key nature, since it is a much bigger instrument. More often than not, problems with both of these instruments stem from students gripping them too hard when assembling. And, of course, the occasional bump or drop doesn't help any either. The oboe in particular is extremely delicate.
If you child decides that they want to play the oboe or bassoon, and you live in a small district, there is a distinct possibility that he or she will be the only player of that instrument in the group. This means a certain amount of loneliness. It becomes harder to get together with others who have the same part as you do, and your “section” is only you. You are both first and last chair, so there is less competition. The student in this situation needs to be a self-starter, willing to practice for the imagined competition. Any chance that they can get together with other outside groups to play, such as all-region or state competitions, church orchestras, and the like, must be seized upon.
Keep in mind, also, that your oboe or bassoon student will probably be assigned to do "something else" during marching season once they progress to high school. Double reed instruments are just too delicate to have out on the marching field. Usually they are assigned to "the pit", or the big percussion section that stays on the sideline and plays the mallet instruments during the halftime shows. Sometimes they serve as members of a flag/dance team or as one of the Drum Majors.
Extra support will be needed during this busy time to ensure that your child keeps up the practice on their "real" instrument!
Last of all; please don't neglect the care and feeding of your local band or orchestra director. They have a tough job, and it is made even tougher if they are under the constant criticism of parents. Call them every now and then, and let them know you are working with them, and not against them. Be a real “booster.”
Here's the plug part. For all of your oboe and bassoon needs, whether it is quality reeds or expert repair, you can count on Johnny Paul's Music Shop. We have so many years of experience, that if we counted them and told you about them, you would think we were getting really OLD or something.
Thanks for reading,
Jeanan Paul
Johnny Paul's Music Shop
10450 E. Bankhead Hwy.
Aledo, TX 76008
(817) 441-9003
fax (817) 887-0771